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Pokemon come in many shapes and sizes, especially in Pokemon Legends: Arceus. This open-world Pokemon spinoff incorporates a variety of Pokemon ranging from teeny-tiny to elephantine. Alpha Pokemon just happen to be the largest of them all, and the game recognizes them as such with the special name. Naturally, because alphas are new to the series, even long-time fans have plenty of questions. Here are the basics of what you need to know about alphas in Pokemon Legends: Arceus.
What are Alpha Pokemon?
A domesticated alpha Floatzel cries out in might
Alpha Pokemon are the largest possible Pokemon in the game for their respective species. Just in case you don't realize it, they remind you with their unique traits and looks; they're red-eyed, aggressive creatures that attack you on sight. Thankfully, they lose that aggression and their eyes fade to a normal color once you catch them.
Where to find alpha Pokemon
An alpha Shinx ponders its next move from faraway
There's at least one alpha Pokemon in each region. However, not all of them will appear at once. For example, alpha Floatzel appears across the bridge in the Obsidian Lands, which you can cross after receiving your first star. Meanwhile, Bibarel appears at the bottom of the hill before Grandtree Arena.
I hadn't seen any alpha Pokemon before crossing the bridge in Obsidian Fieldlands. However, when I returned at a later level, I found an alpha Bidoof and alpha Rapidash in the area before the bridge, too.
The first alpha Pokemon players should meet is alpha Kriketune. This Kriketune is special because it's the only alpha Pokemon that will remotely be close to your level at this stage of the game. It won't respawn if you kill it.
How to catch alpha Pokemon
Drifblim uses Hypnosis on alpha Snorlax to lull it to sleep
Catching alpha Pokemon works basically the same as catching a regular Pokemon. The highest hurdle will be staying alive, considering many of them appear when players are still underleveled for the particular area they inhabit.
First off, you have to fight them. There's no getting lucky with throwing a Poke Ball while an alpha's back is turned. However, you can initiate a battle from behind to catch them unaware. The unaware condition gives you a headstart in battle while your opponent gathers their senses.
It's relatively easy to catch a normal wild Pokemon with any combination of low HP or status effects. Heck, even just throwing a Poke Ball can work. However, alphas tend to be trickier to catch. Players should play it safe, whittling down their HP as much as possible, inflicting a status effect, and then throwing their most powerful Poke Ball at them.
Oh, and of course, save before the encounter. I've admittedly killed more alphas than I wish were true, and I'm glad I saved beforehand so I didn't need to deal with the consequences of my actions.
Tip: If you still can't seem to catch an alpha, try raising your star rank. The higher the star rank, the higher the capture rate.
Will alpha Pokemon respawn if I KO them?
Luxray and alpha Floatzel have a staredown
There are two types of alphas. Only thefirst type will respawn in the same area, even if you already capture or KO it. However, it can be difficult to tell which type of alpha it is if it’s your first time seeing it. Alphas that respawn tend to be evolved forms or uncommon Pokemon in the area.
However, alpha versions of commonly found Pokemon in the area tend to be random encounters that won’t necessarily respawn if you defeat or capture them.
Using Obsidian Fieldlands as an example:
Alphas that respawn: Floatzel, Rapidash, Magikarp, Bibarel, Snorlax
Alphas that pop up as a random encounter: Bidoof, Shinx, Buizel
This isn’t a comprehensive list, but just a few examples from one area. You won’t find regular-sized Floatzels, Bibarel, or Rapidash roaming around Obsidian Fieldlands. Magikarp is an exception to the rule. Many Magikarp appear upstream, even when a resident alpha respawns with the school every day.
"Big Buizel, Little Buizel" is one of the most frustrating requests in Pokemon Legends: Arceus, mostly because of how simple it seems yet how tedious it can actually be. It doesn't help that it's one of the earliest requests in the game.
Dorian, a red-robed guardsman, asks the player for a Buizel taller than his. What makes it complicated is that he doesn't say exactly how tall his Buizel is. Plus, it's difficult to pinpoint an oversized one on sight. Here's what you need to do to complete the "Big Buizel, Little Buizel" request.
Where to find Big Buizel, Little Buizel request
Dorian should be outside the gate to the lake
Dorian wears a red samurai-like robe and a straw hat like many of the default NPCs throughout the game. He should be standing just outside of Jubilife Village next to his partner, Buizel. It's the gate leading out to the lake, not the front gate leading to the different excursion regions.
The "Big Buizel, Little Buizel" quest should appear early in the game, right after you pass the test to join the Survey Corps. Just look for the little quest marker above Dorian's head.
What is a Big Buizel?
What a Buizel summary should look like. Sadly, he's not tall enough.
Some might think “big Buizel&" means “alpha Buizel,&" but that's not the case. Alphas are the biggest Pokemon in the game. Big simply means big--or at least taller than Dorian's Buizel.
Each Pokémon has a different height and weight recorded in its summary. That being said, it's inconveniently difficult to know a "big" Buizel when you see it. What might seem like an average-sized Buizel might actually be larger than average if you don't have a small one for comparison. So just keep catching Buizel until you have one that's 2'8" or taller. You can check a Pokemon's height and weight on the first page of their summary.
Where to find Buizel
Just one place to find Buizels across the bridge after reaching one-star rank
Buizel can be found near the rivers in Obsidian Lands. Warning: These feisty water weasels attack on sight! They appear in the first area of the map before the bridge (before your first star) as well as across the bridge. If you search across the bridge, be careful not to engage with the alpha Floatzel to the far north of the map unless you're ready for it.
I still can't find Big Buizel...
A Buizel ripe for capture
Some unfortunate souls have captured enough Buizels to fill an entire pasture without finding one tall enough to submit for the quest. So, what's one to do if big Buizel remains so elusive?
One Redditor reported that a 2'7" Buizel worked for them after hours of infernal grinding, though it's unclear what allowed the game to accept this over a 2'8" one. The popular guess is that the game secretly has a metric value that Imperial measurement countries can't see in the localization.
So, if you really can't find a 2'8" one, try submitting 2'7" tall Buizels. If none of them work, then it's back to the fields.
Alternatively, as reported by Kotaku, players might consider waiting until after the Kleavor boss fight. Alpha Pokemon, including Buizels, have a better chance of spawning after defeating that first Noble Pokemon. This checks out, considering I caught an alpha Bidoof and alpha Buizel after the fact.