Noble Pokémon are one of several key elements to the story in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, but due to the frenzied state you encounter most of them in, you’ll have to best them in combat before they become allies.
This process isn’t as simple as just defeating them in a regular Pokémon battle. You will need to physically challenge the frenzied Nobles in direct combat yourself. This requires players to dodge incoming attacks while tossing special Balms in retaliation to weaken and eventually defeat the Pokémon.
In each Noble Pokémon battle, you will be tasked with using the special Balms containing each Pokémon’s normal tribute to create an opening by lowering its frenzy bar. Once prompted, you can send in your own Pokémon to initiate a standard Pokémon battle, which will help you finish the fight even faster.
These fights can be challenging if you don’t go in prepared or over-leveled, but the first Noble you encounter—Scyther’s new Hisuian evolution Kleavor—should teach you everything you need to know about the style of battle.
How to Beat Noble Kleavor in Pokémon Legends: Arceus
At the onset, Kleavor has two moves it will use as you battle it in the Grandtree Arena: a dash combined with a flurry of blows and a wider attack where it uses its ax-like arms to deal damage in a circle.
Both should be relatively easy to dodge since their windup is easy to read ahead of time.
When you see Kleavor’s eye glisten, that means it is ready to dash and has set its direction for its dash attack. All you need to do is move slightly out of the way by running or rolling and you will not only avoid damage, but also have plenty of time to fire Balms at it.
The other attack you’ll need to look out for can be predicted when a circle of wind begins to form around Kleavor. Just roll out of the designated area being affected by the wind and, once you’re clear, you can throw Balms toward the Pokémon with no danger.
You can also speed up the fight by baiting Kleavor into crashing against the rock walls surrounding the arena or the tree located in the middle. If it runs into them during an attack, it will be dazed and you can throw out your own Pokémon to start a battle. Once you win the battle, it will be left dazed again, allowing you to land a ton of Balms on target.
Just be aware that Kleavor is a Bug/Rock-type, so having a strong Water-type or Rock-type Pokémon on hand would probably be your best bet for countering it in battle.
