How to beat Arceus in Pokémon Legends: Arceus

Pokémon Legends: Arceus is one of few games in the franchise that has more than one reward for completing the Pokédex, which includes a chance to meet the titular Mythical Pokémon Arceus.

Any players who manage to complete the Pokédex will find themselves in one final battle—and it’s the most difficult in the game by a large margin, at least when it comes to the Noble-style of mixed combat.

Arceus is treated as the true final boss of the game, giving players their greatest challenge as they try to truly complete the Pokédex by capturing the true Alpha Pokémon. However, The Original One is going to throw more tricks at you than any other boss in the game, and you will need to survive if you want to finish the mission you were given upon arriving in Hisui via the space-time anomaly.

So once you gather the Plates, encounter every Pokémon, and are ready to ascend to the summit once more, here are some tips for how you can best approach your final showdown with the God of Pokémon.

How to beat Arceus in Pokémon Legends: Arceus

Arceus will once again test each player’s ability to strategize, dodge, and throw Balms as it provides the toughest variant of a Noble Pokémon battle in the entire game. Not only is that just because the Pokémon is going to be so highly leveled, but also because of the deep moveset that it boasts and the frequency in which these attacks can come.

To start, Arceus will create wide, exploding circles on the floor that will impact a specific area and send a blue shockwave. You will need to stay out of the initial explosion and roll through or away from the shockwave to avoid damage while taking the time to throw one or two Balms after you do.

In the next phase, Arceus will use its signature move Judgement, sending beams of light hurtling toward the player. Listen for the sound when these are fired off, as it will be your best cue to time a roll away from the danger. Your main goal here is just to survive the phase, so you probably don’t want to try and throw a cheap Balm or two at risk of being damaged.

When you see Arceus glow red, that means it’s preparing for its third attack, which will see the Pokémon teleport. To escape danger, you’ll need to sprint and roll away once the Pokémon reaches its new location. And, once in the safe zone, feel free to throw Balms.

Similarly, if Arceus disappears and the music stops playing, look around for a crack appearing in the arena, because the Pokémon will charge out of it and directly at the player. Once you see where Arceus is going to emerge, roll out of the way.

Arceus’ last ability will see it spawn clones with three orbs above them. Move into the safe zone, which will be clearly visible due to the glowing attacks, and throw Balms at Arceus until you locate the real one. The true Arceus will begin glowing red and charging an attack. Make sure you land three Balms to destroy the orbs before the charging is complete. If done successfully, you can now throw a Pokémon into battle.

If you win the battle with Arceus, you can land a ton of Balms while the Pokémon is stunned. From there, you simply need to repeat until the final boss is defeated and you can truly call your mission complete.

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