Pokémon Legends: Arceus brings players back in time to the Hisui region, the land that would eventually be known as the Sinnoh region that many are familiar with from Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum. Many of the Pokémon that call the Sinnoh region home can be found in the expanses of Hisui, including Pokémon that trainers are used to calling their starters.
Turtwig, the Tiny Leaf Pokémon, is one of the three Pokémon that players can pick in their journeys through the Sinnoh region. In Hisui, however, Turtwig and its counterparts, Chimchar and Piplup, have not yet risen to their status as starter Pokémon. They’re instead being replaced by a new trio: Rowlet, Cyndaquil, and Oshawott. The original Sinnoh starters can still be obtained in Hisui, just not handed to players from the region’s professor as many may be expecting.
Players can encounter Turtwig in Hisui in the southern portions of the Droning Meadow where, like other wild Pokémon, they will have the option of either throwing a Poké Ball to catch it immediately or initiate a battle. Turtwig is very timid upon approaching it, so players will likely have to sneak up on it from behind for it to not run away.
Like in other games in the Pokémon series, Turtwig evolves into Grotle at level 18, then into Torterra at level 32. In Legends: Arceus, players will have to select the evolution option via the summary menu once Turtwig reaches these levels, forgoing the usual mechanic of evolving automatically upon meeting the specific criteria. Once fully evolved, players will have access to a powerful Grass and Ground-type Pokémon that many Sinnoh fans know and love.
The starters of the Sinnoh region—Turtwig, Chimchar, and Piplup—will be available for players to encounter and catch in the Hisui region in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, which is now available for the Nintendo Switch.
