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Just a few minutes into Pokemon Legends: Arceus, you are unceremoniously dropped into the region of Hisui with no clue as to who you are or why you’ve been displaced. It’s no time at all until you meet Professor Laventon and the first big choice of the game is presented before you.

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Rowlet, Cyndaquil, or Oshawott? You’ll have to choose between these three starter Pokemon and they’ll be with you throughout your journey through the Sinnoh of the past. There are advantages and disadvantages to each of them, and they all have new fully evolved forms to ponder.

Don’t worry about not being able to catch ‘em all! The starters you don’t pick will be available once you’ve completed the main story and seen the credits roll. Head into the Galaxy Hall and speak to Professor Laventon - he'll give you both starters that you don't already have!

Updated January 21, 2024, by Sean Murray: Picking your starter Pokemon is always the toughest part of any Pokemon game, which is why we've ensured this guide to Hisuian starters is up to snuff with improved formatting and additional tips to make choosing the right starter easier. We've also given it more links to other helpful Pokemon Legends: Arceus topics.

Rowlet

Rowlet In The Air

Rowlet is a Grass/Flying-type Pokemon originating from Gen Six and the Alola games. It’s certainly not a bad choice for this game, especially as its stats make it a mixed attacker, with decent stats in both attack and special attack. Keep its moveset varied, and you’ll have options for any tanky foes.

Something that makes Rowlet a great choice in the early game is its typing. You’ll find a ton of Bug-type and Grass-type foes in the first few hours and taking them out with a well-placed Gust is a great way to grind up levels and complete your Pokedex entries.

At Level 11, Rowlet learns Roost, but don’t be too tempted by it. This game’s combat revolves around hitting hard and hitting fast; stall tactics won’t help you much.

Far more useful are its physical attacks, such as Aerial Ace and Leaf Blade. These will be great until it can learn some better moves from Zisu at the Training Hall, such as Psycho Cut and Shadow Claw which provide excellent coverage for threatening type matchups.

Evolving Rowlet Into Hisuian Decidueye

Hisuian Decidueye Spreading Its Wings

In this game, Rowlet evolves into Dartrix at level 17, and then Hisuian Decidueye at level 36. This new form is a Grass/Fighting-type Pokemon with the attack stat to match. It learns fantastic moves that will really help out in the fast-paced late-game, such as Aura Sphere, Brave Bird, and Leaf Blade.

While its coverage isn’t stellar for the hardest fights of the game, you can rest assured this avian archer will make a dent in your target’s defenses before it goes down.

Remember, when Dartrix becomes Hisuian Decidueye, it will lose its Flying-type. This means you should consider changing up your movepool if you’ve been using Flying-type moves - keep one for coverage, but don’t forget to slot in some powerful Fighting-type attacks!

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Cyndaquil

Cyndaquil Lifts Its Nose Up

The Fire-type of the trio, Cyndaquil has been with Pokemon since Gold and Silver. In contrast to Rowlet’s balanced approach to combat, Cyndaquil and its evolutions are geared towards special attacks. While it’ll learn moves like Rollout and Flame Wheel, you’ll probably be better off keeping Ember and Swift in the early game, supplementing them with neat moves from Zisu such as Wild Charge and Iron Tail for coverage.

Flamethrower is also a great move that you should be teaching Cyndaquil as soon as Zisu allows. Not only does it look incredibly cool in this game, but it’s probably the Pokemon’s best move for dealing consistent damage for a great portion of the story.

Evolving Cyndaquil Into Hisuian Typhlosion

Hisuian Typhlosion Pokemon Regional Variant Starter

Cyndaquil becomes Quilava at level 17, and then Hisuian Typhlosion at level 36. Hisuian Typhlosion is a Fire/Ghost-type form that looks brilliant when it’s out in battle thanks to the purple flames surrounding it. It’s a fantastic special attacker with great speed - something you’ll want when going up against the hardest fights.

Its special attack, Infernal Parade, is a Ghost-type attack that deals extra damage if the enemy has a status ailment - and it can also inflict Burn! This is one move to look out for, along with Shadow Ball, Calm Mind, and Mystical Fire from the Training Hall.

It will be very difficult to rely on Hisuian Typhlosion for many of the Noble Pokemon fights as three out of five of them present big issues, with two having super-effective moves that will easily one-shot and another being immune to its powerful Ghost-type moves.

The biggest drawback to Cyndaquil and its evolutions is that they are quite bad at taking hits. There are so many enemies in this game with moves like High Horsepower, Earth Power, Dark Pulse, Shadow Ball, and Hydro Pump. If you stick with Typhlosion, you’ll be getting plenty of one-hit KOs but taking plenty of them in return. It’s a great Pokemon to pick, but keep backups!

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Oshawott

a cute little oshawatt looking cute and doing their best

From the Unova games of Black and White, Oshawott is the Water-type starter of PLA. It’s something of an odd one as it starts off being a special attacker but evolves into a fully-fledged physical attacker with a devastating moveset. That said, it’s not a bad choice by any means.

Oshawott stands out as being the only starter who can reliably and easily take on the first Noble Pokemon in the game, Kleavor. A hard-hitting Water-type move should finish it off neatly before it can do much damage. This makes team-building in the first area of the game a little less stressful.

One of the biggest boons you’ll get in the early hours of the game when choosing is Oshawott is Swords Dance, learned at level 11. This will make your Aqua Jets hit extremely hard, and Oshawott can be taught many useful moves at the Training Hall that would also benefit from the power boost, such as Aerial Ace, X-Scissor, and Iron Tail.

Swords Dance should be a mainstay of your movepool.

Evolving Oshawott Into Hisuian Samurott

Hisuian Samurott from Pokemon Legends Arceus Cropped

Oshawott follows its ancient Sinnoh starter peers in evolving into its middle stage (Dewott) at level 17, then its final form (Hisuian Samurott) at level 36.

These are the same levels Oshawott evolves at in the 'normal' games, meaning our little wet friend's the only starter pal whose levels aren't altered in Legends: Arceus.

Upon becoming a Hisuian Samurott, this Pokemon gains the Dark-type and access to a whole bevy of new moves. These include Night Slash, Megahorn, Aqua Tail, Poison Jab, and Psycho Cut. Its unique move, Ceaseless Edge, has a high critical hit rate and will damage the target for multiple turns, like Wrap or the reworked Stealth Rock.

Don't be intimidated by the wealth of move suggestions above. The fact that you can swap between your moves on the fly in this game means that Samurott will always have an answer to the problem in front of it.

The only drawback Samurott really has is that its speed is on the low side when compared to the other starters. You’ll find yourself being struck by multiple moves in a row, and in this game, this can be something of a death sentence.

With that said, with its fantastic movepool and immunity to Psychic-type attacks, Samurott is a brilliant choice for your first playthrough of Pokemon Legends: Arceus.

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Pokemon Legends: Arceus - Complete Guide
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