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Turtwig, Chimchar, and Piplup are known as the Starter Pokemon in Pokemon Diamond/Pearl/Platinum and their remakes, Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl. In Pokemon Legends: Arceus, which takes place in old Sinnoh, these three Pokemon aren't given to players by the professor. Instead, they can be found roaming three different areas of Hisui, making it one of the few times when trainers can catch starter Pokemon in the wild.
With Pokemon Legends: Arceus comes a new feature called Alpha Pokemon. These are Pokemon that appear much larger than regular Pokemon, and have three out of six of their base stats at level 3 instead of level 1. While the Alpha Sinnoh Starters are at mercy of RNG, players can find guaranteed Alphas of their final-evolved forms: Torterra, Infernape, and Empoleon.
What Trainers Will Need
First and foremost, players will need to be able to cross water with Basculegion. The Alpha Torterra, Infernape, and Empoleon are all in areas that can only be reached via "surf."
The next important thing is to make sure the Survey Corps Rank is at least Six Stars. At Rank 6, players will be able to catch Pokemon up to level 80. While two out of the three Alpha Pokemon are below level 65, it's a good idea to be at a higher rank to catch all Alphas in one run.
Finally, craft plenty of Ultra Balls and Heavy/Leaden Balls. Stock up on Oran Berries or the Alpha Pokemon's favorite type of food in order to stall it. Bring a Pokemon that's at least 5-10 levels higher than the Alpha Pokemon just in case.
Torterra in the Crimson Mirelands
Torterra can be found in the Holm of Trials, which is around the southwest of the Crimson Mirelands. The quickest way to get to the Holm of Trials is by warping to the Boglands Camp. Torterra will be roaming a small part of the Holm of Trials, along with a bunch of Carnivine. Since Carnivine are aggressive Pokemon, it's best to defeat them so that they don't attack while trying to catch Alpha Torterra.
According to Torterra's Pokedex entry, it likes the following foods:
- Plump Beans
- Hearty Grains
- Crunch Salt
- Dazzling Honey
Alpha Torterra will be at level 65 and is a Grass/Ground-type Pokemon. If this were a normal Torterra in the wild, players should avoid hitting it with Ice-type moves, which deal 4x damage and will easily 1HKO Torterra.
Since this is an Alpha Torterra, it's likely to withstand super-effective moves so long as players aren't too overleveled. Alternatively, using a Quick Style Ice-type move is a safe way to inflict damage on Torterra without knocking it out.
Catching or defeating it will reward a Seed of Mastery and one Exp. Candy L.
Infernape in the Obsidian Fieldlands
Infernape and Chimchar can be found on Ramanas Island in the Obsidian Fieldlands. Don't try swimming to the island without Basculegion.
Unlike Alpha Torterra, Alpha Infernape isn't surrounded by aggressive Pokemon. However, it's very easy to scare off the nearby Chimchar, which players may want to catch and evolve into Monferno. Since Infernape moves much faster than Torterra, hide in the nearby grass to sneak up on it and distract it with Oran Berries or its favorite food.
Alpha Infernape will be at level 65 and likes these foods:
- Plump Beans
- Hearty Grains
- Dazzling Honey
Infernape is a Fire/Fighting-type, making it weak to Water, Ground, Flying, Fairy, and Psychic-type moves. Like with Torterra, try using Quick Style moves to avoid knocking it out,but weakening it just enough to catch it.
Defeating or catching the Alpha Infernape will give the same rewards as Alpha Torterra: Seed of Mastery and Exp. Candy L.
Empoleon at the Cobalt Coastlands
While players can get away with being Rank 5 to catch Alpha Torterra and Alpha Infernape, the Alpha Empoleon on Islespy Shore in the Cobalt Coastlands is at level 69. To reach Islespy Shore, go north of the Coastlands Camp. Players can either use Basculegion to surf through the water, Sneasler to descend the cliffs, or Braviary to fly to reach Islespy Shore.
Alpha Empoleon is fast in the overworld like Infernape. To make matters worse, there isn't much tall grass for players to hide in, meaning it's highly likely players will be detected by Alpha Empoleon. Be careful of the wild Walrein and Golduck nearby, as they'll attack on sight.
Empoleon has the same preferred foods as Infernape, but if players want to bypass crafting stronger bait like Bean Cakes, they can simply toss an Oran Berry instead. Alpha Empoleon's Water/Steel-typing eliminates its Grass-type weakness, but it will take super-effective damage from Electric, Fighting, and Ground-type moves.
Just like Alpha Torterra and Alpha Infernape, catching/defeating Alpha Empoleon gives a Seed of Mastery and one piece of Exp. Candy L.
Pokemon Legends: Arceus is available now on Nintendo Switch.