Baby Pokemon are among some of the hardest to find and catch in Pokemon Legends: Arceus. Cleffa is no exception to this, being much rarer than its evolved forms, Clefairy and Clefable.

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Luckily, with the right guidance, it won't be too hard to find and capture a Cleffa to fill in that Pokedex. Craft some Stealth Spray, a few Poke Balls, and head out to the Coronet Highlands. Here's how to catch Cleffa in Pokemon Legends: Arceus, as well as how to evolve it.

Cleffa Location in Pokemon Legends: Arceus

where to find cleffa in pla

Cleffa can only be found in one place in the game: The Coronet Highlands, specifically the Fabled Spring. This area is tucked away in the southwest corner of the map, due south from the Summit Camp.

Cleffa and its evolutionary relatives will only spawn at night, so rest at the camp until nightfall if it isn't already nighttime. Luckily, the weather does not matter. They'll appear in any weather, so long as it's night.

Next, head down to the Fabled Spring and look for the abundance of Clefairy that should be wandering around the flowers on either side of the river. There's a good chance an alpha Clefable will also be here.

Cleffa is much rarer than these two, so it might take a couple visits before one appears. The spawns can be reset by returning to Jubilife Village and then coming back to the Fabled Spring. Make sure it's nighttime each time!

If it's too difficult to find this rare spawn via the standard method, watch for a mass outbreak. Cleffa are capable of appearing through a mass outbreak in the Fabled Spring. The guard at the gate will point out when this is happening.

battling cleffa pokemon legends arceus

Once a Cleffa is spotted, the player can easily sneak up on it by crouching, using some Stealth Spray or Smoke Bombs, hiding in the foliage, and/or drawing its attention with food. Cleffa likes Dazzling Honey and Honey Cakes. Cleffa is skittish and may flee if it spots the player, so stealth and quick Poke Ball throws will be best.

Alternatively, a Pokemon can be thrown out to battle against Cleffa. From here, it'll be a good idea to throw a Poke Ball right away, rather than risk making it faint or having it run away.

Evolving Cleffa

cleffa pla

Players who want to evolve their newly-caught Cleffa will need to win its favor. Cleffa is among the many Pokemon that can only evolve if their friendship level is high enough. Cleffa needs a friendship rating of 220 or higher to evolve, and it will only undergo this evolution at night.

There are a few ways to increase friendship in Pokemon Legends: Arceus:

  • Keep Cleffa in the party and battle with it often
    • Try not to let it faint; winning battles awards more friendship points
  • Let Cleffa harvest resources in the field
  • Feed EXP Candies and Rare Candies to Cleffa

Once Cleffa is ready to evolve and it's nighttime, simply head to its page in the menu and evolve it. To evolve it further, into Clefable, it'll need a Moon Stone.

Checking Friendship in Pokemon Legends: Arceus

Friendship between Trainer and Pokemon can be checked pretty easily, but the Trainer needs to finish a specific quest first.

Speak with Belamy after quelling Kleavor's frenzy. He can be found near the Pastures in Jubilife Village. He'll ask to see a strong bond between a Trainer and their Pokemon in a request titled "Measuring Your Compatibility." Show him a strong bond, and he'll offer his friendship rating services from then on.

Once Belamy says the following about Cleffa, it'll be ready to evolve (again, only at night):

What an excellent pair of friends you and Pokémon make. You must mean a lot to each other!

Heads up: Belamy can say this line when friendship with a Pokemon is between 200 and 254, so once he says it, Cleffa might be just under the 220 needed. Once Cleffa is ready to evolve, its Poke Ball in the menu will flash.

Pokemon Legends: Arceus is available now for the Nintendo Switch.

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