Perhaps more so than any other Pokemon game before it, Pokemon Legends: Arceus truly adheres to the series' infamous "Gotta catch 'em all" motto. Sure, other Pokemon games do have Pokedex completion rewards, but few reward players quite as handsomely as the long-running franchise's most recent video game installment.
Those who take the time to track down all of the game's available Pokemon will be treated to a special boss battle, the reward for which is none other than Pokemon Legends: Arceus' titular character itself. The God-like Pokemon is the strongest Legendary Pokemon in existence, making it both an invaluable addition to any trainer's team and an absolute nightmare to defeat in battle. Here's how players can achieve the latter.
How To Beat Arceus in Pokemon Legends: Arceus
The battle with Arceus is incredibly reminiscent of some of the earlier Noble Pokemon battles, though features more distinct phases and a much wider variety of attacks to dodge and avoid. To get the ball rolling, players will need to head to the Temple of Sinnoh after catching all of the available Pokemon and then play the Azure Flute by investigating the spot beneath the quest marker.
Playing the flute will cause a glowing stairway to appear, which players should obviously ascend. At the top, they'll find a glowing platform, on which the battle with Arceus will soon take place. There'll first be a short cutscene, after which, Arceus will begin to attack. As mentioned above, it has considerably more moves than any of the Noble Pokemon from earlier on, meaning that players will really need to be on their toes.
Arceus' first attack consists of expanding energy rings and comets, both of which can cause a lot of damage if they make contact. Players should jump over the energy rings using the Y button and use the markings on the floor to preemptively dodge the comets. They can also take advantage of the moments in between each attack to hit Arceus with some Mysterious Balms if they're feeling confident.
After the comets and energy rings, Arceus will usually use its golden laser attack, which begins with a large energy ball forming above the Pokemon's head. After a second or two, this ball will break into a series of golden lasers, which players will need to dodge by hitting the Y button just before the moment of impact.
These golden lasers are fired off in rapid succession, so players won't be able to hit Arceus with balms in between them. Once the God-like Pokemon finishes firing the lasers though, players will have a few seconds in which they can get in a few clean balm hits, so they should be ready to do so if they wish to avoid having to replay the first phase more times than they need to.
After players have depleted 25% of Arceus' Frenzy meter, the Pokemon will change types, which means a few more attack patterns for players to master. The first sees the Pokemon disappear into a space-time rift only to reappear elsewhere a few moments later and dash aggressively towards the player. This attack can be easily dodged with Y, and takes quite a while to charge up, so players should use the charge time to hit Arceus with some more balms.
Arceus will also use the golden laser attack from earlier on while in this form as well as another new AOE attack. Players will know when it's coming as a large pink circle will appear on the ground, though, unlike earlier battles, this circle indicates the area that won't be affected by the blast, so players should rush to get inside the large pink circle as quickly as possible.
After Arceus' Frenzy Meter hits 50%, it will again change forms and start sending out clones. Like the battle with Hisuian Arcanine from earlier on, players will need to hit each one four times so that all of the glowing blue orbs above its head vanish. Once they do this with the real Arceus, they'll have a chance to engage it in a traditional Pokemon battle. Just like in previous boss fights though, doing so really isn't necessary.
When Arceus' Frenzy Meter falls to the final 25%, it will transform one final time and go into overdrive mode. It will begin to use all of the moves from earlier on, but at a much faster speed, making it a lot more difficult for players to dodge them. Arceus will also use a charge attack similar to the one from earlier on, with players once again needing to destroy the pink orbs above its head with balms in order to stun it.
Amidst all of the chaos, players will still be able to find moments to get in some balm shots, though they needn't be too aggressive when doing so. Even those going at a steady pace should be able to wrap things up in just a matter of minutes from this point in the battle, so there's really no need to risk getting wiped out and having to restart.
With Arceus defeated, there'll be a short conversation that wraps everything up, after which, players will receive the Legend Plate. The final story mission will then be marked as complete and players will regain control at the Temple of Sinnoh. Sadly, the game's main protagonist doesn't get to go back home, though Arceus does get added to their team, so it's arguably not all bad.
Pokemon Legends: Arceus is available now for the Nintendo Switch.