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The Hisui region in Pokemon Legends: Arceus welcomes Pokemon from the Generation 4 games and many more. One of the more common Pokemon players will see around Hisui is Machop and its evolutions. Although most players may prefer a different Fighting-type such as Lucario, Machop's second evolution, Machoke, is required for one of the many Requests/Sidequests.
Unlike the mainline games, Pokemon Legends: Arceus won't register a Pokemon's entry upon capture. Each Pokemon has a series of Research Tasks that need to be completed in order to get their Research Level to 10. Once this is achieved, the Pokedex entry will be unlocked and marked "Complete." Some NPCs in Hisui wish to see completed 'dex entries for specific Pokemon, and that's the exact case for Request 56 with Machoke.
Unlocking Request 56
To get Request 56: Getting Help From Machoke, players will need to have access to the Cobalt Coastlands. This region unlocks after starting Mission 10: The Lordless Island. However, getting to the Cobalt Coastlands won't be enough.
Players will need to meet with Palina at Veilstone Cape and then speak with Iscan, who lives on Aipom Hill. Helping out Iscan will unlock the Ride Basculegion, which allows players to surf across the water.
Finally, after all of this, a new Request Icon will appear on the Cobalt Coastlands map near Castaway Shore. Standing by one of the trees is a Jubilife Villager named Bosley. Speaking to him will initiate Request 56.
Bosley is considering catching a Machoke to help carry things around back in Jubilife Village. However, he doesn't know much about this Pokemon species and, thus, will want more information before he tries to catch one. This means completing Machoke's Pokedex entry by getting its Research Level to 10.
Completing Request 56
Players familiar with the series will know that Machop evolves into Machoke at level 28. While "Catching Machoke" is one of its Research Tasks, evolving several Machop can be long and tedious.
Fortunately, players have a chance of finding a Machoke at the Obsidian Falls in the Obsidian Fieldlands or by searching for one by Castaway Shore. In fact, there's an Alpha Machoke not too far from Bosley (Request 56).
- To check Machoke's Research Level, simply go into the Pokedex by pressing right on the D-pad and then scrolling down to Machoke's page.
- Tap A to access the Research Tasks.
Those wanting to catch the Alpha Machoke will want to be at Rank 4. This will allow Pokemon level 50 and lower to obey the player character. Rank 3 allows Pokemon up to level 40 to obey. Alpha Machoke is a level 40 Alpha Pokemon, so it's safer to be at Rank 4 than Rank 3 before attempting to catch it.
While working to unlock Machoke's Pokedex entry, players may have noticed that some Research Tasks are marked with a Red Arrow. This means that Research Task will give double points. For example, seeing Machoke use a strong-style move will give players 2 Research Points instead of 1 Research Point. Seeing Machoke use a strong-style move twice will instead count as four points.
One of the quicker ways to max out the Research Level for Machoke is by doing the following:
Research Task | Red Arrows (i.e: x2 points) | Milestone |
|---|---|---|
Number caught | Yes | 1, 2 |
Times you've seen it use a strong-style move | Yes | 1, 2 |
* Number you've evolved | Yes | 1 |
Evolving Machoke will require a Linking Cord , which can be found in space-time distortions, by completing Request 64: Getting to Know Ghosts or by spending 1000 Merit Points at the Trading Post. Because Linking Cords can be rare and pricey, players may want to bypass evolving Machoke and instead see it use a strong-style move twice to get the Research Points that way.
Alternatively, players can complete these Research Tasks instead:
Research Task | Red Arrows (i.e: x2 points) | Milestone |
|---|---|---|
Number caught | Yes | 1, 2 |
Times you've seen it use a strong-style move | Yes | 1 |
Times you've stunned it with items | No | 1 |
Times you've defeated it with a Psychic-type move | No | 1 |
Times you've stunned it by using items | No | 1 |
Once these Tasks have been completed, speak to Professor Laventon at one of the base camps to get Machoke's completed entry. Players will know if they've succeeded if there's an actual entry under Machoke's picture as well as a Poke Ball icon next to its name in the right column. Then, return to Bosley at Castaway Shore to turn in the quest. As a reward, he'll give players x3 Grit Gravel and x2 Aux Powerguard.
Grit Gravel can be used to raise a Pokemon's EVs by one point if the EV's level is from 3-5. Aux Powerguards function similarly to modern battle items such as X Special and X Attack. An Aux Powerguard can only be used during combat and will raise a Pokemon's offensive and defensive stats by one stage. These can be useful during trainer battles or when fighting a high-leveled Pokemon in the wild.
Pokemon Legends: Arceus is available for Nintendo Switch.
