Pokemon Legends Arceus Starters: Which Is The Best?

Pokemon Legends Arceus starters are a first for the franchise, as each new Pokemon that is set to help you begin your Hisuian adventure are each from different regions of their own. Rowlet, Oshawott and Cyndaquil make up the starters for Pokemon Legends Arceus, and they're likely to be your very best mate for your journey across Feudal Sinnoh. But how exactly can you use these Pokemon, and which one should you choose? Here's our guide to the Pokemon Legends Arceus starters.

• Need to see who you'll be taking Hisui on with? Here's your guide to the Pokemon Legends Arceus characters.

Pokemon Legends Arceus Starters: Rowlet

Click to enlarge

Rowlet is the lovable owl Pokemon that first popped up in Pokemon Sun and Moon. It was a pretty popular starter, and even Ash had one in the anime. Not only is it adorable, it was actually pretty strong with moves like Leaf Blade, which did damage while also increasing the chance for Critical Attacks, and Feather Dance, which drastically lowered the enemy’s Attack.

Rowlet Evolutions

Rowlet has two evolutions. At level 17, it evolves into Dartrix, and then at level 34, it evolves into Decidueye. 

Rowlet Strengths

Rowlett can learn a lot of different move types, including ghost and dark moves in addition to grass and flying moves. This can be a big help when you’re trying to plan out a team of six Pokemon -- you don’t have to worry about needing a specific move type to take down an opponent if your Pokemon can learn multiple styles of moves. 

Rowlet Weaknesses

While Rowlet is the grass-type starter for Pokemon Legends Arceus, it does have a secondary type of flying. This means it has quite a bit of weaknesses that are generally common attack types in the game, such as flying. It’s also weak against fire, poison, rock, and ice-type Pokemon. 

Considering it looks like the Sinnoh region we see in the trailers for the game is set somewhere cold, there’s probably going to be more ice-type Pokemon hanging around. This could have a pretty big impact on Rowlet’s reliability early-game -- if it’s your only Pokemon, it could be taken out by a super effective ice-type move. 

Some of Rowlet’s power in the past was fueled by the Z moves from Pokemon Sun and Moon. Because Pokemon Legends Arceus is set in the past, Z moves probably won’t be in the game. This could cause Rowlet to drop off a bit in terms of power.

Pokemon Legends Arceus Starter: Cyndaquil

Click to enlarge

Cyndaquil goes all the way back to the second generation of Pokemon in the Johto region. The fire mouse Pokemon was incredibly strong, and it had access to a move called Burn Up, which allowed fire-type Pokemon to lose their fire typing in battle. This meant that Cyndaquil could easily fight against typings that were effective against fire-type Pokemon if it had the right moves.

Cyndaquil Evolutions

Cyndaquil has two evolutions. At level 14, it evolves into Quilava, and then at level 36, it evolves into Typhlosion. 

Cyndaquil Strengths

Some of Cyndaquil’s strengths included the powerful fire-type moves it could learn. This comes into play in Pokemon Legends Arceus considering the environment is supposed to be cold where the game is set. This is a weakness for Rowlet, but it could be a great advantage for Cyndaquil.

Cyndaquil’s Weaknesses

Cyndaquil will struggle against water-type Pokemon. In most Pokemon games, water-type Pokemon are pretty much everywhere, so it could potentially be difficult to start out with Cyndaquil. Additionally, Cyndaquil wasn’t brought over to Pokemon Sword and Shield, meaning that there aren’t any updated statistics on the Pokemon. In order to keep it balanced with the other starter, Cyndaquil may lose some power.

• Need to get familiar with the rest of the Pokemon in Hisui? Check out the full Pokemon Legends Arceus Pokedex.

Pokemon Legends Arceus Starters: Oshawott

Click to enlarge

Last but not least is Oshawott. The water-type Pokemon from the Unova region is coming to Pokemon Legends Arceus as a starter that many people are looking forward to. The sea lion Pokemon was even on Ash’s team in the anime, which made it a pretty popular Pokemon for players too. 

Oshawott’s Evolutions

Oshawott has two evolutions. At level 17, it evolves into Dewott, and then at level 36, it evolves into Samurott.

Oshawott’s Strengths

In almost every Pokemon team comp, you’ll need a water-type Pokemon. Having that be a starter, which is also generally a stronger Pokemon, makes your team pretty strong. While this doesn’t sound like much, it makes for a great team comp in the end.

Oshawott’s Weaknesses

Oshawott doesn’t particularly stand out, which means it doesn’t have anything crazy good about it. Compared to some of the things Cyndaquil can do, it makes Oshawott feel like a lackluster starter. 

That's all that we know about the Hisuian starter Pokemon - we hope you'll be making the right decision...