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Pokémon Legends: Arceus is officially available for the Nintendo Switch, and many players have already started working on their Hisui Pokédex. With new features and creatures to take in, some trainers may be wondering how many catches it will take to complete it. How many Pokémon are in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, and which are new?

[Warning: This article contains spoilers for Pokémon Legends: Arceus.]

How many Pokémon are in ‘Pokémon Legends: Arceus’?

Key art for 'Pokémon Legends: Arceus,' which shows two trainers surrounded by Pokémon and looking at a mountain in the distance
Key art for ‘Pokémon Legends: Arceus’ | Nintendo

In total, Pokémon Legends: Arceus has 242 Pokémon species available to catch. That number is a far cry lower than it’s been in previous installments. Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, which came out back in November 2021, had a grand total of 493 Pokémon running around (most of which were unlocked after completing the Pokédex). And Pokémon Sword and Shield currently boast a total of 900 entries in their Pokédexes.

Of course, Game Freak’s latest focuses more on the story portion of the game, and it approaches catching quite differently. This is the first time players can see Pokémon above-world, and it’s also the company’s first attempt at an open-world format. All the attention on programming new features could explain the reduced Pokédex.

More species may be added later, as rumors of a DLC for Pokémon Legends: Arceus have already surfaced. It wouldn’t be the first time one of the franchise’s installments received new content later on. Only time will tell if leaker Riddler Khu is right about an update.

In the meantime, players will have to work on the Hisui Pokédex and find the new Pokémon scattered throughout the Hisui region.

Every new Pokémon in ‘Pokémon Legends: Arceus’

https://twitter.com/Pokemon/status/1487213941482741763

Although there’s a smaller lineup of Pokémon in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, there are quite a few new species to find. Just as previous installments introduced Alolan and Galarian variants, this game brings Hisuian versions into the mix. It’s also added a few exciting evolutions.

According to Game Rant, Pokémon Legends: Arceus contains 24 new Pokémon. Of those, 17 are Hisuian versions of already-existing species:

  • Growlithe (Hisuian)
  • Arcanine (Hisuian)
  • Voltorb (Hisuian)
  • Electrode (Hisuian)
  • Zorua (Hisuian)
  • Zoroark (Hisuian)
  • Sneasel (Hisuian)
  • Avalugg (Hisuian)
  • Basculin (Hisuian)
  • Braviary (Hisuian)
  • Sliggoo (Hisuian)
  • Goodra (Hisuian)
  • Qwilfish (Hisuian)
  • Lilligant (Hisuian)
  • Samurott (Hisuian)
  • Typhlosion (Hisuian)
  • Decidueye (Hisuian)

Additionally, the game added seven newcomers, the majority of which are evolutions:

  • Wyrdeer (Stantler evolution)
  • Kleavor (Scyther evolution)
  • Basculegion (Basculin evolution)
  • Ursaluna (Ursaring evolution)
  • Sneasler (Hisuian Sneasel evolution)
  • Overqwil (Hisuian Qwilfish evolution)
  • Enamorus (New Legendary)

All of these add something fresh to the new game, but they aren’t the only additions to look forward to. Because of the main storyline, completing the Hisui Pokédex goes beyond collecting all the entries.

The Hisui Pokédex goes beyond catching them all

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One other thing to note about the Hisui Pokédex is Pokémon Legends: Arceus expects trainers to go beyond catching them all.

Since the game brings players back to ancient times, it tasks them with collecting data on each Pokémon. That requires them to collect many of the same species multiple times. Additionally, they’ll have to complete a number of research tasks throughout their adventure.

So, even if Game Freak’s latest doesn’t have as many species to catch as previous installments, there’s still plenty to keep players occupied. The game is currently available for Nintendo Switch, and it truly brings a fresh perspective to the franchise.

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