Summary

• Choosing the right starter in Pokémon Legends: Arceus can depend on a variety factors, from gameplay style to design preferences.
• Hisuian Typhlosion, Hisuian Samurott, and Hisuian Deciedueye are the final starter evolutions in the game.
• Each of the three starter evolutions in Legends: Arceus comes with its set of pros and cons, which can make it difficult to make a choice.

Choosing the right starter can be a difficult decision for any Pokémon trainer, and with the changes Pokémon Legends: Arceus introduced, the choice is tougher than ever before. Not only will the chosen starter Pokémon help trainers battle and win against tough opponents, but they’ll also be crucial to surviving in the harsh wilds of the Hisui region. Cyndaquil, Rowlet, and Oshawott come from other regions of the Pokémon series, but their final evolutions are new Hisuian regional variants with different strengths and weaknesses than their original forms.

As aspiring Pokémon Masters advance through the later stages of the game, the starter they choose can give them clear advantages in certain situations while leaving them to rely on the rest of the party in others. While the starters in Legends: Arceus initially have their typical Typing - with Cyndaquil as the Fire-Type, Rowlet as the Grass-Type, and Oshawott as the Water-Type - their final Hisuian evolutions in Pokémon Legends: Arceus feature different Type combinations that can be difficult to find elsewhere.

What Starter To Choose In Pokémon Legends: Arceus

Players Can Choose Between Cyndaquil, Oshawott, & Rowlet

Ultimately, the choice of which starter Pokémon to use in Legends: Arceus depends on someone’s preferred style of gameplay, and each of the starter evolutions presents its own strengths and weaknesses. The decision is also a matter of picking personal favorites, and there will be the option to catch all of the starter Pokémon in the postgame as well since trainers can receive whichever starter Pokémon they didn’t choose from Professor Laventon after beating the main story.

However, as players attempt to calm the last few Frenzied Noble Pokémon and battle against some of the game’s fiercest opponents, the starter Pokémon they choose to be their partner can have a major influence on the strategies they use to take on the final challenges of Pokémon Legends: Arceus. Because of this, knowing the weaknesses and strengths of the final evolutions of these starters is most important.

Hisuian Typhlosion Is A Fire/Ghost Type Final Evolution

The Pokémon Is The Final Form Of Cyndaquil

Of the three Hisuian starters in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, Cyndaquil seems to be a favorite thanks to the powerful dual-Typing of its final evolution, Hisuian Typhlosion. Cyndaquil’s evolutionary chain has had a reputation for being a damage-dealing powerhouse since its introduction to the Pokémon series in Gen 2, and Hisuian Typhlosion’s unique Fire/Ghost Type gives it many unique advantages compared to other Pokémon of its type.

Hisuian Typhlosion is weak to Water, Ground, Rock, Ghost, and Dark, but resistant to Fire, Grass, Ice, Poison, Fairy, Steel, and Bug, giving it more resistances than the other two Hisuian starters. In addition, Hisuian Typhlosion is immune to both Normal-type and Fighting-type moves, which gives it a significant advantage in battle compared to the others. It also means it's strong against the Grass Pokémon early in the game, and the Ice Pokémon that appear later, giving it a fairly steady importance throughout the story.

In of stats, Hisuian Typhlosion is a great Special Attacker that’s able to unleash a ton of damage, though it does have lower base HP than the other starters in Pokémon Legends: Arceus. Hisuian Typhlosion is one of the best Fire-types in the game thanks to its Special Attack and unique Type advantages. This is especially true since the other comparable Fire-types aren’t available until after Typhlosion can evolve at level 36.

There are some downsides, however, as Hisuian Typhlosion’s Ghost-type leaves it vulnerable to the many Dark Pokémon that inhabit the Hisui region. This means being especially wary when traveling at night. All things considered, though, Hisuian Typhlosion is one of the better final starter evolutions in Legends: Arceus, giving players the option to get a powerful Special Attacker on their team early in the game.

Hisuian Decidueye Is A Grass/Fighting Type Final Evolution

The Pokémon Is The Final Form Of Rowlet

Decidueye’s new Hisuian form departs drastically from the design of its original Grass/Ghost-Type form that many players came to love in Alola. Of the three starters Pokémon Legends: Arceus presents, it seems to be the least favorite. Hisuian Decidueye is a Grass/Fighting-type Pokémon, leaving it without any of the immunities the other two starter evolutions enjoy.

This starter evolution is weak to Fire, Flying, Poison, Ice, and Fairy-Type moves, but it does have resistance to Water, Grass, Electric, Ground, Rock, and Dark, which can give players an advantage against some of the tougher Pokémon they’ll face later on in the game. Hisuian Decidueye also has a stronger base Attack than the other two starter evolutions in Legends: Arceus, and it does have a slightly higher base HP than Typhlosion does.

Of the three starters, Rowlet’s final evolution may leave some players struggling in later stages of the game since it doesn’t have any immunities. However, it’s still a strong Attacker compared to other Grass and Fighting-type Pokémon available by the time Decidueye evolves at level 36. However, since the other starter evolutions provide better advantages than Hisuian Decidueye in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, players may want to hold off on adding this new Hisuian form to the Pokédex until it can be acquired later in the game from Professor Laventon, rather than choosing it as their starter.

Hisuian Samurott Is A Water/Dark Type Final Evolution For Legends: Arceus

The Pokémon Is The Final Form Of Oshawott

Hisuian Samurott is one of the best starter evolutions in Pokémon Legends: Arceus thanks to its balanced stats and type advantages, which can offer a major advantage when exploring the harsh Hisui region. While the original Unova form of Samurott was purely a Water-type, its Hisuian variant sports a dual Water/Dark-type, which gives it resistance to Fire, Water, Ice, Ghost, Steel, and Dark-type moves and makes it weak to Grass, Electric, Fighting, Bug, and Fairy.

Hisuian Samurott is also immune to Psychic-type moves, which can be extremely helpful when facing off against some of Hisui’s powerful Legendary Pokémon like Mesprit, Uxie, and Azelf in the later stages of the game. In addition to having a higher base HP than the other two starter evolutions, Hisuian Samurott also boasts good Attack and Special Attack stats, which makes it comparable to both Typhlosion and Decidueye as an offensive force.

Oshawott is one of the few Water-type Pokémon available in Legends: Arceus until players are able to summon Basculegion as a mount, which gives it several advantages as a starter in the early game. Hisuian Samurott also has a wide move pool compared to others of its types, which leaves few setbacks to choosing Oshawott as a starter. Samurott's Water/Dark-Typing also gives players an advantage when facing several of the Frenzied Noble Pokémon, which can help them progress through the game’s main story until they’re able to catch the other two starters and their evolutions during the postgame.

Which Pokémon Legends: Arceus Starter Evolution Is The Best

Players Should Consider Stats, Gameplay Style, & Their Own Preference Before Picking

While the three Pokémon are mostly evenly matched when it comes to gameplay potential, they do have different base stats. Players looking to maximize their gains with one of these creatures could look at stats to make a more precise decision. In of total base stats, Hisuian Typhlosion has 534 points, Hisuian Decidueye has 530 points, and Hisuian Samurott has 528. When it comes to this type of calculation alone, Hisuian Typhlosion can be considered the best starter evolution in Pokémon Legends: Arceus among the three available creatures. Of course, that is not the only thing to be considered.

As was previously mentioned, Hisuian Typhlosion is a powerhouse with high Special Attack stats, but it comes at the cost of its low HP. Comparably, Hisuian Samurott has an inferior Special Attack potential but has increased survivability with its higher HP. Between the three final starter evolutions, Decidueye has the most balanced stats, though most of them are suboptimal – especially its Speed, which plays a vital part in any battle. Overall, Hisuian Typhlosion is the best for stat distribution, too, since it is focused on being a prime Special Attack rather than a below-average all-rounder in Pokémon Legends: Arceus.

Of course, if players want an immediate head-start when it comes to a strong Water-type Pokémon, Oshawott and, consequently, Hisuian Samurott are the way to go. They may prove even more beneficial later in the game, as strong Water-type are scarce when compared to other Types in the game. Nevertheless, Cyndaquil and Hisuian Typhlosion stand out as strong companions to Trainers throughout the entirety of the game, as Cyndaquil's Fire-type moves prove to be essential against early-game Bug-types and Grass-types, whereas Typhlosion reaches the endgame in Pokémon Legends: Arceus as a powerhouse Special Attacker that feels indispensable in parties.

Hisuian Samurott can easily be substituted by Empoleon once players advance enough into the game.

Hisuian Decidueye, on the other hand, is quite a generic choice, stat-wise. The dual Grass-type Rowlet does not stand out too much in the early stages of the game due to its typing, while its evolution, Hisuian Decidueye, is a fairly vulnerable creature to use. To make them usable against stronger opponents, players need to heavily invest in increasing their Speed stat and, even maxed out, they may fall short against the Speed of other creatures. Because of this, performance-wise, Hisuian Decidueye is the worst of all three starter evolutions in Pokémon Legends: Arceus.

Of course, the choice at the start of the game only really matters for a while. All starters in the game can later be acquired with Professor Laventon once players reach the endgame. This means that, if the concern is picking the strongest of them all only because the others will be unavailable, players do not have to worry. In fact, if they are not too concerned with the stat aspect, it is recommended that they pick the starter with the most appealing final evolution to them.

In the end, if players are using a strong Pokémon whose design and gameplay style do not resonate with them, they are not worth it. Although it's ultimately up to the player to decide which starter evolution they want to choose, Hisuian Typhlosion is arguably the best. However, Hisuian Samurott makes a great choice for those who want a reliable Water-type creature. While Hisuian Decidueye may be the worst option, it still has its merits as a solid choice in Pokémon Legends: Arceus.