Pokemon Legends: Arceus is set in the old times in the Pokemon world when it was rare to find harmony between people and Pokemon. Set in the land of the Hisui region, known as the Sinnoh region in modern times, you’ll join the Galaxy Expedition Team (or just Galaxy Team for short) as a member of the Survey Corps stationed in Jubilife Village. You will be tasked to meet every species of Pokémon from the Hisui region to complete the region’s first-ever Pokédex.
In the game, there are Pokemon who appear larger than their regular counterparts with glowing red eyes, which means they are filled with Wild Might that increases all of their stats and reduces the damage they receive from status conditions and increased combat capabilities that are found all over the Hisui region. These Pokemon are called Alpha Pokemon.
In this guide, we will learn where to find an Alpha Mothim!
Alpha Pokemon
The Alpha Pokemon will always be at a higher level than their regular counterparts. They will always be aggressive once they notice the player (except for Mantyke and Mantine) and will never run away (except when the type of Alpha Pokemon appears during a specific time of day or if a Space-Time Distortion appears around them). Alpha Pokemon will roar and release a shockwave once they will notice the player, and if the player is close enough, the player may get staggered and get knocked to the ground for a short while.
The player will be able to catch Alpha Pokemon, regardless of the Alpha Pokemon’s level, by battling with it and then eventually throwing a Poke Ball. The player, however, can catch Alpha Pokemon without battling by sneaking around the Alpha Pokemon in the tall grass or by using stealth items and then throwing a Poke Ball; however, the player cannot do this if the player’s current obedience level is significantly lower than the Alpha Pokemon’s level.
Additionally, if the player has a hard time catching an Alpha Pokemon, the player can increase the catch rate of catching an Alpha Pokemon by raising the player’s Star Rank (the player’s Survey Corps rank), which can be done by completing Research Tasks and talking to Professor Laventon in any of the Base Camps.
There are three types of Alpha Pokemon that can be found in the game: fixed Alpha Pokemon that will always spawn and can be found in certain areas of the game and will always be at a fixed level; random Alpha Pokemon, which may only appear once the player has quelled the area’s frenzied Noble Pokemon, and Alpha Pokemon in Massive Mass Outbreaks which can appear as a second wave in the same location as the first wave.
As the other two are completely random, we will be talking about fixed Alpha Pokemon, specifically an Alpha Mothim.
Alpha Mothim
Mothim is a Bug and Flying type Moth Pokemon with a body that looks like that of a, well, Moth, a head with a pair of orange, semi-circular eyes with black pupils, a pair of white antennae with orange tips that is connected to the inner side of its eyes, a black body with a bottom side that is colored orange and gray stripe on its back, two pairs of tan wings with orange, oval markings with one pair of wings larger than the other, orange squares on the tips of the wings (three orange squares on the tips of the top pair and two orange squares on tips of the bottom pair of wings), four small gray legs, and a small tail that looks similar to the tips of its bottom pair of wings but are colored black. According to its Pokedex entry in the game, Mothim scatters steel-colored scales when it flaps its wings. Additionally, Mothim is not usually seen around flower gardens even though they are observed to feed primarily on the nectar of flowers.
An Alpha Mothim can be found southwest of Spring Path (northwest of Windbreak Stand or southwest of Islespy Shore) in the Cobalt Coastlands and here at all times of the day and in every weather condition. The Alpha Mothim that can be found in this location is a Level 56 Pokemon.
It is recommended to sneak to the back of the Alpha Pokemon, using the tall grass or stealth items like Smoke Bombs, and throw the player’s Pokemon or Poke Ball on its back to catch it unawares, which assures that the player moves first in battle.
If you plan on distracting it with food before catching it, it is worth mentioning that Mothim’s preferred foods are Springy Mushrooms, Dazzling Honey, Hearty Grains, and Plump Beans.
If you plan on battling an Mothim first before catching it, it is worth noting that, as mentioned, Mothim is a Bug and Flying-type Pokemon which means it has a weakness to Electric-type, Flying-type, Fire-type, Ice-type, and especially Rock-type moves (super effective), a resistance to Bug-type and especially Fighting-type and Grass-type moves (not very effective), and immunity to Ground-type moves (no effect).
Aside from the Alpha Mothim that can be found in the Cobalt Coastlands, the regular, non-alpha, Mothim can also be found in the Obsidian Fieldlands (in Grueling Grove), in other parts of the Cobalt Coastlands (in Gingko Landing, in Aipom Hill, and in Veilstone Cape), and in the Coronet Highlands (in Wayward Wood) and Mothim can be found here at all times of the day and in every weather condition.
Now that the player has an Alpha Mothim, the player can now try to use the Alpha Mothim to complete other requests, complete missions, or complete Arceus’ task for the player, which is to catch ‘em all!
