Pokemon Legends: Arceus is set in olden times in the Pokemon world when it was rare to find harmony between people and Pokemon. Set in Hisui, modern-day Sinnoh, you will join the Galaxy Expedition Team (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, which increases all of their stats and reduces the damage they receive from status conditions, and increases 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 Hippowdon!
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 for when the type of Alpha Pokemon appears during a certain 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 can 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, suppose the player has a hard time catching an Alpha Pokemon. In that case, 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.
Three types of Alpha Pokemon 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 discuss fixed Alpha Pokemon, specifically an Alpha Hippowdon.
Alpha Hippowdon
Hippowdon is a Ground type Heavyweight Pokemon with a large body that looks like that of a hippopotamus; its body is colored light brown and dark gray back if it is a male and bluish-gray and dark gray back if it is a female, it has a large, round snout, several holes on its muzzle, a large mouth with teeth that look like pegs, a pair of red eyes and black pupils, and four black feet with four blunt claws on each foot. According to its Pokedex entry in the game, Hippowdon is short-tempered and will quickly resort to violence. Hippowdon can whip up whirlwinds of sand to crush its opponents’ spirits, then will go in for the attack.
An Alpha Hippowdon can be found west of Sludge Mound (southwest of Bogbound Camp or southeast of Gapejaw Bog) in the Crimson Mirelands and can be found here at all times of the day and in every weather condition. The Alpha Hippowdon that can be found in this location is a Level 46 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 Hippowdon’s preferred foods are Springy Mushroom, Hearty Grains, and Plump Beans.
Suppose you plan on battling a Hippowdon first before catching it. In that case, it is worth noting that, as mentioned, Hippowdon is a Ground-type Pokemon which means it has a weakness to Grass-type, Ice-type, and Water-type moves (super effective), a resistance to Poison-type and Rock-type moves (not very effective), and an immunity to Electric-type moves (no effect).
Aside from the Alpha Hippowdon that can be found in the Crimson Mirelands, the regular, non-alpha, Hippowdon can also be found in other parts of the Crimson Mirelands (in Scarlet Bog) and in the Coronet Highlands (in Celestica Trail) and Hippowdon can be found in these areas at all times of the day and in every weather condition. Aside from that, Hippowdon can also be found in Massive Mass Outbreaks in the Crimson Mirelands and the Coronet Highlands.
Now that the player has an Alpha Hippowdon, the player can now try to use the Alpha Hippowdon to complete other requests, complete missions, or complete Arceus’ task for the player, which is to catch ‘em all!
