Much like in previous games, you can evolve Pokémon in Pokémon Legends: Arceus. This new game may be a precursor to the earlier games in the franchise, but the mechanics remain very much the same. And a big part of these games is growing the power of your core team, in part through evolutions and new movesets.
But with this new Switch game, some things are bound to change. Previously, your Pokémon would automatically evolve into their next form when they met all of the requirements. For example, you could hit a certain level threshold and unlock the evolved form of the basic monsters. Other roster members evolve when traded. There are many things to consider when trying to complete the Pokédex.
How to evolve Pokémon in Pokémon Legends: Arceus
For Pokémon Legends, you instead have to go directly into your Satchel, select the Pokémon you wish to evolve, and manually trigger the evolution. You will get a tutorial prompt the first time you need to do this, so don’t worry about forgetting it. The requirements for level-based progression still appear to be there though, so be prepared for some grinding.
Though this might seem like a bad change, it could actually be a good thing. It seems that the in-lore explanation is that evolution is less understood this early in the timeline. Using that lore to give players more granular control over their rosters is an interesting move. It will be intriguing to see how players respond. Conventional wisdom suggests that most players will just evolve ASAP, but some may choose to keep unevolved forms on hand for one reason or another. There may even be hidden gameplay incentives for doing this.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus is out now on Nintendo Switch.
