Pokemon Legends: Arceus is chock-full of legendary Pokemon. Aside from the Diamond and Pearl box legendaries of Dialga and Palkia, you can find an additional 18 legendaries throughout Sinnoh. Two of these, Shaymin and Darkrai, require more than just gameplay so we’re going to explain how to obtain Shaymin and Darkrai in Arceus.
In order to obtain Shaymin, you need to have save data from either Pokemon Sword or Pokemon Shield on your Switch — you don’t need clear data, save data of any kind will work. Once you complete the main story in Arceus, an NPC will arrive in Jubilife Village with a special quest to catch Shaymin.
Similarly, for Darkrai, you will need to have save data from either Pokemon Brilliant Diamond or Pokemon Shining Pearl — again, you do not need clear data. Any save data will work. Once you complete the main story in Arceus, the quest board will update with a new quest to catch Darkrai — The Darksome Nightmare.
Here are some tips on catching Shaymin and Darkrai:
- When you arrive at either location, but before you engage Shaymin or Darkrai, make sure you save. Shaymin is very skittish and will run whenever they have the opportunity to and Darkrai is very tough to beat just in general.
- Shaymin, as mentioned, is very quick and will run away if they get the chance. Do not waste time trying to engage Shaymin in combat, instead simply bait them with type-appropriate food and follow up with one of your best Poke Balls. If Shaymin runs, reload your save and try again.
- On the other hand, Darkrai should be engaged via combat. Iti likes to teleport around and hits hard — simply landing a Pokeball hit to start combat is half the battle. The trick is to watch where the spawn circle appears and time your Poke Ball throw to hit exactly when Darkrai spawns in.
- Darkrai is level 70, and their moveset is Psychic, Dark Pulse, Dark Void, and Hex. For those of you unfamiliar with Dark Void, it’s a move that puts your Pokemon to sleep. However, in Arceus, Dark Void also lowers your Defense, making the follow-up attack Hex (an attack that deals bonus damage if the target is statused) extremely dangerous.
- Darkrai is best engaged with Pokemon that have priority moves, such as Aqua Jet or Agile Style attacks. Try to get as much damage on the board as possible before Dark Void goes out. Be aware that the Dark Void and Hex combo can and will one-shot Pokemon that don’t resist it, even if your Pokemon are several levels higher. Consider bringing Dark types along with you to capture this one.
It should be noted that Shaymin and Darkrai are classified as Mythical Pokemon and are not required to complete the Pokedex. Mythical Pokemon, dating back to Mew in the original Red and Blue, have been event Pokemon obtained by meeting a certain condition or traveling to a real world location, and are not considered required to complete the game.
