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That said, Game Freak didn’t just take away, as they created a total of 25 brand new moves, most of which take the form of Signature Moves, only learnable by one or two Pokemon each. It gives some Pokemon a nice little touch and a unique way to express themselves in Pokemon Legends: Arceus.
15 Raging Fury
Hisuian Arcanine was one of the most anticipated Pokemon in the build-up to Legend’s launch. Hisuian Growlithe was one of the first new Pokemon revealed, but Arcanine’s new look was kept behind closed doors as a surprise. Once the game was unleashed, fans were thrilled at the result.
This move can also be learned by Infernape and is a Physical, Fire-type move with 90 base power. Its biggest downside is the 85% accuracy, which makes it pretty unreliable compared to a stronger move like Fire Blast. However, hitting in succession will prove valuable, as the user becomes Fixated on the move after using it, increasing its power.
14 Mountain Gale
A Pokemon very few expected to get much love from Game Freak was Avalugg. This Iceberg is from Generation 6 and has never been featured heavily anywhere in the Pokemon universe. However, Legends changed that, not only giving it a Hisuian form but making it the last Noble Pokemon players face in the game.
Its signature move is Mountain Gale, an Ice-type, Physical move that hits with 100 base power, putting it just a cut above Raging Fury. It, unfortunately, has just 85% accuracy but has no other effects, meaning players aren’t locked into a Fixation if they don’t want it.
13 Bitter Malice
Undoubtedly one of the coolest new Pokemon added by Legends are the Hisuian forms of Zorua and Zoroark. They traded their pitch-black coats of fur for a more elegant and beautiful white one but kept the red tips that gave it a cool atmosphere. They are also fortunate enough to have some of the most beautiful-looking shiny forms ever.
Their signature move, Bitter Malice, isn’t very powerful, hitting for just 60 base power, but it has some other upsides. For one thing, it has 100% accuracy, which is always helpful, and a chance to inflict Frostbite on the target. Bitter Malice becomes even more powerful if this happens, hitting double damage on a target with a status condition.
12 Barb Barrage
Qwilfish is another Pokemon many didn’t expect to get a new form, but these regional variants are proving to be a great way of pulling a Pokemon out of obscurity. Qwilfish got great treatment, too, with a brand new evolution and a regional variant.
Barb Barrage is very similar to Bitter Malice, the only differences being a Physical, Poison-type move, rather than a Special, Ghost-type one. It has 60 base power and the chance to inflict Poison on the target. Like Bitter Malice, and its predecessor, Hex, it will hit for double damage on a target with a status condition.
11 Wave Crash
Basculin has been an underappreciated Pokemon for a while. It has an excellent design and the potential to draw people in, but its lack of evolution meant players didn’t see a good use for it on their teams. Pokemon Legends comes to the rescue, bringing Basculegion, arguably one of the coolest-looking new Pokemon in the game.
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Both Basculegion and Empoleon can learn this move. It is a Physical, Water-type move that hits with 100% accuracy and 75 base power. While the penalty of recoil damage seems like a crippling problem, it makes up for it by increasing the Pokemon’s action speed, meaning their next turn will come around sooner.
10 Headlong Rush
One of the new Pokemon kept as a surprise for the game’s release, Ursaluna is a surprising addition to the Teddiursa/Ursaring evolution line. This massive Pokemon hunches over and feels like a more realistic depiction of a brown bear, with a whole bunch of extra power on top of Ursaring’s formidable appearance.
Headlong Rush is a Physical, Ground-type attack that has not only 100 base power but 100% accuracy as well. Getting great stats like that comes at a price, though, and users of it will find their defensive stats dropped afterward. This move can also be learned by Torterra, meaning all the Sinnoh starters get a nice little nod.
9 Psyshield Bash
Another Pokemon revealed quite early on in Legend’s marketing cycle, Wyrdeer is one of the better evolutions of an old Pokemon. While evolutions like Ursaluna undoubtedly look brilliant, Wyrdeer feels true to Stantler’s original design in a way most of the others don’t quite manage.
Psyshield Bash is a great signature move, too. Physical and Psychic-type, it only hits with 70 base power but has some major upsides. 90% accuracy could certainly be better, but it’s not too dire and won’t cause problems. There is also a chance to increase the user’s defensive stats, making it a worthwhile endeavor.
8 Esper Wing
Arguably the game’s most useful Ride Pokemon, Hisuian Braviary, shows how great subtle changes to an existing design can be, and they shouldn’t be overlooked for the flashier changes. This design adds something special to an already beloved Pokemon.
This Psychic-type Special move hits with a modest 75 base power. With 90% accuracy, it’s not the most reliable move, but this can be remedied by the increased accuracy Strong Style brings. It has a pair of fantastic secondary effects, though, not only bringing the user’s next turn around sooner, but it has an increased chance of landing a critical hit.
7 Chloroblast
If there’s one thing Electrode knows how to do, it’s to explode. This shockingly fast Pokemon is known for detonating at the drop of a hat, and its Hisuian Form stays true to that idea. Electric/Grass is a unique type combination, previously only seen by Mow-Rotom, and it makes the most of it.
Chloroblast is a Grass-type, Special move that does pretty much exactly what it says on the tin. It’s a grass-type version of Explosion/Self-Destruct, to put it plainly. Thankfully, it doesn’t guarantee a KO for the user, but it does take heavy recoil damage. However, it’s worth it for 120 base power.
6 Dire Claw
Hisuian Sneasel, and the new, evolved form, Sneasler, was a welcome surprise when the game launched, inverting Sneasel’s colors and giving it a cool type combination of Poison/Fighting. Serving as one of the game’s Ride Pokemon, players will grow to love Sneasler quite quickly.
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Its signature move is Dire Claw, a Physical, Poison-type move that hits for 60 base power. It has some super powerful secondary effects. Firstly, it has an increased chance to land a critical hit, which hits for triple damage. On top of that, it can inflict one of three status conditions on the target, Poison, Paralysis, or Drowsy.
5 Stone Axe
Used in the game’s marketing to introduce players to the concept of Noble Pokemon, Kleavor is an ancient-themed evolution to Scyther that quickly became a fan favorite. The speed and power of this Pokemon are conveyed wonderfully through its design.
Stone Axe has 65 base power and is a Physical, Rock-type move. Similar to Dire Claw, this move has an increased chance to land a critical hit and has a brilliant secondary effect. When the move lands, it will leave behind splinters in the opponent, which do damage each turn, much like the new effects of Stealth Rock.
4 Hisuian Starter Signature Moves
The three starter Pokemon all got surprise Hisuian forms for their final evolution in Legends, and they’re fantastic additions to already beloved Pokemon. They all got their own signature moves which are similar but ever so slightly different from each other.
Decidueye gets Triple Arrows, which has 50 base power, raises the chances of critical hits, and lowers the target’s defensive stats. Typhlosion gets Infernal Parade, with 60 base power, it has a chance to inflict a burn and hits for double damage if the target has a status condition. Finally, Samurott has Ceaseless Edge, which has 65 base power, has increased critical hit chance, and leaves damaging splinters in the target.
3 Forces Of Nature Signature Moves
As Unovan Pokemon, it was initially strange to see the Forces of Nature in Hisui, but once the player caught all three, they learned that there was a brand new addition to this Legendary Pokemon group in the form of Enamorus. This Pokemon changed a bit of their lore as well, making each genie represent a different season.
They all get unique signature moves that are very similar in action. Springtide Storm, Wildbolt Storm, Bleakwind Storm, and Sandsear Storm all hit with 95 base power and 80% accuracy. Their type aligns with the Pokemon that uses it, inflicting different status conditions.
2 Non-Attacking Moves
There are only a small handful of non-attacking moves added to the game, but all of them are shockingly powerful. Hisuian Lilligant and Hisuian Goodra both got moves of this nature, alongside Manaphy and Cresselia, who are life-long support Pokemon. There is also the only new move that can be learned by many Pokemon in Power Shift.
Each of these moves do slightly different things, but the two most powerful Manaphy’s Take Heart and Cresselia’s Lunar Blessing. Take Heart heals status conditions and raises both offensive and defensive stats, while Lunar Blessing heals HP and status conditions, as well as obscuring the user, making them harder to hit.
1 Mystical Power
The final Pokemon who got themselves signature moves are the Lake Guardians, Azelf, Mesprit, and Uxie. These spirits that embody parts of the human soul have long been overlooked power-wise, but they were given an incredible gift in the form of their brand new move, Mystical Power.
On the surface, a Special, Psychic-type move with 70 base power doesn’t seem all that special, but the secondary effect is fantastic. It raises either offensive or defensive stats, but which one gets raised depends on which stats are better. Due to the Lake Guardians all having similar stats, players can train these Pokemon any way they want, and this move will enhance whatever they invest in.
Pokemon Legends: Arceus is available on Nintendo Switch.
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