Pokemon Legends Arceus has finally arrived and with tons of changes to explore. While being a trainer has taken on a new and unique form in Hisui, one major thing hasn't changed—choosing a starter Pokemon. No doubt, it's a choice that could shape the rest of your adventure. Cyndaquil, Oshawott, and Rowlet have come from previous generations and regions, but they all present something new to the table with the Hisuian forms of their evolutions. Their popularity from past games also means players must make a difficult decision early on. So just who is the best starter for you to pick in PLA?
Pokemon Legends Arceus: Which starter should you choose in Hisui?
Cyndaquil
- Fire-type
- Evolves into Quilava at Level 17, then Typhlosion [Fire/Ghost] at Level 36
Cyndaquil takes us back to Gen II in the Johto region—a nostalgic feeling from Pokemon Gold & Silver and the remakes HeartGold & SoulSilver. For fans from the earlier days who may not have kept up-to-date with the later releases in the Pokemon franchise, it may be a straightforward decision to go for someone you're already familiar with. Myself included, Cyndaquil continues to be a special favorite, especially for those who may not have been too keen when we got a bunch of Fire/Fighting-type starters in a row. (Particularly in Sinnoh, if you wanted to have a Fire-type on your team, you didn't really have too many options that you could find in the wild outside of choosing Chimchar as your starter.)
In Hisui, at least, another fan favorite Fire-type in Growlithe is waiting in the brushes for trainers to discover and add to their team. Moreover, constructing a well-balanced squad isn't as significant of an issue as Legends Arceus has less battles all around. So, you might not have to think too hard about how to build your team around your starter Pokemon. Still, Cyndaquil can be a good fit if you need the firepower in the opening stages of your adventure.
PLA also changed the levels at which Cyndaquil evolves. It used to evolve at Level 14 into Quilava, but to make the choice of starter more equal, it will now evolve at Level 17 instead, matching that of Oshawott and Rowlet. It then transforms into Hisuian Typhlosion at Level 36.
The Hisuian form of the final evolution also has the highest base stat total over the others. However, it comes at the cost of having arguably the most unappealing model (sorry). In-game, the flames are still blazing out of the creature's back, but it still seems to lack that sharpness that made Johto's Typhlosion a strong favorite. If you can stomach the changes, though, you'll have a strong Fire/Ghost-type in your hands.
It's worth noting again that the stats or strengths may not mean as much with less battles to go around. But that doesn't mean that these are useless criteria to consider. They'll still be valuable especially when you go up against the stronger Pokemon. Typhlosion's relatively good speed might just help you pull off another attack or two before your opponent lands a hit or dish out a bit more damage with one move. By choosing Cyndaquil as your starter in Legends Arceus, you'll still gain a semblance of the fiery powerhouse we came to love in the earlier generations.
Oshawott
- Water-type
- Evolves to Dewott at Level 17, then Samurott [Water/Dark] at Level 36
Another fan favorite, Oshawott comes from the Unova region, first appearing in Gen V through Pokemon Black & White. In general, Pokemon has rarely gone wrong with their Water-type starters. They are arguably some of the most popular characters overall and will always bring something unique or useful to your team—plus you'll get to surf around the region. But Hisui has a lot of interesting Water-types swimming around or basking on river banks. So if you're not trying to build a monotype squad and have your eyes set on a different Water-type in PLA, Oshawott might not be your best bet for a starter Pokemon.
Compared to the other starter Pokemon in Legends Arceus, Oshawott and its evolutions also have somewhat lower stats. Still, this doesn't make the ‘mon particularly weak or unusable. Just that you trade a bit strength for versatility. Thankfully, to introduce some parity, PLA modified the evolutionary mechanics so that all starters evolve at level 17 for the first stage and level 36 for the final stage.
Upon getting Samurott, you can teach the dual Water/Dark-type a whole host of moves, offering much more flexibility compared to its counterparts. This versatility makes it an effective choice to tame or debuff opponents in the wilderness, while harnessing Samurott's strengths as either a Physical or Special-based attacker depending on your needs.
Because you have somewhat lower stats, the speed-based nature of battling may mean you'll have to rely on the Pokemon's survivability and your strategic decision-making if you're up against stronger and speedier creatures. Regardless of the battling aspects, Samurott is just a great Pokemon all around that you may not want to miss out on. It's the best-looking Hisuian form out of all the starter evolutions—and by a huge margin, if I may say so—giving off the right aura combining vigor and grandeur.
Rowlet
- Grass/Flying-type
- Evolves to Dartrix at Level 17, then Decidueye [Grass/Fighting] at level 36
Hailing from the Alola region in Pokemon Sun & Moon, Rowlet presents a unique Grass/Flying-type choice as a starter in Legends Arceus. Grass-types have been a little hit or miss over the years in my opinion, so Rowlet's release back in Gen VII gave fans a breath of fresh air and a cool final evolution in Decidueye to boot.
The dual typing alone may be enough to convince some players to choose the ‘mon, as it does give you a strong starting point to kick off your Hisui adventure. The Flying-type will help you deal with pesky bugs, and the Grass-type helps neutralize the weakness to Electric-type attacks. Although, you'll still have to be wary of wild Pokemon with Rock-type moves, among others. The type coverage could definitely come in handy early on, but as I said before, it is not as much of a dealbreaker in PLA compared to past Pokemon titles. Moreover, PLA does offer a number of choices for Grass-types, though, so picking Rowlet might depend on how diverse you're planning to build your team.
Another advantage that owl-inspired ‘mon offers is its strong stat totals. It's higher not just for evolved form but significantly so for the base stage, with a gap of larger than 10 from the other two starters. Rowlet gets its final evolution at the same time as its counterparts, with Legends Arceus changing it to Level 36 instead of 34 in Sun & Moon.
Speaking of Decidueye, its Hisuian form also gets a type change, now coming as a Grass/Fighting-type with strong physical damage. Admittedly, out of the three starters and their Hisuian forms, this one was a little harder to wrap my head around. The character model may not be as unappealing as Typhlosion, but it just seems like such a big deviation from the Decidueye fans have come to love. Appearance-wise it doesn't look at all like the agile and flashy Decidueye from Alola. (This further reinforces my earlier statement that the creators did the best Hisuian form for Samurott, because it retained or even improved what fans already liked about the original model.)
Still, the good stats are hard to discount, so getting Rowlet and its evolutionary line will equip you with a swift and high-power Pokemon to help you thrive in the wilderness of Hisui.
Conclusion
Because your rival no longer picks the starter Pokemon that counters your choice, your pick between Cyndaquil, Oshawott, and Rowlet may have overall less bearing if you're confident about navigating your way around the new battling and catching system in Legends Arceus. Your strategic approach will likely matter more for each encounter, so the typing may not necessarily give a huge advantage. In the end, it'll depend on whether you value having a cool-looking sidekick, a wide type coverage, a sense of nostalgia, or better combat stats to deal with stronger ‘mon earlier or later into the game.
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