If you’re curious about whether or not Shaymin is in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, the good news is that yes, it is. You’re also able to alternate between Shaymin’s Land and Sky Formes at will, meaning you’ve got the option of using it as a pure Grass-type or as a Grass/Flying hybrid. You just have to catch it first.
Triggering Legends: Arceus‘ Shaymin encounter has quite a few prerequisites, including ownership of a previous game, reaching a certain point in the main story, and more. You can’t just waltz into the first area of Hisui and expect to see a Mythical Pokémon hanging out next to a level 2 Bidoof.
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Fortunately, we’ve been playing Legends: Arceus all weekend and have managed to capture the Gratitude Pokémon, documenting each and every step we took to do so with accompanying screenshots of Shaymin’s location.
Here’s where to find Shaymin in Pokémon Legends: Arceus.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus – How to get Shaymin
In order to meet Shaymin in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, there are a few things you need to take care of first.
Before anything else, you won’t be able to encounter Shaymin in Legends: Arceus unless you have existing save data for either Pokémon Sword or Pokémon Shield. If you haven’t played either of these games on the account you’re using for Legends: Arceus, Shaymin won’t be catchable.
Provided this step is completed, all you need to now is finish the main story in Pokémon Legends: Arceus — you’ll know this is accomplished when you see the credits roll. Once they’re over, head to Professor Laventon’s office in the Galaxy Team HQ and you should see a request on the blackboard called, “A Token of Gratitude.” Accept it and make your way to the Obsidian Fieldlands.
Here, you’ll be able to speak to a Diamond Clan member called Medi at the Fieldlands Camp. She’ll talk about a Pokémon she met as a child, who fans of the series will likely immediately recognize as Shaymin. Once she’s finished chatting, head to the burnt meadow in the screenshot a few paragraphs above — you can see its location on the map in the screenshot below.
When you approach the field, a cutscene should play, at which point Medi will thank Shaymin for helping her when she was a child. Once this is over, you’ll have the opportunity to catch Shaymin once and for all. It’s worth noting that Shaymin is level 70 and already alerted, so you’ll need to instigate an actual battle to have a chance of capturing it. Our advice is to bring it down to low yellow HP and either paralyze it or put it to sleep.
If you accidentally make Shaymin run away or fail to capture it, it will temporarily disappear from the map. To make it return, head back to Jubilife Village to reset the Obsidian Fieldlands map. On your next visit, Shaymin will be hanging out in the same flowerbed as before.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus – How to change Shaymin to Sky Forme
So you’ve caught Shaymin, but you’re not particularly impressed by its Land Forme. What now?
Changing Shaymin’s Forme is actually very easy in Legends: Arceus. When you’re out in the field, simply use the Gracidea key item Medi gave you before you found Shaymin’s flowerbed on Shaymin Land Forme. This will cause it to change to Shaymin Sky Forme, a Grass/Flying-type Pokémon, until either night falls or you use the Gracidea on it again.
Need more help? Check out our Pokémon Legends: Arceus tips and tricks guide.
Written by Cian Maher on behalf of GLHF.
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