The Pokémon Company recently revealed Pokémon Legends: Arceus’ boss battles will pit players against noble Pokémon, particularly strong monsters corrupted by a mysterious power. While the game’s primary objective is to complete the Hisui region’s Pokédex, players are also tasked by the Galaxy Expedition Team with stopping the noble Pokémon’s rampages.
With its open world and new catching and combat systems, Pokémon Legends: Arceus is a significant departure from other Pokémon games in the series. Players are responsible for capturing and documenting the Pokémon of the ancient Sinnoh region, known as Hisui, and along the way, they’ll unravel the mystery of Arceus and confront Pokémon enraged by an unknown force.
Having “received a mysterious blessing,” according to the Pokémon Legends: Arceus website, noble Pokémon are much more powerful than other monsters in the region. The only confirmed noble Pokémon so far is Kleavor, a Bug/Rock-type evolution for Scyther with axe-like appendages. Wyrdeer, the new evolution for Stantler, is also featured with Kleavor on the game’s website. That said, the site says only “Some [blessed] Pokémon, known as nobles, are particularly powerful, while others are said to willingly assist the people of the region,” which seems to imply the rideable Wyrdeer is not a noble.
Each noble is protected by a human warden, tasked with making offerings of food and water to the nobles and keeping their territories safe. Four Pokémon Legends: Arceus wardens have been revealed so far: Mai, Iscan, Lian, and Arezu. Unfortunately, a “strange phenomenon” is driving the noble Pokémon into a frenzy, and the wardens seem unable to stop it without the player character’s help. When frenzied, noble Pokémon glow yellow and grow in size, making them even more intimidating.
Using Pokémon Legends: Arceus’ active combat system, players must throw balms made of the nobles’ favorite foods to calm the rampaging Pokémon. It appears the boss fights will play out in a series of rounds. Players will alternate between battling the noble with their own Pokémon, weakening it and sending it into a daze that prevents it from moving or attacking, and throwing more balms to calm it, with progress represented by a yellow bar at the top of the screen.
Fans won’t know if all of Pokémon Legends: Arceus’ tradition-breaking will come together to make a compelling game until they can finally play it. For now, though, noble Pokémon add another factor of uniqueness to the Hisui region, separating it from Sinnoh’s shadow.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus will be released on January 22, 2022, for Nintendo Switch.