Archen is technically a pre-evolution of Archeops, but it holds its own in formats where Eviolite is allowed. Ground moves can't touch it, which offsets the 5 weaknesses somewhat. Part of the Gen 5 roster. It needs some investment to avoid getting outsped.
Everything pushes toward physical damage here. Archen's Attack does the work, Defense pays the price. But you're still getting 1 Attack EV per KO. Tough to catch, on a medium-fast 1M XP curve.
This Pokémon was successfully restored from a fossil. As research suggested, Archen is unable to fly. But it’s very good at jumping.
Archen is said to be the ancestor of bird Pokémon. It lived in treetops, eating berries and bug Pokémon.
Archen Weakness
AvgType-wise, Archen takes extra damage from Water, Electric, Ice, Rock, and Steel. Ground moves do nothing thanks to a full immunity. The Rock/Flying typing picks up 5 resistances to work with.
Archen is the base form in a two-stage line leading to Archeops. Check the evolution method below. Plenty of partners for breeding via two egg groups. Eggs are slow to hatch. Evolving adds up to 166 stat points total.
How to Evolve
Breed Archen with 73 breeding partners from the Flying and Water3 egg groups.
You commit to a move every time Archen comes in. Choice Scarf gives speed patching through item lock, and Defeatist adds to that. Max Sp. Atk and Speed EVs make sure the locked move actually hurts. Utility options covers the rest.
Best Build
Best Archen Moveset
- Stealth Rock
- Tailwind
- Defog
- Roar
Recommended Teammates
Most of Archen's flexibility comes from TMs. Same-type output runs through Meteor Beam and Stone Edge, but Normal and Dragon and the rest of the TM pool push it from predictable to genuinely threatening.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Stall teams hate this. Archen can spread damage across 11 types, with Normal and Dragon punishing common defensive pivots. STAB from Head Smash and Stone Edge keeps the pressure honest on everything else.
Breeding's the move. Ally Switch and Bite give Archen options it can't learn any other way, and coverage across 8 types already covers a decent range on top of Head Smash and Stone Edge. The egg moves push it further.
Stall teams hate this. Archen can spread damage across 11 types, with Normal and Dragon punishing common defensive pivots. STAB from Head Smash and Stone Edge keeps the pressure honest on everything else.
Archen appears at high spawn rates across 18 spots in endgame routes. Sort by Best below if you want the highest rate, or Earliest if you want the quickest access point in your playthrough.
Best Locations
18 walking encounters at Lv. 60-65 for Archen across Shield and Sword. A few locations are version-exclusive, so your copy of the game affects what's available.
Archen is handed to you at Route 8. No encounter rates or random spawns involved, so there's nothing to grind. Check the location details below for the exact conditions to trigger it.
Best Locations
No searching required for Archen. You receive it at Route 8 from an NPC. No wild encounters exist in this game, so just head to the right spot when you're ready and it's yours.
Best Locations
Archen is handed to you at Rustboro City. No encounter rates or random spawns involved, so there's nothing to grind. Check the location details below for the exact conditions to trigger it.
Best Locations
At 401 BST, Archen is firmly in pre-evolution territory. Evolve it into Archeops before bringing it to any serious fight.
Archen evolves into Archeops at level 37. Archen is the base form of this evolutionary line.
Defeatist is the go-to ability for Archen. It halves Attack and Special Attack at 50% max HP or less. It's Archen's only ability.
Archen is a physical attacker with base 112 Attack. Fragile — can't afford to take many hits, too. But the speed tells the real story — base 70 Speed is workable — faster than some, slower than many. Fits the attacker role.
Archen appears in 7 games, including Black & White, Black 2 & White 2, and X & Y.
Since Black & White, Archen has been obtainable in 7 games. A Generation 5 debut means a shorter history, but Archen has appeared steadily across every generation since.
- Gen IY
Yellow - Gen IRB
Red & Blue - Gen IIGS
Gold & Silver - Gen IIC
Crystal - Gen IIIRS
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen IIIFRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen IIIE
Emerald - Gen IVPt
Platinum - Gen IVHGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen IVDP
Diamond & Pearl - Gen VBWDebut
Black & White - Gen VB2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen VIXY
X & Y - Gen VIORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen VIIUSUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen VIISM
Sun & Moon - Gen VIILGPE
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen VIIISwSh
Sword & Shield - Gen VIIIPLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen VIIIBDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen IXSV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen IXLZA
Legends: Z-A