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.
Said to be an ancestor of bird Pokémon, they were unable to fly and moved about by hopping from one branch to another.
Revived from a fossil, this Pokémon is thought to be the ancestor of all bird 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.
- Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
- Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
Archen is the base form in a two-stage line leading to Archeops. Check the evolution method below. A decent partner pool 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 45 breeding partners from the Flying and Water3 egg groups. Pass egg moves like Bite, Defog, Dragon Pulse and 4 more to offspring.
Best Build
No build content available for this Pokemon in Gen 5.
Try selecting a different game/generation filter, or check back later.
Breeding's the move. Bite and Defog 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.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Archen is handed to you at Nacrene 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