Where to Find an Alpha Golduck in Pokemon Legends: Arceus

Pokemon Legends: Arceus is set in olden times in the Pokemon world when it was rare to find harmony between people and Pokemon. Set in Hisui, modern-day Sinnoh, you will join the Galaxy Expedition Team (Galaxy Team for short) as a member of the Survey Corps stationed in Jubilife Village. You will be tasked to meet every Hisui Pokemon species to complete the region’s first-ever Pokédex.

In the game, there are Pokemon who appear larger than their regular counterparts with glowing red eyes, which means they are filled with Wild Might which increases all of their stats and reduces the damage they receive from status conditions, and increases combat capabilities that are found all over the Hisui region. These Pokemon are called Alpha Pokemon. 

In this guide, we will learn where to find an Alpha Golduck!

Alpha Pokemon

The Alpha Pokemon will always be at a higher level than their regular counterparts. They will always be aggressive once they notice the player (except for Mantyke and Mantine) and will never run away (except when the type of Alpha Pokemon appears during a specific time of day or if a Space-Time Distortion appears around them). Alpha Pokemon will roar and release a shockwave once they notice the player, and if the player is close enough, the player may get staggered and get knocked to the ground for a short while.

The player will be able to catch Alpha Pokemon, regardless of the Alpha Pokemon’s level, by battling with it and then eventually throwing a Poke Ball. The player, however, can catch Alpha Pokemon without battling by sneaking around the Alpha Pokemon in the tall grass or by using stealth items and then throwing a Poke Ball; however, the player cannot do this if the player’s current obedience level is significantly lower than the Alpha Pokemon’s level.

Additionally, suppose the player has a hard time catching an Alpha Pokemon. In that case, the player can increase the catch rate of catching an Alpha Pokemon by raising the player’s Star Rank (the player’s Survey Corps rank), which can be done by completing Research Tasks and talking to Professor Laventon in any of the Base Camps.

Three types of Alpha Pokemon can be found in the game: fixed Alpha Pokemon that will always spawn and can be found in certain areas of the game and will always be at a fixed level; random Alpha Pokemon, which may only appear once the player has quelled the area’s frenzied Noble Pokemon, and Alpha Pokemon in Massive Mass Outbreaks which can appear as a second wave in the same location as the first wave. 

As the other two are entirely random, we will discuss fixed Alpha Pokemon, specifically an Alpha Golduck.

Alpha Golduck

Golduck is a Water-type Duck Pokemon with a blue body that looks like that of a duck or a platypus, four spikes on top of its head, a red gem in the middle of its forehead, a pair of eyes with red irises, a beak that is colored cream, a pair of arms with cream-colored webbing and three fingers with white claws on each hand, a pair of legs that also has cream-colored webbing and three toes in the front and one on the heel each with a white claw on each foot, and a long tail. According to its Pokedex entry in the game, Golduck has a strong body and can swim easily through rough seas by clawing its way through the high waves.

An Alpha Golduck can be found in Bathers’ Lagoon (southeast of Aipom Hill or southwest of Deadwood Haunt) in the Cobalt Coastlands and can be found here at all times of the day and in every weather condition. The Alpha Golduck that can be found in this location is a Level 50 Pokemon.

It is recommended to sneak to the back of the Alpha Pokemon, using the tall grass or stealth items like Smoke Bombs, and throw the player’s Pokemon or Poke Ball on its back to catch it unawares, which assures that the player moves first in battle.

If you plan on distracting it with food before catching it, it is worth mentioning that Golduck’s preferred foods are Springy Mushrooms, Hearty Grains, and Plump Beans.

Suppose you plan on battling a Golduck first before catching it. In that case, it is worth noting that, as mentioned, Golduck is a Water-type Pokemon which means it has a weakness to Electric-type and Grass-type moves (super effective) and resistance to Fire-type, Ice-type, Steel-type, and Water-type moves (not very effective).

Aside from the Alpha Golduck that can be found in the Cobalt Coastlands, the regular, non-alpha, Golduck can also be found in other parts of the Cobalt Coastlands (in the east of Spring Path), in the Crimson Mirelands (in the Holm of Trials), and in the Coronet Highlands (in Wayward Wood, in Lonely Spring, and the east of Clamberclaw Cliffs). Aside from that, Golduck can also be found in Massive Mass Outbreaks in the Crimson Mirelands and the Cobalt Coastlands.

Now that the player has an Alpha Golduck, the player can try to use the Alpha Golduck to complete other requests, missions, or Arceus’ tasks for the player, which is to catch them all!