Stats & Training
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.
Once thought to be the ancestor of all bird Pokémon, some of the latest research suggests that may not be the case.
Restored from a fossil, this ancient bird Pokémon has wings but can’t yet fly.
Archen Weakness
Type-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.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Water, Electric, Ice, Rock, Steel |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Normal, Fire, Poison, Flying, Bug |
| 0x (Immune) | Ground |
 Solgaleo PsychicSteel | S | |
Obtain MethodMahalo Trail Gift Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Archen View Solgaleo builds →Sunsteel Strike 2x212-249%KO Thunderbolt 2x108-128%KO Iron Head 2x170-201%KO Flash Cannon 2x145-171%KO | ||
 Magnezone ElectricSteel | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Archen View Magnezone builds →Zap Cannon 2x241-284%KO Thunderbolt 2x182-215%KO Flash Cannon 2x162-192%KO Discharge 2x162-192%KO | ||
 Klefki SteelFairy | B | |
 Togedemaru ElectricSteel | C | |
Obtain MethodHeahea Beach Gift Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Archen View Togedemaru builds →Wild Charge 2x143-168%KO Thunderbolt 2x74-88% Discharge 2x66-78% Zing Zap 2x127-150%KO | ||
 Mawile SteelFairy | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Archen View Mawile builds →Iron Head 2x113-134%KO Rock Tomb 2x57-68% Charge Beam 2x35-42% | ||
In Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon, Cobalion can KO Archen with Stone Edge (127-150%). Volcanion threatens a KO with Fire Blast (100-118%). Tapu Koko's Thunderbolt also KOs at 265-312%.
 Cobalion SteelFighting | A | |
Recommended Build AbilityJustified ItemFightiniumz NatureJolly Moves
Damage vs Archen View Cobalion builds →Close Combat114-134%KO Stone Edge 2x127-150%KO | ||
 Volcanion FireWater | A | |
Recommended Build AbilityWaterabsorb ItemChoice Specs NatureTimid Moves
Damage vs Archen View Volcanion builds →Sludge Bomb55-65% Fire Blast100-118%KO | ||
 Tapu Koko ElectricFairy | A | |
Recommended Build AbilityElectric Surge ItemChoice Specs NatureTimid Moves
Damage vs Archen View Tapu Koko builds →Thunderbolt 2x265-312%KO Volt Switch 2x207-244%KO Dazzling Gleam118-139%KO | ||
 Mamoswine IceGround | A | |
Recommended Build AbilityThickfat ItemLife Orb NatureAdamant Moves
Damage vs Archen View Mamoswine builds →Ice Shard 2x141-166%KO Knock Off76-89% | ||
 Starmie WaterPsychic | B | |
Recommended Build AbilityAnalytic ItemLife Orb NatureTimid Moves
Damage vs Archen View Starmie builds →Rapid Spin12-15% Ice Beam 2x159-187%KO Thunderbolt 2x159-187%KO Hydro Pump 2x292-343%KO | ||
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon Evolution
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. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed Archen with 58 breeding partners from the Flying and Water3 egg groups. Pass egg moves like Ally Switch, Bite, Defog and 6 more to offspring.
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon Archen Best Moveset
Best Build
No build content available for this Pokemon in Gen 7.
Try selecting a different game/generation filter, or check back later.
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.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Transfer Moves
How to Get Archen in Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon
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 to Catch Archen in Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon
Archen Guide
At 401 BST, Archen is firmly in pre-evolution territory. Evolve it into Archeops before bringing it to any serious fight.
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. Speed tells the real story. Base 70 Speed is workable. Faster than some, slower than many. Fits the attacker role.
In Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon, For a casual playthrough, Archen works as a placeholder. Rock/Flying coverage is useful early. The real payoff is Archeops. That's where the stats start mattering.
Game Availability
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.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 1RB
Red & Blue - Gen 2GS
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RS
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen 3FRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen 3E
Emerald - Gen 4Pt
Platinum - Gen 4HGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen 4DP
Diamond & Pearl - Gen 5BWDebut
Black & White - Gen 5B2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen 6XY
X & Y - Gen 6ORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen 7USUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen 7SM
Sun & Moon - Gen 7LGPE
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen 8SwSh
Sword & Shield - Gen 8PLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen 8BDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen 9SV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen 9LZA
Legends: Z-A - Gen 10WW
Winds & Waves