Nintendo has been working overtime to give gamers updates and announcements on many of the games that it has been working on. The September Nintendo Direct revealedBayonetta 3and N64 games coming to Nintendo Switch Online, as well asPokemon Legends: Arceus,Pokemon Brilliant Diamond, andShining Pearlreceiving new trailers. While the trailer forBrilliant DiamondandShining Pearlwas more of a showcase on how the remake retools old features, the trailer forPokemon Legends: Arceuspulled back the curtain on the ambitious title in a big way.
Pokemon Legends: Arceusis doing a lot of new things with the usualPokemonformula. Not only is it taking a moreBreath of the Wildapproach to exploration, but the way player’s interact with Pokemon in the wild is significantly different. The newest trailer showed off whatLegends: Arceusis calling Noble Pokemon, and the first one that it revealed isKleavor. Kleavor is a unique evolution of the popular Pokemon Scyther, a far cry from the Scizor evolution that fans are used to seeing. Like most things inPokemon, there’s a reasoning behind this change that dives into the deeper lore ofPokemon Legends: Arceus.
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Scyther’s Usual Evolution Process
To understand how Scyther evolves into Kleavor, it’s important to understand how Scyther evolves under normal circumstances. Scyther’s one and only evolution is the Bug/Steel type Scizor, and the method of its evolution bears many similarities to other Pokemon. Players must first acquirethe Metal Coat item, and then give that item to Scyther to hold. Much like the process of evolving Haunter into Gengar, players must then trade Scyther with the Metal Coat to another player, thus making it evolve. It’s pretty straightforward, but it establishes how Scyther’s evolution is dependent on its interaction with a certain substance.
Scyther’s Evolution Into Kleavor
As a part of its Noble Pokemon announcement, more details were provided on how Scyther evolves into Kleavor. It largely revolves around the same principles thatPokemonhas used for otherregional Pokemon variants. In Scyther’s case, it evolves into Kleavor after being exposed to special minerals in the Hisui region. These minerals cause parts of its body to become as hard as stone, and this stone gets progressively harder the more it gets chipped. It’s a hulking evolution compared to Scizor, and the Bug/Rock typing that results from this interaction with minerals echoes Scizor’s Bug/Steel typing from the Metal Coat.
How Kleavor Differs From Scyther, Scizor
Aside from the different typing, there are a handful of ways that Kleavor greatly differs from both Scyther and Scizor. While Kleavor moves at a comparable speed to its initial form, its giant axe blades seem to move a bit slower than Scyther’s blades. Kleavor also appears to be much more territorial in the context ofPokemon Legends: Arceus, as the forest it inhabits is filled with markings from its axes. This emphasis on the cutting power of Kleavor could bePokemon Legends: Arceus' way of showing how HM moves are introduced intoPokemonlore, but that remains to be confirmed.
There’s no doubt thatPokemon Legends: Arceusis doing a lot of new things with the franchise. From the dramatically different gameplay toexpanded customization options, the game is set to be a very ambitious title for the series. It’s likely that there will be more Noble Pokemon than Kleavor inLegends: Arceus, so fans will just have to keep their eyes peeled for any other updates.
