Arceus
Normal
Best attacking moveset: Shadow Claw and Hyper Beam, worth 12.1 damage per second against a neutral target.
Best moveset
Arceus can learn 6 combinations. Shadow Claw with Hyper Beam does the most damage per second of them, at level 40 with a perfect attack stat. Same-type moves get the 1.2× bonus, and the cycle assumes the charged attack fires the moment it has the energy.
Stats and moves come straight from the game's own data files. Every number on this page is a raid and gym number, not a PvP one.
Type matchups
| Fast attack | Type | Power | Duration | Energy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iron Tail | Steel | 14 | 1.0s | +6 |
| Shadow Claw | Ghost | 6 | 0.5s | +4 |
| Charged attack | Type | Power | Duration | Energy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Futuresight | Psychic | 115 | 2.5s | -100 |
| Hyper Beam | Normal | 150 | 4.0s | -100 |
| Outrage | Dragon | 110 | 4.0s | -50 |
Shiny
No shiny yet. New shiny releases show up in the news.
Numbers
| Max CP | 4,510 at level 50, 3,989 at level 40 |
|---|---|
| Raid catch | 2,279 CP at level 20, or 2,850 if weather boosted (perfect IVs) |
| Lowest possible raid catch | 2,190 CP. Raid encounters can't roll below 10/10/10 |
| Base stats | 238 attack · 238 defense · 237 stamina |
What it costs
| Candy to evolve | 25 Candy |
|---|---|
| Second charged move | 100,000 Stardust and 100 Candy |
| Buddy distance | 20 km per Candy |
| Size | 3.2 m and 320 kg |
Best moveset against each type
Arceus does not have one best moveset, it has 5. Which one wins depends on what you are attacking, because a move only gets its bonus against something weak to it. Best against Ice, Fairy, Psychic.
| Against | Best moveset | DPS |
|---|---|---|
| Ice | Iron Tail + Hyper Beam | 15.3 |
| Fairy | Iron Tail + Hyper Beam | 15.3 |
| Psychic | Shadow Claw + Hyper Beam | 15.2 |
| Rock | Iron Tail + Futuresight | 14.6 |
| Dragon | Shadow Claw + Outrage | 14.4 |
| Ghost | Shadow Claw + Futuresight | 14.3 |
| Fighting | Shadow Claw + Futuresight | 13.5 |
| Poison | Shadow Claw + Futuresight | 13.5 |
| Shadow Claw + Hyper Beam | 12.1 | |
| Ground | Shadow Claw + Hyper Beam | 12.1 |
| Bug | Shadow Claw + Hyper Beam | 12.1 |
| Fire | Shadow Claw + Hyper Beam | 12.1 |
| Water | Shadow Claw + Hyper Beam | 12.1 |
| Grass | Shadow Claw + Hyper Beam | 12.1 |
| Electric | Shadow Claw + Hyper Beam | 12.1 |
| Normal | Iron Tail + Hyper Beam | 11.3 |
| Dark | Iron Tail + Hyper Beam | 11.3 |
| Steel | Shadow Claw + Hyper Beam | 9.9 |
Same maths as the headline number, run once per defending type: level 40, perfect attack IV, and the target's own type taken into account. Sorted by damage, so the top of this table is what Arceus is actually for.
Counters: what beats Arceus
| Attacker | Type | Moveset | DPS |
|---|---|---|---|
 Lucario | FightingSteel | Force Palm + Aura Sphere Legacy | 24.4 |
 Pheromosa | BugFighting | Low Kick + Focus Blast | 22.3 |
 Terrakion | RockFighting | Double Kick + Sacred Sword Legacy | 22.2 |
 Blaziken | FireFighting | Counter + Aura Sphere | 22.1 |
 Kartana | GrassSteel | Fury Cutter + Sacred Sword | 21.1 |
 Conkeldurr | Fighting | Force Palm + Focus Blast | 20.3 |
 Keldeo | WaterFighting | Low Kick + Sacred Sword | 20.1 |
 Breloom | GrassFighting | Force Palm + Dynamic Punch | 20.1 |
 Urshifu | Fighting | Counter + Dynamic Punch | 19.9 |
 Eternatus | PoisonDragon | Poison Jab + Dynamax Cannon Legacy | 19.8 |
Ranked by damage per second against Arceus's own defense, at level 40 with a 15 attack IV, one per evolution family.