When Pokémon trainers first begin their journey, they may be intimidated by the vast array of Poké Balls available to them. I know I was intimidated and would frequently use ordinary Poké Balls instead of better ones because I was afraid of running out of the better type before really needing them.

This is not so troubling in Pokémon Legends: Arceus because you can craft Poké Ball, including the better ones. However, to optimize your Poké Balls and even craft them, you might want to know what each does and the needed items to make them.

Thinking of that, we decided to come up with a complete Pokémon Legends: Arceus Poké Ball Guide. Here in this guide, you will find a list of all Poké Balls available in the game and all the information that we have on each one!

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Poké Balls in Pokémon Legends: Arceus

Heavy ball

Poké Balls are mysterious items that can force a Pokémon to shrink and be trapped inside of it. However, you must hit the Pokémon with it, and the success rate is altered by how many hit points the wild Pokémon has left and their status — for instance, paralyzed Pokémon are easier to catch.

In Pokémon Legends: Arceus, the Poké Balls look a bit different. That’s because they are handcrafted and are probably the first version of what you see in other Pokémon titles.

Generally speaking, all Poké Balls work the same way. You throw at a Pokémon to capture it. However, special Poké Balls, such as the Great Ball or Ultra Ball, grant you a much higher chance of catching the creature you want. On top of that, some Poké Ball types might also have unique characteristics.

Poké Ball

The typical red and white Poké Ball is the weakest and most common type of capture item in the game, but it works pretty well in the beginning. This item will be more than enough to catch low-level Pokémon at the beginning of the game. However, bigger specimens and Alpha types might resist normal Poké Ball much easier.

Here’s what you need to craft a standard Poké Ball:

  • 1 Apricorn
  • 1 Tumblestone

Great Ball

The Great Ball is basically a regular Poké Ball with a higher capture rate. The greatest thing about Great Balls is that they are not as hard to craft as some more advanced Poké Balls. This is the recommended item to capture slightly more troubling Pokémon that are really annoying to catch with a regular Poké Ball.

Here’s what you need to craft a Great Ball:

  • 1 Apricorn
  • 1 Iron Chunk
  • 1 Tumblestone

Ultra Ball

This is the best of the basic Poké Balls. It doesn’t have any special characteristics, and it requires more items to craft, but in the end, it is just a Poké Ball with a higher capture rate. The Ultra Ball is much more effective than the Great Ball, so you might want to keep these for when you find a rare Pokémon that you don’t want to lose.

Here’s what you need to craft an Ultra Ball:

  • 1 Apricorn
  • 2 Iron Chunks
  • 2 Tumblestone

Heavy Ball

Here’s when things start to change a bit. The Heavy Ball is, as the name suggests, heavy. You can’t really throw it too far or too high, but it is highly effective if you manage to hit a Pokémon that hasn’t seen you with this ball. This capture item makes Pokémon Legends: Arceus a more dynamic game that incentivizes something other than lowering a creature’s HP to catch it.

Here’s what you need to craft a Heavy Ball:

  • 1 Apricorn
  • 1 Black Tumblestone

Leaden Ball

The Leaden Ball is just a better heavy ball. It is also heavy, and it is also not ideal for you to catch Pokémon that are nimble or far from you, but it works marvelously against unsuspecting Pokémon. So if you can sneak behind the creature you want and it hasn’t seen you at all, but regular Poké Balls or Heavy Balls did not work, then a Leaden Ball might be what you need.

Here’s what you need to craft a Leaden Ball:

  • 1 Apricorn
  • 1 Black Tumblestone
  • 1 Iron Chunk

Gigaton Ball

The Gigaton Ball is the most effective ball of the Heavy type. Judging by the name, it is also the heaviest one. Just like the Heavy Ball and the Leaden Ball, this ball is very effective against Pokémon who haven’t perceived you yet. The name Gigaton Ball makes me think that this item knocks out the Pokémon who hasn’t seen it coming.

Here’s what you need to craft a Gigaton Ball:

  • 1 Apricorn
  • 2 Black Tumblestone
  • 2 Iron Chunk

Feather Ball

This is the ball you want to use when trying to capture quick Pokémon or even Pokémon that are way too high for a standard Poké Ball to reach it. More often than not, you will use it to catch flying Pokémon. However, it can be pretty effective to catch rare Pokémon that are running away from you because you can throw this thing really far away.

Here’s what you need to craft a Feather Ball:

  • 1 Apricorn
  • 1 Sky Tumblestone

Wing Ball

It seems that a Wing Ball is just a better version of a Feather Ball, much like what a Great Ball is to the regular Poké Ball. In other words, this is a great item to catch nimble and flying Pokémon, and it also has a much higher capture rate than your regular Feather Ball. It does require more resources to craft, though.

Here’s what you need to craft a Wing Ball:

  • 1 Apricorn
  • 1 Iron Chunk
  • 1 Sky Tumblestone

Jet Ball

This is the most effective form of the Feather Ball. A Poké Ball that is light, fast, and has a much higher capture rate than the Wing Ball. When it’s hard to get close to a Pokémon, a Jet Ball to their back might be an effective way to handle the situation. It is far more effective than trying to do it with a regular Poké Ball when the Pokémon might just run away.

Here’s what you need to craft a Jet Ball:

  • 1 Apricorn
  • 2 Iron Chunk
  • 2 Sky Tumblestone

Origin Ball

The Origin Ball looks weirdly modern when compared to all the other balls of this game. It is the most remarkable and unique kind of Poké Ball in Pokémon Legends: Arceus. In fact, the Origin Ball can’t even be crafted. You will be using an Origin Ball in the Temple of Sinnoh to capture a raging Pokémon.

How to Get Better Poké Balls

In order to obtain balls that are better than your regular Poké Balls, you can obviously craft them. But you need more than the required items to craft them. In Pokémon Legends: Arceus, you also need the recipes.

Unfortunately, getting those recipes is not that simple. It’s not like I can point a direction and an NPC for you to talk to and get it. In fact, better Poké Ball recipes are one of the advantages of having a higher star rank. In case you’re confused, maybe you should check how star ranks work in Pokémon Legends: Arceus.

Every time that you manage to rank up, you get some advantages from it. You will get the recipe for Great Balls, Heavy balls, and Feather Balls up to your fourth rank. However, sometimes it can feel like it takes a long time.

It might be a good idea for you to dedicate yourself to rank up fast in Pokémon Legends: Arceus. Not only do you have a greater chance of catching high-level Pokémon with better Poké Balls, but those wild Pokémon will also obey.

Final Thoughts

In the end, it’s not like the regular Poké Ball is useless and you only need the better versions. In fact, the standard Poké Ball is one of the most useful of the items presented here. You need them to catch a bunch of common Pokémon in order to rank up and progress in the game.

However, since it doesn’t have a high rate of catching the Pokémon you want, it might not be the best item for you to throw at that shiny Starly that you saw running away.

When you are worried about your chances of catching a rare Pokémon or an Alpha Pokémon, the better Poké Balls, such as Great and Ultra, might be a better choice. 

Note that better Poké Balls are not the only thing that can help you catch a Pokémon that you want. Other things such as status conditions and even items can significantly increase your chances of trapping a wild Pokémon inside your Poké Ball. Check our Pokémon Legends: Arceus Berry Guide for information on some of the items that can help you with that. 

More Legends: Arceus