Archeops

Introduced in generation five, with the Pokemon Black and White games, Archeops is a dual type rock and flying Pokemon. It is the final evolution of Archen after being revived from the Plume Fossil and does not evolve into any other Pokemon. Archeops is classified by the Pokedex as the “First Bird Pokemon” which indicates its general design as a prehistoric bird-like Pokemon. This guide will showcase Archeops’s capabilities in battle, its appearances in the anime, as well as other general facts about Archeops.

About Archeops

As a generation five Pokemon, Archeops first appeared in the Black and White season of the anime in the episode Arcehops in the Modern World!. It appeared as a result of a female Archen evolving in this episode. Archeops is the final evolution in its two stage evolution line and will evolve from Archen when it reaches level 37. Furthermore, you can obtain an Archen by reviving a Plume Fossil. The Pokedex mentions that Archeops are highly intelligent Pokemon that will coordinate to capture prey.

First appearance in anime	Pokemon the Series: Black and White Archeops in the Modern World!
First appearance in game	Pokemon Black and White
Region	Unova
Evolution	Evolves from Archen at level 37, not known to evolve into any other Pokemon
1st Evo level	37
2nd Evo level	N/A
Pokedex Entry	They are intelligent and will cooperate to catch prey. From the ground, they use a running start to take flight.

Archeops Base Stats

HP	75
ATTACK	140
DEFENCE	65
SP. ATTACK	112
SP. DEFENCE	65
SPEED	110
TOTAL	567

Appearance

Archeops is a large, bird-like Pokemon that seems to be a combination of birds and reptiles. It has a featherless head, but the rest of its body is covered in ornamental feathers. Most of its body is yellow but the trims of its wings and the top of its head is blue. Both of Archeops’s wings have sharp claws at each end and while it has two legs and two wings, it spends most of its time flying. Archeops is a 4 foot and 7 inch, or 1.4 meter, tall Pokemon.

Behavior

Archeops has not appeared in the anime frequently and it is shown more to showcase the evolution than anything else. However, it is known to be an intelligent Pokemon that is capable of cooperating with one another in order to catch prey. They are fearsome predators and they can fly up to 25 mph. The Pokedex confirms that Archeops is an intelligent Pokemon and mentions their teamwork in obtaining prey together.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Archeops has a strong offensive line up of base stats as both its physical attack stat and special attack are impressive while its speed is strong enough as well. However, its defensive stats are below par and when combined with its health pool, it makes it a fragile Pokemon. As a dual type flying and rock type Pokemon, Archeops takes 2x damage from rock, steel, water, electric, and ice type moves. It is immune to ground type moves and is resistant to normal, flying, poison, bug, and fire type moves.

Best Moveset

Archeops struggles in competitive play due to a detrimental ability as its Defeatist ability makes its offensive capabilities much less impactful. As a result it has never been ranked highly in competitive brackets. However, it can function as an offensive lead Pokemon. Consider running, Acrobatics, Stone Edge, Earth Power and Roost. Acrobatics and Stone Edge both benefit from STAB (Same Type Attack Bonus), Earth Power is for type coverage, and Roost can help forgo its Defeatist ability.

Acrobatics	Stone Edge
Earth Power	Roost

How to Catch Archeops in Pokemon Go

If you would like to obtain an Archeops in Pokemon Go, the easiest way to do so would be to first obtain an Archen and eventually evolve it into Archeops. Like most final evolution Pokemon, it is much more common to obtain its base evolution than its final evolution. You can find Archen spawning in the wild at a boosted rate near quarries, farmlands, parking lots, cities, hiking trails, and in windy weather. Archen can also be hatched from 7 and 10 km eggs, and both Archen and Archeops have not appeared as a raid boss at Pokemon Gyms. You will need 50 candies to evolve Archen into Archeops.

Trivia

1. Of all the Pokemon in the franchise, Archeops is the only Pokemon with a base stat total of 567.
2. The inspiration for Archeops’s design is likely based on the Archaeopteryx, one of the earliest bird species.
3. The name Archeops is a combination of the word Archaeopteryx and the suffix -ops (a common suffix in dinosaur names)

Explainer Video

FAQ

Why is Archeops’s ability so bad?

Archeops can only have the ability Defeatist which is one of the worst abilities in the game. It is entirely detrimental which would make any Pokemon much weaker. Archeops’s attack and special attack stat are cut in half if it is below half health. Luckily its stat pool is much higher as a result, but it is much more powerful when it is allowed to remain at above half health.

Is Archeops a good pokemon?

While Archeops has a relatively higher base stat total than other Pokemon, it is held back by its required Defeatist ability. There are not many cases where Archeops can outperform another offensive Pokemon and it is best to ignore Archeops as an offensive option in competitive battles. It simply has too large of a downside.

Is Archeops in Black 2?

You can obtain Archeops in Pokemon Black 2 by simply evolving Archen after you resurrect it from a Plume Fossil. There are no special conditions to fulfill other than selecting the Plume Fossil, and you can evolve Archen by having it reach level 37. It is not exclusive to Pokemon White 2 and you can find it through similar means.

Conclusion

Congratulations, you now know just about everything there is to know about this “First Bird Pokemon”. While Archeops has not made the largest impact on competitive play, it does have a unique lineup of stat distributions. If you can work around its Defeatist ability, Archeops can compete with pseudo-legendary Pokemon in terms of raw stats. Reserve a slot on your team for Archeops if you want an offensive dual type rock and flying Pokemon.