Introduced in generation three, with the Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire games, Armaldo is a dual type rock and bug Pokemon. It is the final evolution of Anorith and does not evolve any further. Armaldo is classified by the Pokedex as the “Plate Pokemon” which may be based on the shell of armor plating it wears. This guide will showcase Armaldo’s capabilities in battle, its appearances in the anime, as well as other general facts about Armaldo.
About Armaldo
As a generation three Pokemon, Armaldo first appeared in the Ruby and Sapphire season of the anime with the episode Lights, Camerupt, Action!. It played the role of a knight protecting its princess in a movie that was playing in the episode. While Anorith is technically resurrected from the Claw Fossil item, the fossil itself is not a Pokemon which makes the evolution line two stages. It will evolve from Anorith once it reaches level 40. The Pokedex mentions that Armaldo’s claws can puncture through steel.
| First appearance in anime | Pokemon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire Lights, Camerupt, Action! |
| First appearance in game | Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire |
| Region | Hoenn |
| Evolution | Evolves from Anorith, not known to evolve into any other Pokemon |
| 1st Evo level | 40 |
| 2nd Evo level | N/A |
| Pokedex Entry | Armaldo's tough armor makes all attacks bounce off. This Pokémon's two enormous claws can be freely extended or contracted. They have the power to punch right through a steel slab. |
Armaldo Base Stats
| HP | 75 |
| ATTACK | 125 |
| DEFENCE | 100 |
| SP. ATTACK | 70 |
| SP. DEFENCE | 80 |
| SPEED | 45 |
| TOTAL | 495 |
Appearance
Armaldo is a large scaly bug with what looks like plated armor and resembles a bipedal beetle with two claws and a large tail. There are three feathers found sticking out either side of Armaldo’s neck and its body is mostly blue and yellow. While Armaldo’s plate armor has a pair of “eyes” on top of its head, its real eyes are the two appendages that stick out of its head. Armaldo is fairly average height for a Pokemon at 4 feet and 11 inches, or 1.5 meters, tall.
Behavior
Despite being a part rock type Pokemon, Armaldo is an amphibious bug and are known to live on land, but will dive into water to hunt for prey. As a reincarnated fossil, Armaldo is likely depicting when fish evolved to live on land. Its sharp claws are capable of skewering steel and they can retract fully. The Pokedex states that it went extinct in prehistoric times, but it had evolved to walk on land before then.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Armaldo has a high physical attack alongside a strong physical defense. However, its speed stat is incredibly slow and its health pool makes it hard to take advantage of its high physical defense. Even with its Swift Swim ability active, it can be difficult to move first with Armaldo. As a dual type rock and bug Pokemon, Armaldo takes 2x damage from rock, steel, and water type moves, is immune to no types but will resist normal and poison type moves.
Best Moveset
In competitive play, Armaldo has historically been near the bottom of competitive brackets. It can be difficult to take advantage of its offensive stats with its slow speed and it can be difficult taking advantage of its physical defense with its low health pool. Nevertheless, you can utilize Armaldo as an offensive Pokemon and thus consider running Rapid Spin, Stone Edge, Knock Off, and Earthquake. Rapid Spin can clear the hazards on your side of the field, Stone Edge benefits from STAB (Same Type Attack Bonus), Knock Off can deal with problematic held items on your opponent’s team, and finally Earthquake can function as good type coverage.
| Rapid Spin | Stone Edge |
| Knock Off | Earthquake |
How to Catch Armaldo in Pokemon Go
If you would like to obtain an Armaldo in Pokemon Go, the easiest way to do so would be to obtain an Anorith and eventually evolve it into Armaldo. Like most final evolution Pokemon, its base evolution is much more common to encounter than its final evolution. Anorith can be found near farmlands, parking lots, cities, hiking trails, and other grassy/urban areas. You can also hatch an Anorith from 2, 5, and 7 km eggs but unfortunately it does not appear as if Armaldo has been a raid boss in the past. Thus you will have to do it the hard way and will need to collect the candies to have a surefire way to obtain Armaldo. Anorith needs 50 candies in order to evolve into Armaldo.
Trivia
- While Anorith and Armaldo are both weak to water type moves, they are the only Pokemon that are capable of learning Swift Swim while being weak to water.
- The inspiration for Armaldo’s design likely comes from the Anomalocaris, a prehistoric shrimp that was related to arthropods.
- The name Armaldo is a combination of the words armor and ald (old Saxon for old)
Video
FAQ
Is Armaldo a good Pokemon?
While Armaldo can function as a powerful hitter on your team, it suffers from a low speed stat. Even with Swift Swim active, it cannot benefit from the speed boost much as its base speed is so low. Armaldo is also weak to water which makes it a poor consideration for a rain based team. It can be difficult to find a role for Armaldo on any team.
Is Armaldo a Legendary Pokemon?
The only thing that may indicate Armaldo as a legendary Pokemon is that you can only encounter Armaldo once per game. While other trainers may also use Armaldo, you can only encounter it once per save file. It can be bred at a Pokemon Daycare, and its catch rate is not low enough to constitute a legendary Pokemon.
Who Evolves into Armaldo?
In order to gain access to Armaldo you will want to select the Claw Fossil item. The Claw Fossil can be resurrected into Anorith and Anorith will evolve into Armaldo upon reaching level 40. You can revive Anorith from its fossil form at the Devon Corporation in generation three, the Oreburgh Mining Museum in generation four, the Nacrene Museum in generation five, the Ambrette Town Fossil Lab in generation six, and finally the Fossil Restoration Center in generation seven.
Conclusion
Congratulations, you now know just about everything there is to know about this “Plate Pokemon”. While Armaldo has not had the biggest impact on competitive play, it was featured on Steven Stone’s team as one of the most difficult trainer battles in generation three. Armaldo will hit hard and is capable of taking a few physical hits. Reserve a slot for Armaldo if you want a hard-hitting, rock and bug type Pokemon on your team.
