Arcanine was introduced in Red/Blue/Yellow, and it has featured in most Pokémon titles and spinoffs, in addition to many seasons of the anime and some movies. Arcanine even appears as a spirit in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. It is a strong Fire type Pokémon, with a high base stat total and a diverse moveset that makes it a powerful addition to many Pokémon teams.
Who’s that Pokémon? Arcanine Facts
- Arcanine is known as the “Legendary Pokémon.” It commonly lives in grassy prairies.
- Arcanine’s Fire typing gives it good defense against Fire, Grass, Ice, Bug, Steel, and Fairy type moves. However, Arcanine is weak to Water, Ground, and Rock type moves.
- Arcanine’s stats make it rather well-rounded, with a good distribution of power across all of its stats.
- Arcanine’s shiny form has a yellow body and bright white highlights.
- Arcanine’s National Pokédex number is 059.
Can you catch Arcanine in Pokémon Sword and Shield?
Arcanine can be acquired in both Pokémon Sword and Shield. It is easiest to acquire Arcanine by catching and evolving its pre-evolution, Growlithe. Growlithe appears on the overworld in both Pokémon Sword and Shield.
Where to get Growlithe in Pokémon Sword:
- Wild Area
- Dusty Bowl (Intense Sun)
- Giant’s Mirror (Intense Sun)
- Hammerlocke Hills (Intense Sun)
Where to get Arcanine in Pokémon Sword:
- Wild Area Max Raid Battles:
- Giant’s Cap
Where to get Growlithe in Pokémon Shield:
- Overworld
- Route 3 (All Weather)
- Wild Area
- Axew's Eye (Intense Sun)
- Dappled Grove (Intense Sun)
- East Lake Axewell (Intense Sun)
- Giant's Seat (Intense Sun)
- North Lake Miloch (Intense Sun)
- Rolling Fields (Intense Sun)
- South Lake Miloch (Intense Sun)
- Watchtower Ruins (Intense Sun)
- West Lake Axewell (Intense Sun)
- Wild Area Max Raid Battles
- Dusty Bowl
- Giant’s Cap
- Hammerlocke Hills
- Lake of Outrage
- Stony Wilderness
Where to get Arcanine in Pokémon Shield:
- Wild Area
- Lake of Outrage (Intense Sun)
- Wild Area Max Raid Battles
- Dusty Bowl
- Giant's Cap
- Hammerlocke Hills
- Lake of Outrage
- Stony Wilderness
- Isle of Armor Max Raid Battles
- Fields of Honor
- Challenge Beach
- Loop Lagoon
- Potbottom Desert
- Crown Tundra Max Raid Battles
- Giant's Bed
- Snowslide Slope
- Ballimere Lake
What are the requirements to catch Arcanine in Pokémon Sword and Shield?
In order to easily catch Arcanine in Pokémon Sword and Shield, you need to be able to catch Pokémon up to level 50 in the Wild Area beyond Motostoke Riverbank. To be able to catch Pokémon up to level 50, you’ll need to earn the sixth gym badge from Circhester Stadium by defeating Gordie in Pokémon Sword or Melony in Pokémon Shield.
You will also need a Fire Stone in order to evolve your Growlithe into Arcanine.
How to catch Arcanine in Pokémon Sword and Shield: Step-by-step guide
Read over the following guide to find the easiest way to get Arcanine in Pokémon Sword and Shield:
- Start out by traveling to Hammerlocke Hills.
- Head southeast into Giant’s Mirror.
- Carefully search for Growlithe in the grassy area. Make sure to check that the weather is Intense Sun!
- Once you see Growlithe, run up to it to start the encounter! Carefully battle the Pokémon to bring it to low health (or just throw a quick ball). If you can, try giving it a status effect like Paralysis or Sleep to make it easier to catch.
- Once Growlithe is at low health, throw your PokéBall! If it manages to break free, just keep trying until you finally add the Pokémon to your Pokédex!
- Next, use a Fire Stone on your Growlithe to make it evolve into Arcanine.
Quick Version: How to get Arcanine in Pokémon Sword and Shield
The easiest way to get Arcanine in Pokémon Sword and Shield is to evolve it from Growlithe. To get Growlithe, visit Giant’s Mirror near Hammerlocke while the weather is Intense Sun, and then search the grassy area. Use a Fire Stone on Growlithe to get Arcanine.
Explainer Video:
Arcanine: Moveset by Level*
*Arcanine does not learn any moves via level up, but it can remember the following moves from Growlithe’s moveset.
| Level | Attack Name | Type | Category | Power |
| 0 | Extreme Speed | Normal | Physical | 80 |
| The user charges the target at blinding speed. This move always goes first. | ||||
| 0 | Burn Up | Fire | Special | 130 |
| To inflict massive damage, the user burns itself out. After using this move, the user will no longer be Fire type. | ||||
| 0 | Flame Wheel | Fire | Physical | 60 |
| The user cloaks itself in fire and charges at the target. This may also leave the target with a burn. | ||||
| 0 | Helping Hand | Normal | Status | 0 |
| The user assists an ally by boosting the power of that ally's attack. | ||||
| 0 | Agility | Psychic | Status | 0 |
| The user relaxes and lightens its body to move faster. This sharply raises the Speed stat. | ||||
| 0 | Fire Fang | Fire | Physical | 65 |
| The user bites with flame-cloaked fangs. This may also make the target flinch or leave it with a burn. | ||||
| 0 | Retaliate | Normal | Physical | 70 |
| The user gets revenge for a fainted ally. If an ally fainted in the previous turn, this move's power is increased. | ||||
| 0 | Crunch | Dark | Physical | 80 |
| The user crunches up the target with sharp fangs. This may also lower the target's Defense stat. | ||||
| 0 | Take Down | Normal | Physical | 90 |
| A reckless, full-body charge attack for slamming into the target. This also damages the user a little. | ||||
| 0 | Flamethrower | Fire | Special | 90 |
| The target is scorched with an intense blast of fire. This may also leave the target with a burn. | ||||
| 0 | Roar | Normal | Status | 0 |
| The target is scared off, and a different Pokémon is dragged out. In the wild, this ends a battle against a single Pokémon. | ||||
| 0 | Play Rough | Fairy | Physical | 90 |
| The user plays rough with the target and attacks it. This may also lower the target's Attack stat. | ||||
| 0 | Reversal | Fighting | Physical | Variable |
| An all-out attack that becomes more powerful the less HP the user has. | ||||
| 0 | Flare Blitz | Fire | Physical | 120 |
| The user cloaks itself in fire and charges the target. This also damages the user quite a lot. This attack may leave the target with a burn. | ||||
| 0 | Ember | Fire | Special | 40 |
| The target is attacked with small flames. This may also leave the target with a burn. | ||||
| 0 | Leer | Normal | Status | 0 |
| The user gives opposing Pokémon an intimidating leer that lowers the Defense stat. | ||||
| 0 | Howl | Normal | Status | 0 |
| The user howls loudly to raise the spirit of itself and allies. This raises their Attack stats. | ||||
| 0 | Bite | Dark | Physical | 60 |
| The target is bitten with viciously sharp fangs. This may also make the target flinch. |
Arcanine: Pre-evolutions and Evolutions
Arcanine has one pre-evolutions, detailed above: Growlithe.
- To evolve Growlithe into Arcanine, use a Fire Stone on Growlithe. You can find Growlithe on the overworld and in certain Max Raid Battles.
Additional Details About Arcanine
- Many of Arcanine’s early Pokédex entries reference the real world, claiming that Arcanine originated in China. This continued for multiple generations of the games while the games were still set in an alternate version of Earth.
- According to many Pokédex entries, Arcanine has been admired for centuries for its beauty and speed. Arcanine is said to be able to run 6,200 miles in a single day and night.
- The move Extreme Speed debuted as Arcanine’s signature move, and Arcanine was the only Pokémon that could learn it. Eventually, the developers made the move accessible to other Pokémon via level up, move tutors, and egg moves.
Final Words
Arcanine is a powerful and loveable Pokémon that features frequently in the anime, main Pokémon games, and Pokémon spinoffs, and we’re glad that it’s available once again in Pokémon Sword and Shield. Add this “Legendary Pokémon'' to your Pokédex today!
Let’s Go Arcanine!
