Articuno is a tanky Ice/Flying-type Pokemon obtainable on the northwest island of Seafoam Islands, on the fourth basement floor of Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen. This Freeze Pokemon is known for its Defensive Bulkiness, as it has high Defense and Special Defense stats during combat. Together with Zapdos and Moltres, they comprise the legendary bird trio Pokemon in the Kanto region.
This Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen guide covers Articuno’s location in the Kanto area, as well as how to get the legendary bird Pokemon with the best Pokemon available and items. Additionally, detailed instructions are provided on how to catch the Articuno in both its normal and shiny forms.
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How to Find Articuno in Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen
- Articuno only appears on the northwest island of Seafoam Islands, on the fourth basement floor.
- From Fuschia City, use HM Surf to Routes 19 and 20.
- Enter Seafoam Island’s Northern Cave.
- Follow 1F to B4F (with our guide below)
It is critical to complete the Saffron Gym challenge and defeat Sabrina first to ensure Pokemon obedience up to level 70. After receiving the Marsh Badge, travel to Fuschia City and explore the Seafoam Islands. Additionally, players cannot access Seafoam Islands via HM Fly.
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Locate Articuno in Seafoam Islands B4F
- In 1F, head straight north to the icy ridge and descend using the northwest ladder.
- Move from B1F’s west ridge to the center ridge, then go down again using the middle ladder.
- On B2F’s central ridge, move southwest and use the southwest ladder to descend further.
- When players arrive at the B3F central ridge, they’ll notice two holes and some boulders below.
- Go southeast and take the steps to reach the lower south area.
- To shift the seawater flowing from B4F, players must put one rock through the left hole and another into the right hole.
- Begin with the boulder across the east hole and use HM Strength to push it west four times.
- Push the other boulder close to the west hole and drop it quickly.
- Move to the two boulders closest to each other and push the right boulder north twice.
- Push the left boulder once south and four times to the west.
- Move towards the north of the boulder to push it south and into the east hole.
- After dropping the two boulders, return to the icy ridge and take the east steps down to the middle ladder.
- In B4F, take the steps leading to the seawater with no currents. Use HM Surf to reach Articuno’s small island lair.
Players should save their progress before interacting with Articuno.
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How to Prepare for Articuno in Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen
Articuno Overview and Moves
|
Pokemon |
Level |
Pokemon Type |
Pokemon Moves |
Type Weaknesses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Articuno |
Level 50 |
Ice/Flying |
|
|
|
Ability or Move |
Ability or Move Type |
Ability or Move Effect |
|---|---|---|
|
Pressure |
Non-Hidden |
Raises foe’s PP usage. |
|
Mist |
Ice |
The ally party is protected by a mist that prevents stat reductions. |
|
Agility |
Psychic |
The user relaxes and lightens its body to sharply boost its SPEED. |
|
Mind Reader |
Normal |
The user predicts the foe’s action to ensure its next attack hits. |
|
Ice Beam |
Ice |
The foe is struck with an icy beam. It may freeze the foe solid. |
Articuno, when captured, offers a variety of damaging and non-damaging moves at Level 50. They include Snowscape, Ice Beam, Roost, Tailwind, Ancient Power, Agility, Reflect, and Gust.
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Articuno Recommended Pokemon and Moves
|
Pokemon |
Pokemon Type |
Team Role |
Recommended Moves |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Golem |
Rock/Ground |
Weakness Damage, Tanking, and Status Inflict |
|
|
Rhydon |
Ground/Rock |
Weakness Damage, Tanking, and Status Inflict |
|
|
Jolteon |
Electric |
Weakness Damage and Status Inflict |
|
|
Raichu |
Electric |
Weakness Damage and Status Inflict |
|
|
Vileplume |
Grass/Poison |
Chip Damage and Status Lock |
|
|
Victreebel |
Grass/Poison |
Chip Damage and Status Lock |
|
Oddish and its next evolutions, Gloom and Vileplume, are Version Exclusives for the Pokemon FireRed version. LeafGreen players can acquire the Weed Pokemon by local wireless or online trade on the Nintendo Switch.
Articuno Recommended Items
|
Pokemon Item |
Quantity |
Item Effect |
|---|---|---|
|
Ultra Ball |
20 or more |
A very high-grade Ball that offers a higher Pokemon catch rate than a Great Ball. |
|
Max Ether or equivalent |
10 or more |
Fully restores a selected move’s PP for one Pokemon. |
|
Max Repel or equivalent |
10 or more |
Prevents weak wild Pokemon from appearing for 250 steps. |
|
Full Restore or equivalent |
5 or more |
A medicine that fully restores the HP and heals any status problems of one Pokemon. |
|
Max Revive or equivalent |
5 or more |
A medicine that revives a fainted Pokemon, restoring HP fully. |
|
Leftovers |
1 or more |
An item to be held by a Pokemon. The holding Pokemon gradually regains HP during battle. (Recommended for Golem and Rhydon) |
|
Quick Claw |
1 or more |
An item to be held by a Pokemon. A light and sharp claw. The holder may be able to strike first. (Recommended for Jolteon and Vileplume.) |
In preparation for Articuno, players might want to obtain a variety of items. Exploration items, such as Max Repel, aid in limiting encounters with Wild Pokemon when exploring the Seafoam Islands caverns.
Meanwhile, Max Restore and Max Revive ensure that Golem, Jolteon, Vileplume, and other Pokemon can face Articuno in combat at full capacity. Furthermore, Max Ether keeps its vital Pokemon moves available for the remainder of the battle.
Held Items are optional, but are essential strategic items. Leftovers provides sustained HP recovery for Golem or Rhydon, while Quick Claw increases the chance for Jolteon, Raichu, Vileplume, or Victreebel to take their turn first in battle.
Raise Pokemon levels to around 50 or above
Before battling Articuno, players need to level up their Pokemon to around 50 or above. This helps their survival when confronted with the legendary bird Pokemon, particularly when they are taking heavy damage from its Ice Beam attacks.
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How to Capture Articuno in Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen
After players assembled their Pokemon team and prepared their supplies, they can now face Articuno in its lair in Seafoam Islands B4F. To catch Articuno successfully in Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen, follow these steps carefully:
- Save your game before facing Articuno.
- Lower the HP levels of Articuno to red.
- Use Status moves or effects to hinder Articuno.
- Throw Ultra Balls at Articuno until it is captured.
Save Your Game Before Facing Articuno
As previously stated, players should save their progress before engaging with Articuno. Saving before Articuno’s encounter allows players to correct their mistakes, such as having the wrong team setup, missing items, or having a Pokemon faint.
Lower the HP of Articuno to Red
Start the battle with Rhydon or Golem and use Rock-type moves, such as Rock Blast or Rock Slide, to deal significant damage to Articuno.
However, make sure the legendary bird Pokemon is not knocked down. Otherwise, players must reset their game and use a different Pokemon or move instead, like Jolteon’s or Raichu’s Thunderbolt.
Use Status Moves or Effects to Hinder Articuno
While Articuno’s HP bar is near or in the red zone, swap to another Pokemon such as Jolteon, Raichu, Vileplume, or Victreebel. After taking damage from the Freeze Pokemon, utilize Status moves such as Thunder Wave, Poison Powder, Toxic, Stun Spore, or Sleep Powder to impair it out of combat. Having Articuno under Status effects makes it easier to catch in battle.
Inflicting Articuno with Paralysis or Sleep is the safest way to capture it in battle since it will not deal damage over time.
Throw Ultra Balls at Articuno Until it is Captured
While Articuno is under status effects, try to catch it using Ultra Balls exclusively. Ultra Balls are acquired by picking them up in various Kanto locations or by purchasing from select Poke Mart branches such as Fuschia City, Cinnabar Island, Indigo Plateau, and Sevii Islands.
Keep the legendary bird Pokemon paralyzed or asleep before using another Ultra Ball. Attempting to catch the Freeze Pokemon on the tenth attempt will most likely be successful.
Although it is possible, players should refrain from utilizing the Master Ball on Articuno. Reserve it for Mewtwo instead.
How to Hunt Shiny Articuno in Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen
Similar to Zapdos and Moltres, Articuno is not shiny locked in Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen. To catch the shiny form of the Freeze Pokemon, carefully perform these steps:
- Save your progress at Articuno’s lair at Seafoam Islands B4F.
- Begin the battle with Articuno to determine whether it is shiny or not.
- If not, perform a Soft Reset by pressing A, B, X, and Y at the same time to go back to the title screen.
- Reload your saved file and attempt to capture Shiny Articuno again.
Since the Shiny Charm is not yet implemented in Generation 3, players can only acquire Shiny Articuno by a random encounter in battle.
- Released
-
September 7, 2004
- ESRB
-
Everyone 10+ / Mild Fantasy Violence, Simulated Gambling
- Multiplayer
-
Online Multiplayer
