Trade evolution has been a part of the Pokemon series since Pokemon Red/Blue. With the second generation, a new component was added to trade evolution. Some Pokemon that can only evolve through trade also had to be holding a special item before they were exchanged between two players. For Pokemon like Kadabra and Machoke, Pokemon Legends: Arceus has made it possible to evolve without having to trade.
Machop would evolve into Machoke once it reached level 28. However, Machoke could not evolve into Machamp simply through leveling. Before players could find Machamp in Pokemon Sword/Shield's Wild Area, the only way of getting Machamp was by trading Machoke. This evolution method was difficult and impossible for those who played offline. In Pokemon Legends: Arceus, Machoke now evolves when it's given an item called a Linking Cord.
Updated May 23, 2022, by Renri Seong: Machoke is a pure Fighting-type Pokemon that's part of a three-stage evolution family. Unlike most Pokemon, however, Machoke doesn't evolve by leveling up. Before Pokemon Legends: Arceus, players had to trade their Machoke with another person to initiate its evolution. However, evolving Machoke in Pokemon Legends: Arceus is quite a bit easier thanks to a special evolution item, making it possible for players to evolve Machoke into Machamp without it ever having to leave the party. Those desperate to get their hands on a Machoke can simply catch it in the wild, but there are other ways to go about obtaining a Machoke and its evolved form. The following guide has been updated to include additional information about the Machoke evolution in Pokemon Legends: Arceus.
Where to Catch Machoke
Machoke can be found in various areas of Hisui (refer to the above image). However, it may be easier to catch the one in the Cobalt Coastlands at Castaway Shore. Once players have quelled Noble Liligant of the Crimson Mirelands, they'll go to Cobalt Coastlands next. Machoke can be found wandering Castaway Shore along with Machop.
There's also a chance of encountering an Alpha Machoke. Remember to be consistent in getting higher Star Ranks at the Galaxy Team. If players aren't at a rank where level 30-40 and above Pokemon will obey them, they won't be able to catch Machoke.
If players can't find Machoke, they can reset the time by sleeping at a nearby camp or going to Jubilife Village then returning to Cobalt Coastlands. While it may be tempting to use a Linking Cord on Machoke right away, players may want to max out its Research Level first.
In Castaway Shore is an NPC called Bosley, who will give Request 56: Getting Help from Machoke. Bosley wants to see Machoke's completed Pokedex entry, and he'll give Grit Gravel (x3) and Aux Powerguard (x1) as a reward. Alternatively, trainers could evolve their Machoke and catch/defeat the other ones found in the wild.
How to Evolve Machoke
The Linking Cord is an obvious callback to the original way of trading Pokemon with the GameBoy. In Pokemon Legends: Arceus, it functions similarly to evolution stones. Simply go into the Satchel, click on the Linking Cord, and drag it over to Machoke to evolve.
There are three different ways of getting a Linking Cord:
- Defeat/Catch Machoke in space-time distortions. Pokemon in distortions will drop rare items upon being defeated or captured.
- Buy a Linking Cord for 1000 Merit Points at the Trading Post near the Galaxy Hall. The Ginko Guild may also have the Linking Cord on sale, but items at the Ginko Guild are randomized daily.
- Complete Requests. Some Requests will give evolution items as rewards. Request 64: Getting to Know Ghosts will reward trainers a Linking Cord for completing Ghastly's Pokedex entry.
It's worth noting that if players don't want to spend MP or Pokedollars on a Linking Cord to evolve Machoke, trading with a friend online will still evolve it, even without holding an item.
Evolving Machoke & Catching Machamp
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Both Machoke and its pre-evolved form, Machop can be caught in the Obsidian Fieldlands, the first area of Hisui. Once players have started Mission 5 and gain access to the rest of the Fieldlands, they can go to the Oreburrow Tunnel and find Machop. On the other side of the Oreburrow Tunnel is the Obsidian Falls, where players can find Machop and Machoke.
Depending on the player's Star Rank, Machoke may be too high a level for players to catch in the beginning. Thus, the other way to get Machoke early on is by catching a Machop. Unlike Machoke, who does not need to be at a certain level to evolve into Machamp, Machop evolves at level 28. Players can hasten the level-up process by feeding it Rare/Exp Candies, or by keeping it in the party when fighting stronger Pokemon. Using Machop to gather materials such as berries or apricorns gives it some EXP too.
Those that want to avoid catching Machoke entirely and just go straight for Machamp, will need to wait until they unlock the Alabaster Icelands. On the path leading up to the Icepeak Arena, there's a level 70 Alpha Machamp. Players will need to be at Rank 6 in order to catch this Machamp. If players really want an Alpha Machamp early on, they'll have better luck evolving the Alpha Machoke (level 40) that can be found in the Cobalt Coastlands instead.
Lastly, Machoke has a chance of appearing in space-time distortions. At the beginning of Pokemon Legends: Arceus, it may be too powerful to try and catch. However, catching Pokemon in space-time distortions rewards bonus money when reporting back to Laventon, so players should aim to do so whenever the opportunity to do so presents itself.
Pokemon Legends: Arceus is available now on Nintendo Switch.