How to Get Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres

Overview

Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres are the three Kanto Legendary Birds available in Pokemon Pokopia. Unlike most Pokemon that are obtained through habitats, the Legendary Birds require fully fledged building projects in Palette Town. Each bird has a unique Building Kit that must be collected from a hilltop in Palette Town, then constructed using large quantities of materials and a crew of 15 Pokemon with specific specialties.

Construction takes approximately one in-game day per building, and only one kit can be built at a time due to their size. Plan for at least three consecutive days to build all three structures. Once completed, the bird arrives at its structure and becomes a permanent resident on your island.

All three birds share the Fly specialty, which lets them carry you directly to any Pokemon you are searching for in the Pokedex. Completing the entire trio also unlocks the recipe for the Tidal Bell, which is needed to summon Lugia.

Prerequisites

Unlocking Palette Town

Before you can collect the Building Kits, you need access to Palette Town. To unlock it:

1. Learn Rock Smash in the Withered Wasteland by befriending Hitmonchan (build a Hitmonchan habitat).

2. Break the rock wall west of the Pokemon Center using Rock Smash.

3. Head to the shore and reconstruct the bridge using blocks. Any block type works.

4. Cross the bridge into Palette Town.

Gathering Materials Early

The three structures collectively require a huge stockpile of processed materials. Start gathering and smelting resources well before you plan to build. In particular, Pokemetal (30 total across all three builds) and Copper Ingots (100 total for Zapdos and Moltres) are needed in bulk. Gold Ingots and Lava Rock for Moltres are among the rarest materials, so prioritize farming those from Rocky Ridges and volcanic Dream Islands.

Terrain Preparation

These structures occupy massive footprints. You will likely need to flatten terrain before construction. Use Rollout (learned from Ditto) to level the ground in Palette Town. Eating a Hamburger Steak beforehand provides a buff that makes terraforming faster.

Finding the Building Kits

Palette Town consists of three distinct landmasses, each with a steep hill near the center. One Building Kit blueprint sits at the top of each hill. Climb each hill to collect the blueprints. You may need to use a Fly-specialty Pokemon or the climbing mechanic to reach the summits.

Articuno: Freezing Chambers

The Freezing Chambers is found on the eastern island of Palette Town, at the top of the waterfalls. This ice-themed structure creates a frozen mountain environment where Articuno takes up residence.

Construction Materials

Ice is the trickiest material to gather for this build. The best source is near the Freezing Chambers kit location itself, in the underground mines near the eastern island's waterfalls.

Pokemon Crew (15 Required)

Zapdos: Abandoned Power Plant

The Abandoned Power Plant blueprint is found on the southern island of Palette Town, at the top of the large central mountain. This is the most material-intensive of the three kits, requiring five different material types. However, all of them come from well-established sources, so Zapdos is often considered the easiest bird to build if you have been mining and crafting regularly.

Construction Materials

Pokemon Crew (15 Required)

Moltres: Altar of Flame

The Altar of Flame blueprint is located on the northwestern island of Palette Town. This volcanic-themed shrine is the most resource-intensive build because it requires Gold Ingots and Lava Rock, both of which are rarer than the materials needed for the other two structures.

Construction Materials

Pokemon Crew (15 Required)

Total Material Requirements

Building all three structures requires a significant stockpile of processed materials. The table below shows the combined totals across all three builds.

Construction Process

Once you have the Building Kit blueprint, the required materials, and 15 Pokemon assigned to your construction crew, follow these steps:

1. Select the Building Kit from your inventory and choose a location with enough flat, open space.

2. Assign 15 Pokemon to the construction crew, making sure the required specialties are filled.

3. Confirm the build. Construction begins immediately and completes after approximately one in-game day (the next morning).

4. Once construction finishes, the Legendary Bird arrives at the completed structure and becomes a permanent resident.

You can only build one Legendary Bird structure per day. This means completing all three takes a minimum of three in-game days.

Speeding up Construction with Tinkerton

If you have Tinkerton available, assigning it as the lead builder dramatically reduces the build time from nearly a full in-game day to roughly one hour. Tinkerton's Build specialty is exceptionally strong, making it the best possible choice for the lead builder slot on any of the three projects.

Recommended Build Order

Since you can only build one structure per day, the order matters for resource planning. Here is a suggested approach:

1. Zapdos (Abandoned Power Plant) first if you have been mining and smelting regularly. All five material types come from well-known sources, and you may already have most of what you need.

2. Articuno (Freezing Chambers) second. Stone is abundant and the Ice is conveniently located near the kit pickup point. Crystal Fragments require some mining in Rocky Ridges caves.

3. Moltres (Altar of Flame) last. This gives you the most time to accumulate Gold Ingots and Lava Rock, which are the rarest materials across all three builds.

Alternatively, start with whichever build you already have the materials for. The order does not affect gameplay rewards.

What the Legendary Birds Do

After construction, each bird becomes a permanent resident on your island with the following characteristics:

All three birds have the Fly specialty. When you speak to a Pokemon with Fly while viewing another Pokemon in the Pokedex, the Fly Pokemon carries you directly to that Pokemon's location. Having three birds with Fly gives you multiple fast-travel options across your islands.

Trio Completion Reward: Tidal Bell Recipe

After all three Legendary Birds are living on your island, the Tidal Bell recipe automatically unlocks. The Tidal Bell is a craftable item used to summon Lugia and register it in your Pokedex. Crafting the Tidal Bell requires:

For the full process of summoning Lugia, see the How to Get Lugia and Ho-Oh guide.

Tips

• Start stockpiling Copper Ingots early. You need 100 total across Zapdos and Moltres. Smelt Copper Ore from Rocky Ridges mine or use Clefairy Doll Dream Islands.

• Pokemetal (30 total) is the toughest shared material. Use a Hamburger Steak buff before mining in Sparkling Skylands to increase yields.

• Palette Town has plenty of open space. Build all three structures there to avoid running out of room on your other islands.

• Flatten terrain with Rollout before placing a kit. The structures have large footprints and need level ground.

• Keep the right specialty Pokemon handy. Each build requires one unique specialty (Water for Articuno, Generate for Zapdos, Burn for Moltres). Recruit Pokemon with these specialties in advance.

• Start collecting Silver Feathers before you finish the trio. Lugia begins flying overhead and dropping feathers early in the game, regardless of whether you have the Tidal Bell recipe yet. Gather 5 Silver Feathers ahead of time so you can craft the Tidal Bell immediately after completing the trio.

• Feed Mosslax Dry-flavored food to increase the frequency of legendary flyby events, including Lugia's Silver Feather drops. A Crushed-Berry Salad (Leaf + Chesto Berry on a Chopping Board) is the easiest Dry recipe.