How to befriend Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres

The three legendary Kanto birds each require a dedicated build project before they will come to your island. This guide walks you through getting the kits, gathering the materials, and what to expect once all three are home.

Get the three build kits

Each legendary bird has its own kit that unlocks a shrine you can construct.

The Abandoned Power Plant Kit (Zapdos) is a standard purchase from the Pokémon Center PC shop in Palette Town.

The Freezing Chambers Kit (Articuno) and the Altar of Flame Kit (Moltres) are not sold in any shop. You collect them as pickups from two islands near Palette Town. Explore the area and check each island before assuming you are missing them.

Once you have all three kits, their build projects become available.

Stockpile Pokémetal first

All three shrines require Pokémetal. Farm this material until you have at least 30 units in reserve before you begin any construction.

Mine Pokémetal Fragments from the caves in Rocky Ridges or the mines in Withered Wasteland. Take them to a Smelting Furnace and assign a Pokémon with Burn Specialty to convert the fragments into ingots. The Sparkling Skylands and the Sky Dream Island (reached with a Dragonite Doll) are also good sources once you have unlocked them.

Gather each shrine's materials

Use your Shopping List in Pokopia Companion to track what you still need across all three projects at once.

Freezing Chambers (Articuno)

• 50 Stone
• 50 Ice
• 10 Crystal Fragments
• 10 Pokémetal

Abandoned Power Plant (Zapdos)

• 50 Copper Ingots
• 50 Iron Ingots
• 50 Sea Glass Fragments
• 50 Bricks
• 10 Pokémetal

Altar of Flame (Moltres)

• 50 Copper Ingots
• 50 Gold Ingots
• 50 Lava Rock
• 10 Pokémetal

Build the shrines

Each shrine requires 15 Pokémon helpers and takes roughly one full in-game day to finish. Assign your highest-Build Specialty Pokémon to the crew before you start.

These are large structures. Clear a flat, open area before you place each build. Finding out mid-construction that a tree or rock is in the way costs time.

After a shrine finishes, give it one full in-game day before visiting. The corresponding legendary bird will appear then.