Become a DexNav Master: A Comprehensive Guide to Finding Rare Pokémon in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire
The DexNav, short for Pokémon Dex Navigation, is a key feature in Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire that significantly enhances your Pokémon hunting experience. Forget aimlessly wandering through tall grass! The DexNav allows you to locate specific Pokémon in an area, revealing their potential moves, abilities, and even hidden potential! This guide will provide you with a detailed walkthrough on how to effectively use the DexNav, making you a Pokémon catching pro in no time.
What is the DexNav?
The DexNav is a device integrated into your PokéNav Plus, accessible from the touch screen of your Nintendo 3DS. It’s essentially a highly advanced Pokémon search tool. Unlike simply walking through routes and hoping to encounter the Pokémon you want, the DexNav displays a map of the area and highlights spots where Pokémon are hiding. These hiding spots are usually marked by rustling grass or splashing water, depending on the environment. Interacting with these spots will trigger an encounter with a Pokémon. The DexNav’s real power lies in its ability to search for specific Pokémon and gradually reveal more information about them, such as their potential moves, abilities, held items, and even their potential for better stats (referred to as potential). Effectively utilizing this feature will vastly improve your chances of catching rare and powerful Pokémon with desirable qualities.
Unlocking the DexNav
Before you can start your DexNav adventures, you need to unlock it. Fortunately, this is a very early-game event. As you progress through the main storyline, after defeating Team Aqua/Team Magma at Petalburg Woods and helping Mr. Briney, you will arrive in Rustboro City. Upon entering Rustboro City, you will be greeted by Professor Birch’s assistant (May or Brendan, depending on your chosen character). The assistant will upgrade your PokéNav to the PokéNav Plus, which includes the DexNav feature. It’s an automatic upgrade, so you don’t have to do anything special to obtain it. Once you have the PokéNav Plus, you can access the DexNav from the touch screen at any time.
Understanding the DexNav Interface
The DexNav interface displays a map of the current route or area you’re in. Several key elements are displayed on the screen:
* **Area Map:** This is the main visual element, showing the layout of the area, including tall grass, water, and other environmental features.
* **Pokémon Icons:** These icons appear on the map, indicating potential Pokémon hiding spots. The icon will vary depending on the Pokémon species. A question mark icon signifies a Pokémon you haven’t encountered in that area before.
* **Search Button:** This button initiates a search for a specific Pokémon in the area. The button will become available once you encounter at least one Pokémon in that area.
* **Pokémon Information:** After encountering a Pokémon, the DexNav will display its name, level, and a small profile picture. You can tap on this information to view more details.
* **Chain Count:** This number tracks your consecutive encounters with the same Pokémon species. Maintaining a high chain count increases the chances of finding Pokémon with better stats, abilities, and even hidden abilities.
* **Search Level:** As you encounter and catch more Pokémon of a specific species using the DexNav, your search level for that Pokémon increases. A higher search level unlocks more information about the Pokémon and improves your chances of finding Pokémon with better potential.
Using the DexNav: A Step-by-Step Guide
Now that you understand the DexNav interface, let’s walk through the process of using it to find and catch Pokémon:
- **Enter the Area:** Go to the route or area where you want to search for Pokémon.
- **Access the DexNav:** Open the PokéNav Plus from the touch screen of your Nintendo 3DS and select the DexNav icon. The DexNav map will appear.
- **Choose a Pokémon to Search (Initially):** If you haven’t encountered any Pokémon in the area yet, you’ll need to simply walk around in the tall grass (or surf in the water) until you encounter one naturally. Once you’ve battled at least one Pokémon in the area, its icon will appear in the DexNav’s list.
- **Select a Pokémon to Search (Subsequent Searches):** After your initial encounter, tap the “Search” button on the DexNav. A list of Pokémon that can be found in the area will appear. Select the Pokémon you want to find. If the Pokémon is grayed out, it means you haven’t encountered it in that area yet.
- **Move Towards the Hiding Spot:** Once you’ve selected a Pokémon, the DexNav will display an arrow and a distance indicator (in meters) pointing towards the nearest hiding spot of that Pokémon. Start walking (or surfing) in the direction indicated by the arrow. Pay attention to the distance indicator and try to maintain a stealthy approach. Running can scare the Pokémon away.
- **Approach the Hiding Spot Carefully:** As you get closer to the hiding spot, you’ll notice the grass rustling more vigorously (or the water splashing more intensely). Slow down and approach the spot carefully. If you get too close too quickly, the Pokémon might escape, and the search will fail. A red exclamation mark will appear if you spook the Pokemon, failing the search.
- **Engage the Pokémon:** When you’re close enough to the hiding spot, an encounter will trigger automatically. You’ll enter a battle with the Pokémon you were searching for.
- **Catch or Defeat the Pokémon:** Battle the Pokémon as you normally would. You can choose to catch it, defeat it, or run away. Keep in mind that running away or defeating the Pokémon will break your chain (more on chaining later).
- **Repeat the Process:** After the battle, the DexNav will automatically initiate a new search for the same Pokémon (if you caught it or defeated it). Repeat steps 4-8 to continue searching for and catching more Pokémon of that species.
Tips for Successful DexNav Searching
Here are some tips to maximize your DexNav searching efficiency:
* **Stealth is Key:** Walking slowly and cautiously is crucial for avoiding spooking the Pokémon. Avoid running unless absolutely necessary.
* **Avoid Obstacles:** Try to avoid walking through obstacles like fences, trees, or bodies of water while searching. These obstacles can disrupt the Pokémon’s hiding spot and cause it to disappear.
* **Pay Attention to the Environment:** Listen to the sound cues and observe the environment closely. The intensity of the rustling grass or splashing water indicates how close you are to the Pokémon.
* **Use Repels Wisely:** Repels can be helpful for preventing random encounters that might break your chain. However, be mindful of their duration and reapply them as needed.
* **Patience is a Virtue:** Sometimes, it might take several attempts to find a Pokémon with the desired characteristics. Don’t get discouraged and keep searching!
* **Circle Around:** If the arrow starts pointing you in a direction you can’t access (like behind a wall), try circling around the area. The Pokémon might move to a different hiding spot that’s more accessible.
* **Save Before Rare Encounters:** If you find a Pokémon with particularly good stats or a hidden ability, it’s a good idea to save your game before battling it. This way, if you accidentally knock it out or fail to catch it, you can simply reload your save and try again.
Understanding Search Levels and Potential
As you use the DexNav to encounter and catch Pokémon, your search level for each species will increase. A higher search level provides several benefits:
* **Increased Encounter Rate:** The more you search for a particular Pokémon, the easier it becomes to find it again.
* **Unlocking Information:** As your search level increases, the DexNav will reveal more information about the Pokémon, such as its potential moves, abilities (including hidden abilities), and potential IVs (Individual Values).
* **Improved Potential:** A higher search level increases the chances of finding Pokémon with better potential, indicated by the number of stars displayed on the DexNav’s information screen. These stars represent the number of perfect IVs (Individual Values) the Pokémon has. IVs are hidden stats that contribute to a Pokémon’s overall strength, and having more perfect IVs makes a Pokémon significantly more powerful.
**Potential** in the DexNav is represented by stars. These stars indicate how many perfect IVs the Pokemon has. IVs are hidden stats that range from 0-31 in each stat (HP, Attack, Defense, Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed). The higher the IV, the better that stat will be for the Pokemon. A Pokemon with 3 stars has at least 3 perfect IVs (meaning they have a value of 31). IVs are crucial for competitive battling and maximizing a Pokemon’s strength.
The Importance of Chaining
Chaining is a key aspect of the DexNav that greatly increases your chances of finding rare and powerful Pokémon. A chain refers to a consecutive series of encounters with the same Pokémon species using the DexNav. The longer your chain, the higher the likelihood of encountering Pokémon with better stats, abilities, and even hidden abilities.
**How to Maintain a Chain:**
* **Catch or Defeat:** Always catch or defeat the Pokémon you encounter during a DexNav search. Running away will break the chain.
* **Avoid Other Encounters:** Do your best to avoid encountering other Pokémon while searching. Wild encounters that aren’t part of the DexNav search will break the chain.
* **Stay in the Area:** Don’t leave the area you’re searching in. Changing routes or entering buildings will break the chain.
* **Be Quick:** Try to find the next Pokémon in the chain relatively quickly. Waiting too long between encounters can sometimes break the chain.
**Benefits of Chaining:**
* **Increased Shiny Chance:** While not explicitly stated in the game, anecdotal evidence suggests that higher chains increase the chances of finding shiny Pokémon (Pokémon with a different color palette).
* **Better Potential:** As mentioned earlier, higher chains increase the likelihood of finding Pokémon with more stars, indicating better potential.
* **Hidden Abilities:** Chaining significantly increases the chance of encountering Pokémon with their hidden abilities. Hidden abilities are special abilities that are often more powerful or strategically useful than a Pokémon’s regular abilities.
**Chain Breaking:**
Several things can break your DexNav chain:
* **Running Away:** Fleeing from a DexNav encounter immediately breaks the chain.
* **Knocking Out All Pokémon:** If all of your Pokémon faint during a DexNav battle, the chain is broken.
* **Leaving the Area:** Switching to a different route or entering a building resets the chain.
* **Turning off the game:** Closing the game or turning off your system will break the chain.
* **Wild Encounters:** Encountering a wild Pokémon (outside of the DexNav search) can break the chain, but is not guaranteed to break the chain.
* **Failing to Find the Pokemon:** If you repeatedly spook the Pokemon, causing the search to fail, the chain can break.
Specific Scenarios and Tips
**Searching for Water Pokémon:**
Searching for Pokémon in water using the DexNav works similarly to searching on land, but with a few key differences:
* **Use Surf:** You’ll need to use the Surf HM to traverse water routes.
* **Look for Splashing:** Instead of rustling grass, you’ll be looking for splashing water to indicate a Pokémon’s hiding spot.
* **Consider Encounter Rates:** Water routes can sometimes have higher encounter rates than land routes, so be prepared to use Repels to avoid random encounters that might break your chain.
* **Sharpedo and Tentacool:** These Pokémon are notorious for appearing frequently in water routes. If you’re trying to chain a different water Pokémon, be prepared for some persistence.
**Searching in Caves:**
Caves can be challenging environments for DexNav searching due to their limited visibility and often winding paths. Here are some tips for searching in caves:
* **Use Repels:** Caves often have high encounter rates, so Repels are essential for preventing random encounters.
* **Explore Thoroughly:** Make sure to explore every nook and cranny of the cave to find all the potential hiding spots.
* **Be Patient:** Finding specific Pokémon in caves can take time, so be patient and persistent.
**Searching for Pokémon with Specific Abilities or Moves:**
The DexNav allows you to check a Pokémon’s potential abilities and moves before you encounter it. This is incredibly useful for finding Pokémon with specific characteristics that you need for your team or for breeding.
* **Increase Search Level:** As your search level increases, the DexNav will reveal more information about the Pokémon’s potential abilities and moves.
* **Target Hidden Abilities:** Hidden abilities can often make a Pokémon much more powerful. Use the DexNav to specifically search for Pokémon with their hidden abilities.
* **Look for Egg Moves:** The DexNav can also reveal if a Pokémon knows any egg moves (moves that can only be learned through breeding). This is useful for finding Pokémon with specific movesets for competitive battling.
Troubleshooting Common DexNav Problems
* **”The Pokémon couldn’t be found nearby…”**
* This message means that the Pokémon you’re searching for isn’t currently present in the immediate area. Try moving to a different part of the route and initiating another search. It could also mean the time of day affects the Pokemon’s spawn rate.
* **”The Pokémon fled!”**
* This means you spooked the Pokémon by getting too close too quickly or by running. Try approaching the hiding spot more slowly and carefully.
* **The DexNav isn’t showing any Pokémon.**
* Make sure you’re in an area where the Pokémon you’re searching for can be found. Also, ensure that you’ve encountered at least one Pokémon in the area before attempting to use the DexNav.
Advanced DexNav Techniques
* **Forcing Specific Abilities:** While not a guaranteed method, some players believe that repeatedly encountering and defeating a Pokémon without catching it can increase the chances of finding it with a specific ability (including its hidden ability) on subsequent searches. This is a more time-consuming strategy but can be useful for targeting specific abilities.
* **Using the DexNav for Breeding:** The DexNav is an excellent tool for finding Pokémon with good IVs for breeding. By targeting Pokémon with multiple stars, you can significantly improve the quality of your offspring.
* **Shiny Hunting with the DexNav:** While the exact mechanics are debated, many players believe that high chains increase the odds of encountering shiny Pokémon. If you’re a shiny hunter, the DexNav is an invaluable tool.
Conclusion
The DexNav is one of the most powerful and engaging features in Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. By mastering the techniques outlined in this guide, you’ll be able to efficiently locate and catch rare and powerful Pokémon, build a formidable team, and enhance your overall Pokémon experience. So, grab your PokéNav Plus, put on your stealthiest shoes, and start your DexNav adventure today!