Latios, the Eon Pokémon, is a legendary creature that trainers can encounter in Pokémon Emerald. Unlike some other legendary Pokémon, Latios isn’t found in a fixed location; instead, it roams the Hoenn region after a specific event. This guide will provide you with a detailed, step-by-step process on how to find and catch Latios in Pokémon Emerald. Prepare for a test of patience and skill!
Prerequisites
Before you begin your Latios hunt, ensure you’ve met the following requirements:
- Beat the Elite Four and Champion Wallace: This is the primary condition to unlock post-game events, including the Latios encounter.
- Received the National Pokédex from Professor Birch: After defeating the Elite Four, visit Professor Birch in Littleroot Town. He’ll upgrade your Pokédex to the National Dex, allowing you to register Pokémon from other regions.
- Picked a Color (Red or Blue) from Mom after the TV Event: This choice dictates which Eon Pokemon you will encounter. More on this later.
- Have Pokémon that know Mean Look or Block (optional but highly recommended): These moves prevent Latios from fleeing, making it much easier to catch. Wobbuffet (Shadow Tag ability), can also be used.
- Have Pokémon with high Speed: A fast Pokémon can outspeed Latios, allowing you to use Mean Look or Block before it flees.
- Have a Pokémon with the ability Arena Trap (optional but helpful): Dugtrio or Trapinch with Arena Trap prevents Latios from fleeing in battle.
- Lots of Ultra Balls or Timer Balls: Catching Latios can be challenging, so stock up on Poké Balls.
- A Repel (optional but recommended): This will help with encounter rate, especially if you are using a Pokemon with Arena Trap or Shadow Tag.
Step-by-Step Guide to Encountering Latios
1. Defeat the Elite Four and Champion
Your journey begins with conquering the Pokémon League. The Elite Four consists of Sidney (Dark-type), Phoebe (Ghost-type), Glacia (Ice-type), and Drake (Dragon-type). After defeating them, you’ll face Champion Wallace, who uses a Water-type team. Prepare accordingly with Electric, Grass, Dragon, Fighting, and other type advantages to ensure victory.
2. Obtain the National Pokédex
After becoming the Champion, return to Littleroot Town and visit Professor Birch in his lab. He will congratulate you and upgrade your Pokédex to the National Dex. This is a crucial step as it unlocks the event that triggers Latios to roam.
3. Trigger the TV Event and Pick the Color
After getting the National Dex, return to your home in Littleroot Town. Go upstairs to talk to your mom. She will mention watching TV and ask you about a Pokémon shown on the news. She’ll describe a Pokémon and ask you to identify its color. This choice is crucial:
- If you say the Pokémon was red, you will encounter Latias roaming Hoenn.
- If you say the Pokémon was blue, you will encounter Latios roaming Hoenn.
Make sure to select “blue” if you are after Latios! This choice is permanent for your save file, so be absolutely certain before answering.
4. Preparing Your Team
Before actively hunting for Latios, assemble a team that will increase your chances of a successful encounter and capture.
Pokémon with Mean Look/Block or Shadow Tag
These moves are essential to prevent Latios from fleeing the battle on its first turn. Pokémon that learn Mean Look include:
- Golbat/Crobat: They are relatively easy to obtain early in the game and can learn Mean Look via leveling up. Crobat has the added benefit of high speed.
- Haunter/Gengar: These Ghost-types also learn Mean Look and have decent Speed. Gengar requires trading to evolve.
- Umbreon: Eevee can evolve into Umbreon with high friendship during the night.
Wobbuffet’s Shadow Tag ability also prevents fleeing.
Pokémon with Arena Trap
Dugtrio or Trapinch (evolving into Vibrava and then Flygon) with the Arena Trap ability can also be used to prevent Latios from fleeing. If you lead with a Pokemon with Arena Trap you may have to switch out to a Pokemon with Mean Look/Block or Shadow Tag.
Fast Pokémon
A Pokémon with high Speed is crucial to ensure you can use Mean Look or Block before Latios flees. Some good options include:
- Crobat: As mentioned earlier, Crobat has excellent Speed and can learn Mean Look.
- Electrode: Electrode is one of the fastest Pokémon in the game.
- Sceptile: The final evolution of Treecko has a good speed stat.
- Swellow: A good early game choice with high speed.
False Swipe/Hold Back User (Optional)
A Pokémon that can use False Swipe or Hold Back, which leave the opponent with 1 HP, can make catching Latios easier. These moves are not available in Emerald. Instead consider using moves that are less likely to knock out Latios in one hit.
Example Team Composition:
- Lead: Crobat (Mean Look, high Speed)
- Second: Wobbuffet (Shadow Tag)
- Third: Breloom (Spore, False Swipe alternative)
- Remaining Slots: Pokémon with type advantages for training.
5. The Roaming Phase: Tracking Latios
Once you’ve chosen the blue color and prepared your team, Latios will begin roaming the Hoenn region. Roaming Pokémon move to a different route each time you change locations (entering a building, flying, or moving from one route to another). This makes finding them a test of patience.
Understanding Roaming Mechanics
- Location Changes: Roaming Pokémon change locations every time you move to a different route or enter/exit a building or cave.
- Route Selection: Latios can appear on any route on land. Water routes and inside locations are not possible spawning locations.
- Pokédex Tracking: The Pokédex is your primary tool for tracking Latios. Once you’ve encountered Latios at least once, its location will be displayed in the Pokédex map feature. This greatly reduces the amount of time you spend searching.
Strategies for Efficient Tracking
- Fly Between Locations: Use Fly to quickly move between towns or locations. This forces Latios to relocate, increasing your chances of it appearing on a nearby route.
- Use the Pokédex: Open your Pokédex and check the location of Latios. Fly to a town adjacent to its location. Then, move back and forth between routes until you encounter it.
- Strategic Route Movement: If the Pokédex shows Latios on a route near a town, walk in and out of the town to force location changes until it appears on that route.
- Use Repels: Use repels with a high-level Pokemon in the lead slot of your party to minimize random encounters, making it easier to find Latios.
Example Tracking Scenario:
Let’s say the Pokédex shows Latios is on Route 110 (north of Lilycove City). Here’s how you could proceed:
- Fly to Lilycove City.
- Exit Lilycove City onto Route 110.
- If you don’t encounter Latios, re-enter Lilycove City.
- Repeat steps 2 and 3 until you encounter Latios on Route 110.
6. The Encounter
When you finally encounter Latios, the battle begins! This is where your preparation pays off.
Turn 1: Preventing Escape
As soon as the battle starts, use Mean Look or Block with your lead Pokémon (e.g., Crobat) or let Wobbuffet switch in to use Shadow Tag. This prevents Latios from fleeing. If your Pokémon is slower and Latios uses Roar first, you will be forced to switch out and the battle will end, so make sure you are faster or use Wobbuffet.
Reducing Latios’ HP
After preventing escape, carefully reduce Latios’ HP. Avoid using moves that might knock it out in one hit. If you have a Pokémon with False Swipe (not obtainable in Emerald without trading) or Hold Back (not obtainable in Emerald), use it to bring Latios down to 1 HP. Otherwise, use weaker attacks or status-inducing moves.
Status Conditions
Inflicting a status condition on Latios can significantly increase your chances of catching it. The best status conditions are:
- Sleep: Increases the catch rate substantially. Use Spore (Breloom).
- Paralysis: Moderately increases the catch rate and slows down Latios.
- Freeze: Similar to sleep, but freezing is rare and unreliable.
Avoid poison and burn, as these can eventually cause Latios to faint.
7. Catching Latios
With Latios at low HP and possibly afflicted with a status condition, it’s time to start throwing Poké Balls. Ultra Balls are the most common choice due to their relatively high catch rate. Timer Balls become more effective the longer the battle lasts, so use them if the battle has been going on for several turns.
Tips for Catching
- Be Patient: Catching Latios can take many attempts. Don’t get discouraged if it breaks out of multiple Poké Balls.
- Use Timer Balls: If the battle lasts longer than 10 turns, Timer Balls become more effective than Ultra Balls.
- Status Conditions: Make sure Latios has a status effect to increase the catch rate.
- Consider Critical Captures: While rare, a critical capture instantly catches the Pokémon.
8. What to do if Latios Faints or Flees
If Latios faints or you accidentally defeat it, or if it manages to flee despite your best efforts, don’t worry. You can reset the encounter.
Resetting the Encounter
- Defeating/Fainting Latios: If you accidentally defeat Latios or it faints, you can re-trigger it by defeating the Elite Four again. After defeating the Elite Four, simply check the TV at your home again. Your Mom will ask about the Pokemon. The game will remember which color you originally chose, and Latios will start roaming again.
- If Latios flees and you did not save: You can just continue hunting from where you left off.
Alternative Strategies and Considerations
Using Master Ball
The Master Ball guarantees a successful capture, but it is a one-time-use item. If you choose to use your Master Ball on Latios, you can skip the entire process of weakening and using other Poké Balls. However, consider saving it for another Pokémon that is harder to catch or shiny hunting purposes.
Shiny Hunting Latios
Shiny hunting Latios in Emerald is possible, but it requires patience and understanding of how shiny Pokémon are generated. A Pokémon’s shininess is determined when the battle starts. To shiny hunt Latios, follow these steps:
- Save the Game: Save the game before encountering Latios for the first time. If Latios is not shiny, reset the game.
- Start the Encounter: Initiate the battle with Latios.
- Check for Shininess: If Latios is not shiny, reset the game and try again.
- Repeat: Repeat steps 2 and 3 until a shiny Latios appears.
Note that due to the way Emerald’s RNG (Random Number Generator) works, some players find it difficult or impossible to encounter shiny Pokémon without addressing the “RNG problem.” This is a complex topic beyond the scope of this guide, but resources are available online for those interested in learning more.
Additional Tips
- Patience is Key: Finding and catching Latios requires significant patience. Don’t get discouraged by initial failures.
- Save Frequently: Save your game frequently to avoid losing progress.
- Use Resources: Utilize online resources, such as forums and guides, for additional tips and strategies.
- Enjoy the Hunt: Enjoy the challenge of tracking and catching this legendary Pokémon!
Catching Latios in Pokémon Emerald is a challenging but rewarding experience. By following this comprehensive guide, you’ll be well-equipped to track down and capture this elusive Eon Pokémon. Good luck, and happy hunting!