H1Catching Latios in Pokémon Ruby: A Comprehensive Guide
Latios, the Eon Pokémon, is a powerful and elusive Psychic/Dragon-type legendary Pokémon that can add significant strength to your Pokémon Ruby team. Unlike some legendaries that remain stationary, Latios roams the Hoenn region, making it a challenging but rewarding catch. This comprehensive guide will walk you through every step needed to successfully track down and capture Latios in Pokémon Ruby.
**Prerequisites**
Before you even think about hunting Latios, ensure you’ve met these prerequisites:
* **Defeat the Elite Four and Champion:** This is the most important step. Latios will not appear in the wild until you have conquered the Pokémon League.
* **Receive the Eon Ticket:** This is crucial for determining which Eon Pokémon appears in your game. After defeating the Elite Four, go to your home in Littleroot Town. Your mom will talk to you about the news on the TV, and the news reporter on the television will ask you what color the Pokémon in the news report is. If you respond to the television report about the Pokémon in the news report being “red,” then Latias will roam the region. If you respond to the television report about the Pokémon in the news report being “blue,” then Latios will roam the region.
* **Have the PokéNav Plus:** This item is received automatically during your playthrough, but make sure you have it. It’s essential for tracking Latios’s location.
* **Pokémon with Mean Look or Block:** These moves are indispensable for preventing Latios from fleeing the battle. Wobbuffet, with its Shadow Tag ability (which prevents wild Pokémon from fleeing), also works well.
* **High-Level Pokémon:** Latios is level 40, so bring Pokémon of similar or higher levels to avoid fainting easily. Pokémon with good Special Defense are particularly useful, as Latios primarily uses Special attacks.
* **Quick Balls:** These are your best bet for a quick capture at the start of the battle.
* **Ultra Balls:** Stock up on these. You’ll need plenty if the Quick Ball fails.
* **Repels:** Use Repels to minimize encounters with weaker Pokémon, increasing your chances of encountering Latios.
* **False Swipe/Hold Back (Optional):** These moves guarantee that you’ll leave the wild Pokémon with 1 HP, greatly increasing your chances of capturing the Pokémon, without accidentally knocking it out. Scizor is a good option because he can learn False Swipe and has high attack.
**Step-by-Step Guide to Catching Latios**
**Step 1: Preparation is Key**
1. **Assemble Your Team:** Your team should include a Pokémon with Mean Look, Block, or Shadow Tag (like Wobbuffet). A Pokémon with False Swipe or Hold Back is helpful, and high-level Pokémon are necessary for survival. A Pokémon that is immune to psychic attacks, like a dark-type or steel-type pokemon, can also prove invaluable.
2. **Stock Up:** Visit the Poké Mart and purchase a large number of Ultra Balls and Quick Balls. Also, buy plenty of Repels to avoid unnecessary encounters.
3. **Heal Your Pokémon:** Ensure all your Pokémon are fully healed before starting your hunt.
4. **Save Your Game:** Save your game before starting your hunt. This allows you to reset if you accidentally knock out Latios.
**Step 2: Understanding Latios’s Roaming Pattern**
Latios roams randomly throughout Hoenn’s land routes. Each time you enter a new route, Latios’s location is recalculated. This means that simply moving back and forth between two routes won’t guarantee an encounter. There’s a method to strategically manipulate this pattern, which we’ll cover in the next steps.
**Step 3: The ‘Switching Trick’ for Efficient Tracking**
The most effective way to track Latios involves a ‘switching trick’. This method uses a specific route – Route 118, the route east of Mauville City – as your central hub.
1. **Fly to Mauville City:** This is your starting point.
2. **Enter Route 118 (East):** Walk eastward onto Route 118.
3. **Use the PokéNav Plus:** Open your PokéNav Plus and check the ‘Area’ list. Latios’s location will be displayed here. If Latios is on Route 118, great! If not, proceed to the next step.
4. **Fly to Lilycove City:** If Latios is NOT on Route 118, fly to Lilycove City (or any other location far away from Route 118).
5. **Return to Mauville City:** Fly back to Mauville City.
6. **Repeat:** Enter Route 118 again and check the PokéNav Plus. This ‘switching’ between a distant location (Lilycove) and Route 118 forces the game to recalculate Latios’s location, increasing your chances of it appearing on Route 118.
7. **Rinse and Repeat:** Keep repeating steps 4-6 until Latios shows up on Route 118 according to the PokéNav.
**Why This Works**
This method works because flying to a distant location and back reshuffles Latios’s location across the entire Hoenn map. Route 118 is chosen as the hub because it’s relatively small, and the chances of encountering Latios there are higher than on larger routes.
**Step 4: Encountering Latios**
Once Latios is on Route 118 (according to your PokéNav Plus), it’s time to find it within the route. This is where Repels come in handy.
1. **Use Repels:** Activate a Repel to prevent encounters with weaker Pokémon.
2. **Search the Route:** Walk around the grassy areas of Route 118. Latios has a relatively low encounter rate, so be patient.
3. **Be Prepared to Act Quickly:** When Latios appears, the battle will start immediately. Have your Pokémon with Mean Look or Block in the lead position.
**Step 5: The Battle Strategy**
This is the most critical part of the process. A single mistake can cause Latios to flee.
1. **Use Mean Look/Block (Turn 1):** On the very first turn, use Mean Look or Block to prevent Latios from escaping. If you’re using Wobbuffet with Shadow Tag, this ability will automatically prevent Latios from fleeing.
2. **Lower Its HP (Carefully):** If you have a Pokémon with False Swipe or Hold Back, use it to reduce Latios’s HP to 1. Otherwise, use weaker attacks to gradually lower its health without knocking it out. Be extremely careful not to use moves that might cause a critical hit.
3. **Inflict Status Conditions (Optional but Recommended):** Status conditions like Sleep or Paralysis significantly increase your chances of catching Latios. Use moves like Sleep Powder or Thunder Wave if you have them.
4. **Throw Balls:** Start by throwing a Quick Ball on the first turn. If it fails, switch to Ultra Balls. Keep throwing Ultra Balls until you catch Latios or run out.
5. **Don’t Give Up:** Catching Latios can take many tries. Be patient and persistent. If you accidentally knock it out, reset your game and try again.
**Dealing with Latios’s Moveset**
Latios knows the following moves:
* **Psycho Cut:** A Psychic-type move with a high critical hit ratio. Be cautious, as critical hits can quickly knock out your Pokémon.
* **Luster Purge:** A Psychic-type special attack that can lower the target’s Special Defense.
* **Recover:** Latios can heal itself, making it harder to whittle down its health.
* **Protect:** Latios can protect itself from attacks.
**Strategies for Specific Moves:**
* **Psycho Cut:** High Special Defense Pokémon are less affected by this move.
* **Luster Purge:** This move lowers your Pokemon’s special defense. Consider switching pokemon after a hit to mitigate this.
* **Recover:** Be prepared for a potentially lengthy battle. Keep applying pressure with attacks and status conditions.
* **Protect:** This can disrupt your strategy. Try to predict when Latios will use Protect and use that turn to heal or use a status inflicting move.
**Troubleshooting and Common Mistakes**
* **Latios Flees:** If Latios uses Roar before you can use Mean Look or Block, it will escape. This is why speed is crucial. If you’re using Wobbuffet, its Shadow Tag ability prevents Latios from fleeing regardless.
* **Accidental Knockout:** Be extremely careful not to knock out Latios. Use weaker attacks and avoid moves with a high critical hit ratio. If you accidentally knock it out, reset your game.
* **Running Out of Balls:** Bring plenty of Ultra Balls. It’s better to have too many than not enough.
* **Forgetting Repels:** Repels are essential for minimizing encounters with other Pokémon. Always have one active while searching for Latios.
**Pokémon with Useful Abilities/Moves**
Here’s a list of Pokémon that can be particularly helpful in catching Latios:
* **Wobbuffet:** Its Shadow Tag ability prevents Latios from fleeing, making it an excellent choice.
* **Golbat/Crobat:** Can learn Mean Look, is relatively fast, and can use Confuse Ray to further hinder Latios.
* **Scizor:** Can learn False Swipe, has high attack, and is resistant to psychic attacks.
* **Breloom:** Can learn Spore (putting Latios to sleep) and False Swipe.
* **Absol:** A dark-type, meaning it’s immune to psychic attacks. Can also learn Mean Look.
**Alternative Strategies**
While the ‘switching trick’ is the most reliable method, here are a couple of alternative strategies:
* **The Bike Method:** Ride your bike back and forth between two adjacent routes. This can trigger the game to recalculate Latios’s location more frequently. However, it’s less efficient than the switching trick.
* **The ‘Pray and Spray’ Method:** Simply run around random routes, hoping to encounter Latios. This is the least efficient method and relies heavily on luck.
**Post-Capture Tips**
Once you’ve successfully caught Latios, here are a few things to keep in mind:
* **Check Its Nature and IVs:** Latios’s nature and IVs (Individual Values) determine its stats. If you’re serious about competitive battling, you might want to reset and try again for a more desirable nature (e.g., Timid or Modest) and high IVs.
* **Train It:** Latios is a powerful Pokémon with excellent Special Attack and Speed. Train it to take advantage of its strengths.
* **Consider Its Moveset:** Teach Latios powerful moves like Thunderbolt, Ice Beam, and Psychic to cover a wide range of types.
* **Use it on your team** : The most important thing after catching a pokemon is enjoying it, so make sure to use Latios on your team and have fun with it.
**Advanced Techniques**
For those looking to optimize their Latios hunt even further, consider these advanced techniques:
* **Synchronize Ability:** A Pokémon with the Synchronize ability (like Abra or Natu) has a 50% chance of influencing the nature of wild Pokémon encountered. If you want a specific nature, lead with a Synchronize Pokémon that has the desired nature.
* **IV Checking Tools:** Use online IV calculators or tools to get a more precise estimate of Latios’s IVs.
**Conclusion**
Catching Latios in Pokémon Ruby is a test of patience and strategy. By following this comprehensive guide, utilizing the ‘switching trick,’ and preparing your team effectively, you’ll significantly increase your chances of adding this legendary Pokémon to your collection. Remember to save frequently, stay patient, and don’t give up! Good luck, and happy hunting!