H1 How to Catch Dialga and Palkia in Pokémon Platinum: A Comprehensive Guide H1
Pokémon Platinum, an enhanced version of Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, offers trainers the exciting opportunity to catch the legendary Pokémon Dialga and Palkia. While Dialga and Palkia are version mascots in Diamond and Pearl respectively, Platinum offers both creatures to be caught during the main story, as well as a separate, slightly modified encounter with Dialga or Palkia based on which version is in your possession. This comprehensive guide will walk you through the steps necessary to capture these powerful Pokémon, ensuring you add these titans to your team.
**Prerequisites**
Before embarking on your quest to catch Dialga and Palkia, make sure you’ve met the following conditions:
* **Progress through the main story:** You need to have progressed far enough in the game to have defeated Team Galactic at Lake Acuity, Lake Valor, and have acquired the Icicle Badge.
* **Defeat or capture the Lake Guardians:** Catching or defeating Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf will activate the events leading to Dialga and Palkia’s appearance. While not strictly necessary to catch Dialga or Palkia if you’re opting for the distortion world method, catching at least one is highly recommended, and you’ll have to face them eventually anyway. Having a good team to deal with these Legendaries will help in the final battle.
* **Gather Essential Items:** Preparation is key for any legendary encounter. Stock up on the following:
* **Ultra Balls:** The most reliable Poké Balls for catching high-level Pokémon. Aim for at least 50, but more is always better.
* **Timer Balls:** These balls become more effective the longer a battle lasts. They are incredibly useful if you are having trouble weakening the Pokémon.
* **Dusk Balls:** These work best in dark places, such as caves or at night. Spear Pillar counts, making them a good choice.
* **Healing Items:** Potions, Super Potions, Hyper Potions, and Max Potions to keep your Pokémon healthy during the battle. Revives are also important, as your team may faint frequently.
* **Status Condition Inducing Moves/Pokémon:** Pokémon with moves that inflict status conditions such as sleep (Spore, Hypnosis, Sleep Powder), paralysis (Thunder Wave, Glare), or burn (Will-O-Wisp) will drastically increase your chances of catching Dialga and Palkia. However, avoid moves that poison or badly poison, as these can cause them to faint. Likewise, avoid moves that freeze, as Pokémon will eventually unfreeze.
* **False Swipe/Hold Back:** Moves that always leave at least 1 HP, preventing your opponent from fainting. These moves are essential for maximizing your catch rate. False Swipe is taught to a Pokémon by a man in a house in Oreburgh City after you defeat Roark. Hold Back is an egg move that some Pokémon learn naturally.
* **Prepare your Team:**
* **High-Level Pokémon:** Bring Pokémon around levels 50-60. Dialga and Palkia are tough opponents.
* **Pokémon with Type Advantages:** Dragon-, Ice-, and Fairy-type moves are effective against Dialga, while Dragon- and Fairy-type moves are effective against Palkia. Be aware that Dialga is part Steel-type, granting it resistance to many types.
* **Pokémon with Abilities that prevent fleeing:** Shadow Tag (Wobbuffet), Arena Trap (Trapinch and evolutions), and Mean Look (many Pokémon) can prevent Dialga and Palkia from fleeing the battle. This isn’t a huge issue, as they do not flee from battle like the roaming legendaries.
**Catching Dialga and Palkia During the Main Story**
In Pokémon Platinum, you’ll encounter both Dialga and Palkia at Spear Pillar atop Mount Coronet. Here’s how to get there and what to do:
1. **Ascend Mount Coronet:**
* Start from Celestic Town and enter Mount Coronet from the northern entrance.
* Navigate through the cave system. You’ll need Rock Smash, Strength, Surf, Waterfall, and Rock Climb to proceed through Mount Coronet. Make sure you have Pokémon that know these moves in your party.
* Follow the path, battling or avoiding Team Galactic grunts along the way.
2. **Reach Spear Pillar:**
* Once you reach the summit, you’ll find Cyrus, the leader of Team Galactic, preparing to summon Dialga and Palkia.
* After a series of events involving Cyrus and the Lake Guardians, Dialga and Palkia will appear.
3. **The Double Battle (Giratina’s Intervention):**
* Before you get a chance to battle either legendary individually, Cyrus will try to use the Red Chain to control them. He fails, and the two Pokémon start fighting each other.
* Giratina appears, disrupts the events, and drags Cyrus into the Distortion World.
4. **Entering the Distortion World:**
* After Cyrus disappears, Professor Rowan and Dawn/Lucas will arrive. Professor Rowan will give you advice.
* You must now enter the Distortion World to stop Cyrus and Giratina. Cynthia will join you on this quest.
5. **Navigating the Distortion World:**
* The Distortion World is a bizarre, gravity-defying area. Follow the path, solving puzzles as you go. Cynthia will give you hints on how to traverse this world.
* You will eventually encounter Cyrus again, who will challenge you to a battle.
6. **Battle Cyrus:**
* Defeat Cyrus. His team consists of:
* Level 60 Houndoom
* Level 60 Gyarados
* Level 60 Crobat
* Level 62 Weavile
* Level 63 Honchkrow
* After defeating him, Cyrus’ plans are thwarted, and Giratina appears to challenge you.
7. **Battling and Catching Giratina:**
* Giratina will be at level 47. It is Ghost/Dragon type.
* This is your only chance to catch Giratina in this playthrough. You can technically defeat it and come back later, but it is advised to catch it now.
* Weaken Giratina using type-effective moves or False Swipe/Hold Back.
* Inflict a status condition like sleep or paralysis.
* Use Ultra Balls, Timer Balls, or Dusk Balls to catch Giratina.
8. **Dialga and Palkia Appear**
* After catching or defeating Giratina, you will be transported back to Spear Pillar, where a portal has opened.
* Dialga and Palkia will be standing there, waiting to be battled.
9. **Saving Before the Encounter:**
* **Crucially, save your game** before initiating the battle with Dialga and Palkia. This allows you to reset and retry the encounter if you accidentally defeat them or run out of Poké Balls.
10. **Battling Dialga and Palkia:**
* Dialga and Palkia will both be at level 47.
* You will battle them one after the other. The order is determined by your actions in the Distortion World.
* Dialga is a Dragon/Steel-type. It knows Roar of Time, Metal Claw, Ancient Power, and Slash.
* Palkia is a Water/Dragon-type. It knows Spacial Rend, Aqua Tail, Ancient Power, and Slash.
* Dialga is weak to Fighting and Ground-type moves, and resistant to Normal, Grass, Electric, Poison, Flying, Psychic, Bug, Rock, Steel, Water, and Fire-type moves. Fairy-type moves deal no damage to it.
* Palkia is weak to Dragon- and Fairy-type moves, and resistant to Steel and Fire-type moves.
* Weaken each legendary Pokémon using type-effective moves or False Swipe/Hold Back.
* Inflict a status condition like sleep or paralysis.
* Use Ultra Balls, Timer Balls, or Dusk Balls to catch them. Be patient; it may take several attempts.
**Strategies for Catching Dialga and Palkia**
* **False Swipe/Hold Back:** Use a Pokémon with False Swipe or Hold Back to bring Dialga and Palkia down to 1 HP without knocking them out. This significantly increases your catch rate.
* **Status Conditions:** Paralyzing, putting to sleep, or burning the Pokémon will make them easier to catch. Sleep and Freeze are the most effective, but Freeze is too unreliable. Paralysis is the next best option.
* **Type Advantages:** Use Pokémon with type advantages to quickly weaken Dialga and Palkia, but be careful not to knock them out accidentally.
* **Timer Balls:** If the battle drags on for many turns, Timer Balls become highly effective.
* **Dusk Balls:** Dusk Balls are extremely useful in dark locations like Spear Pillar. Use them as your primary Poké Ball during the encounter.
* **Patience:** Catching legendary Pokémon often requires multiple attempts. Don’t get discouraged if they break out of several Poké Balls in a row. Keep trying, and eventually, you’ll succeed.
**Post-Game Dialga/Palkia Encounter**
After defeating the Elite Four and becoming the Champion, you’ll find another opportunity to catch either Dialga or Palkia, depending on which Pokémon game is in your possession.
1. **Obtain the Adamant Orb/Lustrous Orb:**
* If you have a Diamond version inserted in your DS, visit the elder in Celestic Town. She will give you the Adamant Orb. This will allow you to encounter Dialga again.
* If you have a Pearl version inserted in your DS, visit the elder in Celestic Town. She will give you the Lustrous Orb. This will allow you to encounter Palkia again.
2. **Return to Spear Pillar:**
* Climb Mount Coronet again and return to Spear Pillar.
3. **Examine the Portal:**
* Interact with the portal that Dialga and Palkia emerged from during the main story.
* The legendary Pokémon corresponding to the orb you possess (Dialga with Adamant Orb, Palkia with Lustrous Orb) will appear.
4. **Battle and Catch Dialga/Palkia:**
* The Pokémon will be at Level 70.
* This encounter allows you to catch the legendary Pokémon you didn’t choose during the main story. If you already caught both during the main story, this is an opportunity to obtain a second one.
* Use the same strategies as before: weaken it with False Swipe/Hold Back, inflict a status condition, and use Ultra Balls, Timer Balls, or Dusk Balls.
**Dialga’s Moveset at Level 70:**
* Roar of Time
* Heal Block
* Earth Power
* Aura Sphere
**Palkia’s Moveset at Level 70:**
* Spacial Rend
* Heal Block
* Earth Power
* Aura Sphere
**Tips and Tricks**
* **Synchronize Ability:** If you have a Pokémon with the Synchronize ability (e.g., Abra, Kadabra, Alakazam) in the lead position of your party, there’s a 50% chance that the wild Pokémon will have the same nature as your Synchronize Pokémon. This is useful for getting a Dialga or Palkia with a beneficial nature, such as Modest (increases Special Attack, decreases Attack) or Timid (increases Speed, decreases Attack).
* **Quick Claw/Focus Sash:** Equip your False Swipe/Hold Back user with a Quick Claw or Focus Sash. Quick Claw gives you a chance to move first, which is helpful if you need to get Dialga or Palkia down to 1 HP quickly. Focus Sash guarantees that you’ll survive one hit with 1 HP if you’re at full health, providing a safety net.
* **Soundproof Ability:** Dialga and Palkia both know Roar of Time and Spacial Rend, which are incredibly powerful moves. If you have a Pokémon with the ability Soundproof, it will be immune to Roar. While it will not block Spacial Rend, it can be a useful defensive tool.
* **Abilities to Ignore Moves:** Dialga knows Aura Sphere and Palkia knows Earth Power. These moves cannot be blocked by abilities such as Volt Absorb, Motor Drive, and Lightning Rod.
**Conclusion**
Catching Dialga and Palkia in Pokémon Platinum is a rewarding experience that requires careful planning and execution. By following this comprehensive guide, you’ll be well-prepared to add these legendary Pokémon to your team. Remember to save before the encounter, stock up on essential items, and be patient. Good luck, trainer, and happy catching!