How To Catch All Legendary Pokemon In Pokemon Legends: Z-A – Zygarde, Xerneas, And Yveltal Locations

Are you excited to catch all the legendary Pokemon in Pokemon Legends: Z-A? There are three of these magnificent creatures in Lumiose City: Xerneas, Yveltal, and Zygarde. Of course, taking them on is no easy feat, as you truly need to prove your skills as a trainer. We’ve got all the details for you in our guide, but be forewarned that there are major spoilers, too.

To be clear, the legendary Pokemon Zygarde does show up several times throughout the campaign. However, you can only catch it, as well as Xerneas and Yveltal, after completing the main story. Here’s a quick summary:

• After beating the campaign, you wake up at Hotel Z. Chat with your buddies and other NPCs to learn that the Infinite Z-A Royale is underway. This event basically allows you to continue earning tickets from the Battle Zone, leading to a face-off against a rival trainer.
• Go earn your tickets and defeat your first opponent. Surprisingly enough, it’s good ol’ Zach the Driver, the fella that you faced when you were still Rank Z. Oh, and he still has low-level creatures like Pidgey and Pikachu.
• After trouncing your foe, claim your reward from Quasartico Inc. and return to Hotel Z. You’re then told about two mythical beasts known as “The One that Gives” and “The One that Takes.” These unlock two main quest arcs.

The One that Gives: Part 1 – Alpha Pokemon

You can tackle either of the two quests to get a legendary Pokemon in Pokemon Legends: Z-A. That said, we opted to prioritize “The One that Takes.” Initially, you just need to talk to Mable at the Pokemon Research Center. She’ll tell you that Alpha Pokemon have appeared in Wild Zones 3, 5, and 9.

• Wild Zone 3: Steelix (level 70)
• Wild Zone 5: Gallade (level 70)
• Wild Zone 9: Pangoro (level 70)

Note: As mentioned in our Pokedex guide, some of these creatures are harder to acquire compared to others. For instance, you need to equip an Onix with a Metal Coat, and you also have to trade it away just to evolve it into a Steelix. As such, you’re better off using Ultra Balls to capture these opponents after beating them in combat. They’re also Alpha variants, which means they’re larger and have at least one move that’s not normally learned by their species when leveling up.

The One that Gives: Part 2 – Xerneas battle

After eliminating the three Alpha pokemon, it’s time to get your first legendary. To catch Xerneas in Pokemon Legends: Z-A, you need to go to Wild Zone 11. There’s a glowing marker at the other side of the river, so approach it to make the level 75 Xerneas spawn.

Xerneas is a Fairy-type combatant, which means it’s weak against Poison and Steel. For the most part, it will buff itself using Geomancy. It also has a lifesteal ability known as Horn Leech, and a high-damage move called Megahorn.

Note: Once Xerneas has been incapacitated, you need to catch it. If you fail in the attempt, you have no choice but to redo the encounter.

The One that Takes: Part 2 – Mega Evolutions

The other main quest arc leads you to Grisham and Griselle, former members of Team Flare. They’ll accompany you to Quasartico Inc. to chat with Vinnie. He’s got a machine that allows you to fight some familiar foes. They’re none other than the Mega Evolved versions of Victreebell, Hawlucha, and Tyranitar. We’ve discussed these opponents in our Mega Evolutions guide, but here are a few tidbits:

• Mega Victreebell (level 70) – Weak against Fire abilities. Its ultimate causes an eruption of gooey blobs, with poison pools that linger on the ground.
• Mega Hawlucha (level 70) – Weak against Psychic and Fairy abilities. It will charge its power for several seconds, before performing a dive-bomb attack in the center of the arena. You can make it flinch to cancel the charge-up animation, but it will still its dive-bomb plunge.
• Mega Tyranitar (level 70) – Weak against Water and Grass. It will send out spiky tremors that travel along the ground. Dismiss your Pokemon so it doesn’t get hit, and keep running sideways to avoid the stalagmites.

Note: Unlike the Rogue Mega Evolution bouts in the campaign, you don’t have any allies assisting you here. Also, if your character takes too many hits and blacks out during an encounter, you’d have to restart the battle.

The One that Takes: Part 2 – Yveltal battle

It’s time to catch another legendary Pokemon in Pokemon Legends: Z-A. Your next target is Yveltal, who spawns on the rooftop of Galerie de la Lune, the fashion outlets/shops in the northern part of the city.

Yveltal is a Dark/Flying type, making it weak against various elements, including Electric and Ice. However, we recommend bringing a strong Fairy-type creature, such as Clefable, to take it on. Offensive abilities like Moonblast and Dazzling Gleam, combined with the heals from the Moonlight spell, should make this encounter a breeze.

Note: Similar to Xerneas, you need to catch Yveltal at the end of the battle. Otherwise, you’ll have to fight it again.

To Keep the World in Balance: Part 1 – L trainer battle

After capturing both Xerneas and Yveltal, no additional quest marker will appear. But, if you return to Hotel Z, you’ll suddenly be approached by Lysandre, also known as L. You have to face him and his squad of Pokemon, too.

• Pyroar (level 78) – Normal/Fire
• Florges (level 78) – Fairy
• Sableye (level 78) – Dark/Ghost
• Garbodor (level 78) – Poison
• Noivern (level 78) – Flying/Dragon
• Mega Gyarados (level 80) – Water/Dark

To Keep the World in Balance: Part 2 – Zygarde battle

With Lysandre defeated, you’ll have an opportunity to challenge Zygarde in Pokemon Legends: Z-A. Go to Wild Zone 20 and find it in the middle of the area. Make sure you’re well prepared because this upcoming battle has multiple phases. Here’s what you need to know:

• Zygarde is a level 84 Dragon/Ground-type Pokemon. It’s slightly weak against Dragon and Fairy moves, but it’s also highly susceptible against Ice damage.
• Your best bets are Charizard with the Mega Evolution X keystone (Fire/Dragon), the aforementioned Yveltal (Dark/Flying), or Clefable (Fairy).
• Zygarde “locks” your active Pokemon. You won’t be able to switch it out unless it gets incapacitated.
• First phase: Zygarde will be at 10% power–i.e. dog form. It will mostly around the arena while casting Thousand Arrows.
• Second phase: Zygarde will be at 50% power–i.e. serpent form. It will often use Rock Slide, Crunch, and Dragon Pulse. If your Pokemon has abilities that make it automatically move–i.e. Fly, Megahorn, and the like–then they can deftly avoid Dragon Pulse. Also, when Zygarde charges its ultimate, Land’s Wrath, be ready to run away from it.

To Keep the World in Balance: Part 3 – Zygarde Mega Evolution and combat mechanics

The fight might be long and arduous but, if you do everything right, you should be able to catch a Zygarde in Pokemon Legends: Z-A. This creature has fairly unique combat mechanics, too:

• Note that the Zygardite keystone should be in your inventory since it’s a reward from the campaign’s finale. Make sure Zygarde has it equipped so it can undergo its Mega Evolution.
• Lysandre will give you the Zygarde Cube. This allows you to freely switch between Zygarde’s 10% form and 50% form during a battle.
• When Zygarde’s HP drops below 50%, it will change to its 100% Complete Form. You can only activate Zygarde’s Mega Evolution while it’s in this form.
• Zygarde’s Complete Form grants boosted stats, and the Core Enforcer ability also changes to Nihil Light.

That does it for our guide on how to catch all legendary Pokemon in Pokemon Legends: Z-A. We hope you enjoy using Zygarde, Xerneas, and Yveltal in more battles ahead. In any case, since we’ve mentioned the gameplay mechanic a few times already, you might want to check our Mega Evolutions guide.