This guide will show you how to catch Latias in Pokémon Sapphire, a legendary Pokémon that becomes available after you have completed the main story. Latias can be tough to track down, but with the right Pokémon and items, you can increase your chances of capturing it.
How to find and capture Latias in Pokémon Sapphire
Follow these steps to successfully locate and capture the elusive Latias in your game.
Part 1: Finding Latias
- Defeat the Elite Four. You cannot find Latias until you have defeated them and become the Champion.
- After the credits, go downstairs in your room and watch the television to receive a message about a red flying Pokémon (Latias).
- Gather your supplies. You’ll need plenty of Max Repels to avoid lower-level Pokémon and many Ultra Balls if you’ve already used your Master Ball.
- Select the right Pokémon to lead your party. Latias is very fast and will flee quickly, so you need a Pokémon that can act first and trap it.
- A Level 35-39 Wobbuffet is ideal due to its Shadow Tag ability, which prevents escape.
- A Level 39 Golbat with the Mean Look ability is another good choice to keep Latias from running.
- Consider giving your starting Pokémon a Quick Claw to increase the chance of attacking first.
- Prepare a few Pokémon that can lower Latias’s health without knocking it out. The move False Swipe is excellent for this, as it will not reduce health below 1. This isn’t necessary if you plan to use a Master Ball.
Part 2: Capturing Latias
- Trade with a friend (optional). If a friend has Latias, trading with them even temporarily will add Latias to your Pokédex, allowing you to track its location on the map.
- Find a location that allows quick transitions between tall grass and buildings/areas. A popular spot is the tall grass outside the Safari Zone.
- Use a Max Repel. If your lead Pokémon is Level 39, the Max Repel will prevent encounters with Pokémon Level 39 and lower, increasing your chances of finding Latias (which is Level 40) if it’s in the area.
- Walk through the tall grass until a battle starts. If it’s not Latias, either defeat the Pokémon or flee. If you don’t encounter Latias after 10-20 encounters, it’s likely not in your current area.
- Enter a building and exit again to make Latias move to a new random location.
- Repeat this process until you encounter Latias. You don’t need to move to different areas; just keep resetting Latias’s position until it appears in your vicinity.
- If you have a Master Ball, throw it immediately to capture Latias instantly.
- If you don’t have a Master Ball, use Mean Look to prevent Latias from running, then switch to a Pokémon that can lower its health.
- Once Latias’s health is low, start throwing Ultra Balls. You can increase your capture chances by putting Latias to Sleep or Paralyzing it.
- If Latias escapes, its location will be marked on your map. Latias will not regenerate health between fights. Travel to its marked location and repeat the encounter process until it is captured.
What to do next?
Capturing a legendary Pokémon like Latias is a significant achievement in Pokémon Sapphire, marking you as a true Pokémon Master. With Latias in your party, you can now explore new strategies for battles and further complete your Pokédex.
Consider training Latias to its full potential, experimenting with different move sets and team compositions. You might also turn your attention to finding other rare and legendary Pokémon that become available after completing the main story, further enriching your Pokémon journey.
