Pokémon Legends Z-A: Alpha Pokémon Locations and Catching Guide

Alpha Pokémon are super-sized versions of regular Pokémon that are much more powerful than their standard counterparts. You can easily identify them by a few key characteristics:

• Glowing Red Eyes: Their most menacing feature, signaling their aggressive nature.
• Larger Size: They are significantly larger than others of their species.
• Higher Level: Alphas are always at a much higher level than other Pokémon in the same area, making them a serious threat early in the game.
• Special Moves: They often know powerful moves that they wouldn’t normally learn at their level.
• Aggressive Behavior: Unlike some Pokémon that might ignore you, Alphas will often spot you from a distance and attack on sight.

Catching an Alpha Pokémon adds a formidable ally to your team, as they often have strong stats and make for excellent additions to your party, especially in the early to mid-game.

Tips for Catching Alpha Pokémon

Approaching an Alpha Pokémon requires strategy and preparation. Charging in without a plan will likely lead to your entire team fainting.

1. Use Stealth: Sneak up on the Alpha by using tall grass or smoke bombs. A successful back-strike with a Poké Ball will stun it, giving you a major advantage and a higher catch rate from the start.
2. Exploit Weaknesses: Before engaging, check the Alpha’s typing and prepare a team with strong counters. Hitting it with a super-effective move is the fastest way to lower its health.
3. Inflict Status Conditions: Putting an Alpha to sleep or paralyzing it is one of the most effective strategies. A Pokémon with a status condition is significantly easier to catch. Moves like Hypnosis, Spore, or Thunder Wave are invaluable.
4. Use the Right Poké Balls: Don’t waste your standard Poké Balls. Heavy Balls are effective if you can get close without being spotted. During battle, once the Alpha’s health is in the red, start throwing Great Balls or Ultra Balls.
5. Stay Mobile: The real-time battle system allows you to dodge attacks. Keep moving to avoid taking damage yourself, especially from wide-ranging attacks like Hyper Beam or Solar Beam. Be careful not to stray too far, or the Alpha may disengage and heal itself completely.
6. Don’t Give Up: It is very rare to catch an Alpha on the first try. Be persistent, keep its health low, and continue throwing high-quality Poké Balls.

All Pokémon Legends Z-A Alpha Pokémon Locations

Alpha Pokémon have fixed spawn points throughout Lumiose City and its Wild Zones. Some only appear during the day or at night. If you don’t see one, try resting at a bench or base camp to change the time of day, which will refresh the Pokémon spawns.

Wild Zones 1-10

Wild Zones 11-20

Note on Wild Zone 20: This final zone is a special area beneath the central tower where a large variety of powerful level 63 Alpha Pokémon can be found, including Eeveelutions, starters, and other final-form Pokémon like Gengar, Alakazam, and Machamp.

Lumiose City Sectors & Special Areas

Mission Encounters

Certain Alpha Pokémon are guaranteed encounters during Main and Side Missions.

Can Alpha Pokémon Be Shiny?

Yes, Alpha Pokémon can be shiny in Pokémon Legends: Z-A. However, encountering one is incredibly rare, as it combines the standard shiny odds with the specific Alpha spawn.

• Your chances of finding a shiny Alpha increase with the Shiny Charm.
• Alpha Pokémon encountered as part of a mission (either as a gift or a required catch) are shiny-locked, meaning they can never be shiny.

Finding a shiny Alpha is one of the ultimate achievements for any Pokémon trainer, so keep your eyes peeled and good luck!