Goal and guidelines
The goal of this guide is to help anyone complete a Living Pokédex in Pokémon Emerald. As Gen 3 covers 7 games and can be approached in multiple ways, here are the directions followed when writing it:
- The Gen 3 guide, more than the Gen 1 and 2 ones, is meant to be used as a template, not a step-by-step walkthrough. A lot of decisions are influenced by my personal preferences, such as avoiding catching every Pokémon in XD: Gale of Darkness. But modifying it to fit each player's own playstyle is hugely encouraged. The Pokémon info page is here to help in adapting the guide.
- Obtaining Pokémon in Emerald is usually preferred in order to limit the time spent trading, catching fodder and purifying Pokémon, although other games are still chosen when they are more efficient.
- Access to in-game events is assumed whenever the Pokémon would be unavailable otherwise.
- As two advanced playthroughs are necessary to obtain both DeepSea items, the second savefile, required to be either Ruby or Sapphire for the Colosseum Bonus Disc, can be used to take advantage of the EXP boost for evolutions. This guide chooses Sapphire for capture convenience, but Ruby could be used with very few changes.
- LeafGreen is chosen over FireRed as it is the only version to have access to Slowpoke, making it mandatory.
Additional information
For the smoothest experience possible, here are some extra details on how to read and use the Living Pokédex guide:
- The Pokémon within each area are ordered by rarity (and floor whenever relevant). It is advised to focus on the rare Pokémon first. The areas themselves are loosely organized in the order they are encountered.
- Trading from FireRed or LeafGreen to a non-remake game requires completing the Sevii Island questline, itself available after catching 60 Pokémon in order to unlock the National Pokédex.
- More information about Gen 3 and general tips are available on the extra info page, such as ways to obtain the elusive Celebi. A bit of extra knowledge can shorten playtime significantly and make the experience much more enjoyable.
- This checklist and the Pokédex tracker are linked. If a Pokémon is caught in one page, the other page should be refreshed to show the change.
- The Gen 3 Living Dex is a tough and lengthy challenge, but you can do it! Good luck!