Complete Guide to Catching All Legendary Pokémon in Pokémon Sun and Moon

Legendary Pokémon are some of the most powerful and sought-after creatures in Pokémon Sun and Moon. While each game has its own exclusive Legendary, many others can be found in both versions. This guide will help you locate and capture all the Legendary Pokémon in Alola, including tips to make the process easier.

Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed locations and methods for catching Legendary Pokémon. If you’d rather discover them on your own, proceed with caution.

Tips for Catching Legendary Pokémon

1. Save Before Every Encounter – You don’t want to accidentally knock them out!
2. Stock Up on the Right Poké Balls –
   • Ultra Balls work well in most cases.
   • Dusk Balls are great for nighttime or cave battles.
   • Timer Balls are useful if the battle lasts long.
3. Use False Swipe & Status Effects – The best strategy is to lower their HP without knocking them out and inflict Sleep or Paralysis for easier capture.
4. Check Time-Based Pokémon – Some Pokémon, like Cosmog, require visiting locations at specific times of day.
5. Bring Pokémon with Catch-Boosting Abilities –
   • Smeargle (with False Swipe and Spore) is great for catching.
   • A Pokémon with the ability Shadow Tag (like Wobbuffet) prevents certain Pokémon from fleeing.

Version-Exclusive Legendary Pokémon

Each game features a main Legendary Pokémon tied to the story. These are:

Solgaleo (Pokémon Sun Exclusive)

• Location: Altar of the Sunne (automatically encountered in the story)
• Type: Psychic/Steel
• Capture Tips:
  • Save your game before the battle.
  • Use False Swipe to reduce its HP to 1 without fainting it.
  • Inflict Sleep or Paralysis to improve the catch rate.
  • Stock up on Ultra Balls, Dusk Balls (if at night), or Timer Balls if the battle lasts long.

Lunala (Pokémon Moon Exclusive)

• Location: Altar of the Moone (automatically encountered in the story)
• Type: Psychic/Ghost
• Capture Tips:
  • Follow the same strategy as Solgaleo: save before battle, lower HP, inflict status, and use the best Poké Balls for the situation.

Cosmog: The Pre-Evolutionary Legendary

• Location: Lake of the Sunne (Pokémon Moon) or Lake of the Moone (Pokémon Sun)
• Requirements: After completing the main story, travel to the opposite game’s dimension using the Altar of the Sunne/Moone while Solgaleo or Lunala is in your party.
• Evolution:
  • Evolves into Cosmoem at Level 43
  • Evolves into Solgaleo (Sun) or Lunala (Moon) at Level 53

Tip: Cosmog is a free second Legendary evolution, allowing you to get both Lunala and Solgaleo without trading!

Zygarde: Assemble the Legendary Snake

Zygarde requires a unique collection process rather than a single battle.

• How to Get It:
  • Throughout Alola, you’ll find 100 Zygarde Cells and Cores.
  • Collect them all and use the Reassembly Unit (Route 16, Aether Base) to assemble Zygarde into different forms:
    • 10% Forme (at 10 Cells)
    • 50% Forme (at 50 Cells)
    • Complete Forme (at 100 Cells)
  • Unlike other Legendaries, you’re technically “building” Zygarde rather than catching it.

Tip: Keep track of which Zygarde Cells you’ve collected. Some only appear at specific times of day!

Guardian Deities of Alola (Tapu Pokémon)

Each island in Alola is protected by a Guardian Legendary Pokémon. After becoming Champion, you can find and battle them.

Pokémon	Location	Type
Tapu Koko	Ruins of Conflict (Melemele Island)	Electric/Fairy
Tapu Lele	Ruins of Life (Akala Island)	Psychic/Fairy
Tapu Bulu	Ruins of Abundance (Ula’ula Island)	Grass/Fairy
Tapu Fini	Ruins of Hope (Poni Island)	Water/Fairy

How to Catch the Tapu Pokémon

• Interact with the statue at each ruin after becoming the Champion.
• Save your game before starting the battle.
• Lower their HP with False Swipe and inflict Sleep/Paralysis to increase catch rates.
• Use Ultra Balls, Dusk Balls (at night), or Timer Balls for a better chance of success.

Ultra Beasts: Special Post-Game Pokémon

Ultra Beasts are not considered traditional Legendaries, but they are just as rare and powerful. You can capture them after completing the game through the Ultra Beast missions from the Ultra Recon Squad.

Ultra Beast	Location	Catch Limit
Nihilego	Diglett’s Tunnel	1
Buzzwole (Sun) / Pheromosa (Moon)	Melemele Meadow	2
Xurkitree	Lush Jungle, Memorial Hill	2
Celesteela (Moon) / Kartana (Sun)	Route 2, Malie Garden	4
Guzzlord	Resolution Cave	1

Ultra Beast Catching Tips

• You must use Beast Balls (given to you by the Ultra Recon Squad). They have a higher catch rate for Ultra Beasts.
• Lower their HP with False Swipe and use status conditions like Sleep or Paralysis.
• Some Ultra Beasts appear in multiple locations, so check both areas.

After catching the Ultra Beasts, there’s one more special Pokémon you can catch: Necrozma. It appears after completing your Ultra Beasts hunt.

Now that you know where to find every Legendary Pokémon in Pokémon Sun and Moon, you’re ready to complete your Pokédex! Whether you’re tracking down Tapu Koko or assembling Zygarde, following these tips will help make your Legendary hunting easier.

Stuck in Pokémon Sun & Moon? Learn Team Skull’s passwords, how to catch Type: Null, and Eevee evolutions here!

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