How to Catch Latias in Pokémon Sapphire

Last Updated: November 7, 2019

Latias is a Legendary Pokémon that becomes available after you have completed the main story. Latias is the perfect candidate for using your Master Ball on. Latias can be really tough to track down, but there are some Pokémon and items that you can use to your advantage.

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Finding Latias

1
Defeat the Elite Four. You won't be able to find Latias until after you have defeated the Elite Four and become the Champion. Click here for tips on defeating the Elite Four.
2
Watch the credits and then go downstairs. After the credits complete, you'll be taken back to your room. Go downstairs and watch the television. You'll receive a message that a red flying Pokémon has been spotted. This is Latias.

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3
Gather your supplies. You'll be doing a lot of walking while looking for Latias, so it's highly recommended that you stock up on Max Repels. These items will keep wild Pokémon from attacking if they are lower-level than your lead Pokémon.
- If you've already used your Master Ball, you'll need lots of Ultra Balls.
4
Get the right Pokémon to lead your party. Latias is incredibly fast, and will run at the first opportunity. You'll need a Pokémon that will be fast enough to act first, as well as have an ability that can keep Latias trapped. This isn't as important if you have a Master Ball.
- A Level 35-39 Wobbuffet is one of the most popular lead Pokémon due to its Shadow Tag ability. This will keep Latias from escaping, and you can swap out to one of your fighters.
- Another popular choice is a Level 39 Golbat with the Mean Look ability. The Golbat will usually be able to act first, and the Mean Look ability will keep Latias from running.
- Give your starting Pokémon the Quick Claw. This will increase the chances that you will have the first attack.
5
Get a few Pokémon that can take Latias's health down. One of the best moves for lowering a Pokémon's health without knocking it out is False Swipe. This will damage the opposing Pokémon, but will not lower its health below 1. This makes the Pokémon much easier to capture.
- If you're using the Master Ball, you don't need to worry about lowering Latias's health.

Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Capturing Latias

1
Trade with a friend for a boost (optional). If you have a friend with Latias, trade with them and then trade the Latias back. Adding Latias to your Pokedex will allow you to track it on the map, making it easier to find.
2
Find a location that lets you enter tall grass and quickly change locations. Latias appears at random around Hoenn, and changes locations every time you enter a building or move to a different area. You can speed up the hunt by finding a place that allows you to fight and change locations quickly. A popular spot is the tall grass outside of the Safari Zone.
3
Use a Max Repel. If your lead Pokémon is Level 39, the Max Repel will keep all Pokémon Level 39 and lower from attacking you. Since Latias is Level 40, this increases the chances that you'll face Latias in a battle (if it's in the area).^{[1]
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4
Start walking through the tall grass until a battle starts. If it is not Latias, either defeat the Pokémon or flee. Repeat this until you've either encountered about 10-20 Pokémon. If after that many encounters you still haven't seen Latias, there's a good chance that it's not in your area.
5
Enter a building and exit again to make Latias move. Latias will move to another random area in Hoenn. Enter the tall grass and start trying to find Latias again.^{[2]
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6
Repeat this until you encounter Latias. You don't need to move to different areas, you just need to keep resetting Latias's position until it is in your area. Eventually you will encounter Latias.
7
Throw your Master Ball immediately (if you have one). Your Master Ball will make quick work of Latias, allowing you to capture it immediately. If you don't have a Master Ball, you'll need to lower Latias's health before capturing it.
8
Use Mean Look to keep Latias from running. This will allow you to then switch to a heavy-hitting Pokémon to start taking down Latias's health.
9
Start throwing Ultra Balls once Latias is nearly knocked out. You can increase your chances if you can put Latias to Sleep or Paralyze it. You'll likely have to throw multiple Ultra Balls before Latias is captured.
10
Track Latias down if it escapes. There's a good chance that Latias will run when you fight it for the first time. Luckily, you're given a few advantages for finding it again. First, Latias's location will be shown on your map after you've encountered it once. Second, Latias will not regenerate health between fights, meaning if you lowered its health significantly the first time, you don't have to worry about doing it again.
11
Travel to the location that Latias is marked. Walk around in the tall grass using Max Repels until you encounter it. Repeat this process until you've captured Latias.

Community Q&A

Question

Does Latias move around the map quickly?

Community Answer

It has the capability to change location every time you enter a new area or building.
Question

What happens if you defeat latias?

Natalie Tellechea

Top Answerer

Absolutely nothing. You cannot obtain another.
Question

What is the location given in the Pokedex to catch Latias?

Community Answer

Latias doesn't have a Pokedex location, because she cannot be found in one specific location.