Pokémon Legends: Z-A: How To Catch Zygarde

Zygarde is an integral part of Pokémon Legends: Z-A; basically think of this Legendary as the equivalent of Arceus in Legends: Arceus, and you're not far off.

That, of course, means you can catch this unusual Pokémon. It takes a few steps, but we'll outline just what you need to do to catch Zygarde in the game.

Note: This should go without saying, but this guide contains major spoilers for Legends: Z-A. So you've been warned!

To Keep the World in Balance Main Mission - How to get Zygarde in Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Zygarde might pop up throughout the main story, but you won't be able to add this Pokémon to your team until you've rolled credits and kicked-off the post game.

You also need to have caught bout Xerneas and Yveltal, which requires you to beat at least one round of the Infinite Z-A Royale, which also unlocks after you've beaten the game. Check out how to catch the Life & Destruction Pokémon in our separate guide.

Once you've caught those two, then you'll want to head back to Hotel Z. Try entering the hotel and L will stop you, challenging you to a fight. You'll get the To Keep the World in Balance Main Mission, too.

Talk to L again to accept his challenge; you can come back and do this at any point, so if you want to wait, you can!

How to defeat Pokémon Trainer L

L's team is in the high 70s, with his Mega Gyarados sitting at level 80. You ideally want your entire team to at least be level 80, but even at higher levels, this can be a tough match.

Make use of the Infinite Z-A Royale to level up your Pokémon a bit before taking him on.

L's Team

As you can see, L has a very varied team with only a few common weaknesses. L's Pokémon are all pretty fast, so bring lots of Max Potions and Revives just in case. Mega Gyarados loses its 4x weakness to Electric too, and it has Earthquake as a counter. So be careful.

You absolutely want a team where multiple Pokémon can Mega Evolve. This makes Gardevoir one of the best options for this fight. Fairy-types, in general, are great as they exploit Sableye's sole weakness and counter both Noivern and Gyarados. Oh, and its dual Psychic/Fairy type will make short work of Garbodor, too.

Pyroar by fair is the easiest to deal with, as it's weak to Ground, Fire, and Fighting, among other common types. For Florges, bring some Steel-type moves.

When you beat L, Zygarde will run off, which brings you your final challenge in Z-A.

How to catch Zygarde

Zygarde can be found in Wild Zone 20, the very last zone to open up in Lumiose City. It's directly underneath the remains of Prism Tower.

All you have to do is walk up to it and interact with it. Oh. And fight it. Make sure your team is at least level 85, and be ready for gruelling three-phase Rogue Mega-style fight/.

Zygarde is Dragon/Ground-type, making it weak to Ice-type, Fairy-type, and Dragon-type moves.

Zygarde phase 1 - 10% Forme

In this first phase, Zygarde only has a handful of attacks — it can use Extremespeed to close the gap on you very quickly and Crunch to deal Dark damage, otherwise it will circle around you quickly to try and avoid attacks.

Occasionally, a brown dust cloud will form at its feet. When you see that, run away as it'll start firing green arrows from the sky ahead of itself. When you stun it, Mega Evolve (or use Plus Moves) to melt its health. When it reaches 0, it;'ll transform.

Zygarde phase 2 - 50% Forme

Now here's a big boy. Its snake form gets a few new attacks and deals much more damage. However, it also remains static in the middle of the room.

When it roars and glows, boulders will drop from the sky directly above you and your partner. Keep moving.

It also can attack you by firing laser rings at you, so again, keep out of its face directly otherwise you'll take a huge amount of Dragon damage.

Lastly, when the room is engulfed in a green light, put your Pokémon away and run. Green explosions burst out of the floor and track your movement. So just keep running.

Otherwise, you just need to batter it with a number of Fairy-type, Dragon-type, and Ice-type moves, and Mega Evolve when you can.

Zygarde phase 3 - Complete Forme

The final phase the fight is, of course, the hardest. Zygarde will now follow you around the room. Considering its size, it's pretty fast.

In addition to all its other moves, Zygarde can now surround itself with an Earthquake-like attack that deals large AOE damage around itself. It's explosion move now works in rings, coming from the outer to the inner ring, so dodge appropriately.

Lastly, Zygarde will sometimes leave the arena and charge its powerful laser beam up. It then jumps into the sky and fire a Z-shaped attack across the room. Find the safe spots on either the left or right side of the lines, and you'll avoid taking a lot of damage.

If you lose at any point during the fight, you'll have to redo all three phases again, so bring your best healing items, prioritise your character's safety, and do your best!

Once you've got him down to 0 health for the third time, throw an Ultra Ball (or whatever you want, really) and Zygarde is yours.

You'll also get the Zygarde Cube which, when used in battle, transforms Zygarde between two of its three forms.