The Hardest-to-Find Pokémon in Pokémon Legends: Z-A

GameFreak's Pokémon Legends: Z-A was an innovative entry into its mainline series of Pokémon games, featuring a raft of unique mechanics and a series-first setting entirely inside a single city. Lumiose City, featured previously in Pokémon X and Y, returns as the star of the show undergoing an urban redevelopment program.

Conveniently for us trainers, the program involves setting up Wild Zones all over the city so that Pokémon can come and live alongside people. That's pretty great news for anyone looking to train Pokémon without setting foot outside the city, but some Pokémon in Legends: Z-A are much harder to find than others!

10 Helioptile

Only Appears in Certain Weather

Helioptile is a relatively standard Wild Zone spawn, but it's difficult to find during normal gameplay because it only appears under specific weather conditions. If you don't know what you're looking for, Helioptile can be a real nightmare to find.

It spawns exclusively in Wild Zone 14, which you can't unlock until Main Mission 19. Then, you've got to wait until daytime during the Intense Sun weather. Fitting their theme, they just won't appear if it's raining or foggy. This can be really frustrating if you aren't paying attention to weather, or you just happen to visit Wild Zone 14 at night.

9 Carbink

Easy to Miss

Carbink is really easy to miss because it's found in a small number of specific locations. You can find it in both Wild Zone 9 and Wild Zone 20. In Wild Zone 9, you'll miss it if you don't climb up to the roofs and have a good look around. In Wild Zone 20, it'll potentially appear as an Alpha Pokémon, but its chance is shared with all the other Alpha spawns in Wild Zone 20, which is quite a few different Pokémon.

This is a super easy Pokémon to completely miss, especially if you aren't in the habit of scouring rooftops or resetting Wild Zone spawns.

8 Riolu

Rare Spawn in an Awkward Place

Riolu is one of those Pokémon that feels like it should be easier to find, but it's surprisingly easy to miss unless you know what you're looking for. While you can technically find it by trading someone an Abra after a Side Mission, anyone looking to catch their own for shiny hunting purposes has to do it the hard way.

And that means looking for it under specific conditions, like the Intense Sun weather effect. It's a rare spawn, too, so even if you're in the right place, it'll probably take you a few tries to actually get one to spawn in. It's worth it though, as Lucario and its Mega Evolutions are pretty powerful Pokémon.

7 Honedge

Hard to See

You can only find Honedge in a limited, specific spawn location with relatively low visibility compared with standard Wild Zone Pokémon. You can find it early on in Wild Zone 4, or much later in Lysandre Labs, and it isn't especially rare in the strictest sense; its restricted placement makes it hard to find during casual exploration and gameplay.

Its final evolution, Aegislash, has a great design, so it's worth taking the effort to find it, even if its signature Ability is a little underwhelming using Legends: Z-A's all-new battle system. Just make sure you're looking for it at night!

6 Absol

A Rooftop Lurker

Absol is another of those hard-to-find Pokémon that likes to lurk up on the rooftops instead of in an easy-to-search Wild Zone like a respectable Pokémon. Its spawns are really easy to overlook during normal gameplay, since traversal of rooftops can be difficult and disjointed, especially earlier in the game.

This makes Absol much easier to miss than standard Wild Zone Pokémon, and it's quite a rare spawn, too. Its Mega Evolution makes it a sought-after commodity, though, so it's no surprise players are willing to search for it high and low... especially since it's not got an additional Mega Evolution, Mega Absol Z.

5 Larvitar

Rare Spawn with Low Encounter Rates

"Where can I find Larvitar?" is a common question among Pokémon Legends: Z-A fans, and it's easy to see why, because this little pseudo-legendary is a restricted spawn with low encounter rates even in its habitat. It has a few static spawns, which can make it easier to find if you already know exactly where you're going, but it doesn't appear in any Wild Zone until Wild Zone 15.

This can make it frustrating to find, especially if you happen to visit one of its spawns during ordinary gameplay and don't see it there. But it's well worth finding, since its evolution Tyranitar has a powerful Mega Evolution.

4 Eevee

Enduring Fan Favorite With Limited Spawns and Fleeing Behavior

Eevee has always been famously difficult to find, although its availability has varied between games in the series. It's a major fan-favorite Pokémon, so it's no surprise that fans are hunting high and low for their next fix. The problem is, in Legends: Z-A, Eevee has an extremely limited availability.

It only spawns in one location on the map, and it runs away very quickly. Many people don't even notice Eevee when it appears at its spawn, so this is one that's easy to miss, especially since it simply doesn't appear in Wild Zones. This leaves many fans wondering just where Eevee is — I had to look at a guide to find mine!

3 Drampa

Frustrating Spawn Rate in Late Game Areas

Drampa was an extremely frustrating Pokémon to find for me. Even when I encountered its spawn zone, I simply couldn't get one to appear. That's because it's a late-game Pokémon that appears in restricted habitats, and inside those habitats, it's got an abysmal spawn rate. It does have a cool Mega, though.

I reset the spawns over and over and over, and it still took forever to find one. (Then I accidentally fainted it and missed with my Pokéball, because of course I did.) This is a Pokémon that rewards hard work and patience, which is maybe in keeping with its old man theming, but it feels pretty annoying.

2 Dratini

Rare Spawn, Hard to Find, And It Runs Away

Dragonite is an extremely popular Pokémon, and its brand-new Mega Evolution gave many fans another reason to seek it out. The trouble is, its base form, Dratini, is extremely hard to find in Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's a rooftop exclusive spawn, so you won't find it in any Wild Zones, and it's really easy to miss during general exploration.

It also runs away when encountered, making it extremely frustrating to find and catch. Its out-of-the-way placement, rarity, and the fact that it runs away if you so much as breathe at it makes it incredibly difficult to add to your team. It's worth it, though, so we don't mind (much).

1 Beldum

When You Eventually Find One, It's Really Hard to Catch

Beldum is a late-game Pokémon with an abysmally low encounter rate. It only appears in Lysandre Labs, and its encounter table includes its evolution Metang, too. So you might be hunting for a Beldum and find the also incredibly rare Metang instead.

Which is great, but you'll still need the Beldum for your Pokédex, so... you've got to keep looking. Then, if you find one, it has an insanely low catch rate, too: it's on par with actual Legendary Pokémon. You'll have to use special Pokéballs. It's a pretty punishing little dude. Unfortunately, its final evolution, Metagross, is a real powerhouse of a Pokémon, and it has a great Mega Evolution, too. So it's no wonder players are grinding this one out.