How to Catch All Legendary Pokémon in Pokémon Platinum (Complete Guide)
Includes locations, requirements, puzzles, version differences, and special events.
⭐ How to Catch Every Legendary Pokémon in Pokémon Platinum
Pokémon Platinum features more Legendaries than any other Nintendo DS Pokémon game, including Sinnoh trio, Regis, Kanto birds, and event-only Mythicals.
This guide explains how to catch every single one, step by step.
🗺️ Before You Start: Requirements
Some Legendaries only appear after certain conditions:
✔ After beating the Elite Four:
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Giratina (Origin Forme)
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Heatran
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Regigigas
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Cresselia
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Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres
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Uxie, Mesprit, Azelf
-
Rotom (night only)
✔ National Pokédex required:
-
Regi Trio
-
Cresselia
-
Birds
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Darkrai / Shaymin (event only)
✔ Event items needed:
-
Oak’s Letter → Shaymin
-
Member Card → Darkrai
-
Azure Flute → Arceus (never officially released)
🟣 1. Giratina (Distortion World & Turnback Cave)
First Encounter — Distortion World
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You must catch or defeat it during the main story.
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Level: 47
-
Location: Distortion World (story event)
Second Encounter — Turnback Cave
After beating the Elite Four:
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Go to Sendoff Spring
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Enter Turnback Cave
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Giratina reappears at Level 70
-
This one is in Altered Forme
✔ Use Dusk Balls (cave)
✔ Save before entering final room
🔥 2. Heatran
-
Location: Stark Mountain
-
Level: 50
Steps:
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Finish the main story
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Go to Stark Mountain with Buck
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Complete the magma stone quest
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Return to Stark Mountain after Buck leaves
-
Heatran appears inside the final room
✔ Use Timer Balls for longer battles
✔ Bring Pokémon with Surf & Strength
🟡 3. Uxie, Mesprit & Azelf (Lake Trio)
Azelf – Lake Valor
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Level 50
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Stationary
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Save before talking to it
Uxie – Lake Acuity
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Level 50
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Stationary
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High Special Defense → long battle
Mesprit – Lake Verity
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Level 50
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Runs away immediately
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Use the Marking Map Pokétch App to chase
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Best method:
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Use Repel
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Walk between two routes
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When the map shows Mesprit nearby, enter tall grass
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✔ Use Mean Look / Shadow Tag Pokémon
✔ Or catch with Quick Ball turn 1 (rare but possible)
🌙 4. Cresselia
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Location: Fullmoon Island → roaming Sinnoh
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Level: 50
Steps:
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Go to Canalave City
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Enter the sailor’s house
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Travel to Fullmoon Island
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Find Cresselia — it flees instantly
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Track it with Marking Map
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Use Mean Look or Wobbuffet
✔ Dusk Ball works if you force it into battle at night
🪨 5. Regigigas
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Level: 1 (yes, level 1!)
-
Location: Snowpoint Temple
Requirements:
❗ You must have Regirock, Regice, Registeel in your party
(legendary trio from Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald OR other games/trades)
Steps:
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Get National Dex
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Go inside Snowpoint Temple
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Bring all three Regis
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Regigigas will wake up → battle begins
✔ False Swipe is useless at Lv. 1 → use Dusk Ball or Quick Ball
🕊️ 6. Articuno, Zapdos & Moltres (Roaming Birds)
After National Dex:
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Visit Professor Oak at Eterna City
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He releases all three birds into Sinnoh
All 3 are roaming:
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Level 60
-
Same roaming method as Mesprit
✔ Use Mean Look / Wobbuffet
✔ Use Repels to narrow search
✔ Best place to force encounters: Route 201 <→ Verity Lakefront
⚡ 7. Rotom (Television Ghost)
-
Location: Old Chateau – TV
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Level: 20
Requirements:
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Visit at Night (8 PM–4 AM)
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Bring Cut to reach the mansion
Rotom Forms:
After catching Rotom:
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Go to Jubilife TV Station
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Use the secret room upstairs
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Change forms (Fan, Oven, Wash, etc.)
🐉 8. Dialga & Palkia (Spear Pillar)
Platinum lets you catch both.
Requirements:
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Defeat the Elite Four
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Have the Adamant Orb (Dialga)
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Have the Lustrous Orb (Palkia)
Location:
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Spear Pillar
Levels:
-
Level 70
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One at a time depending on the orb you show
✔ Heavy Ball works well
✔ Their catch rate is extremely low — expect long battles
🌋 9. Regi Trio (Regirock, Regice, Registeel)
(NEW in Platinum)
To unlock them:
Step 1 — Go to Pal Park
Get the National Dex.
Step 2 — Get the three special items:
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Regirock → Rock Peak Key
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Regice → Iceberg Key
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Registeel → Iron Key
These appear in:
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Stark Mountain area (after National Dex)
Step 3 — Go to the caves:
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Regirock → Route 228 Desert Ruins
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Regice → Mt. Coronet, Ice Room
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Registeel → Iron Island second cave
All three are Level 30.
✔ Bring Dusk Balls
✔ Regice is hardest due to high Sp. Defense
🌑 10. Darkrai (Event Only)
Requires:
-
Member Card (Nintendo event item)
Steps:
-
Sleep at the Harbor Inn in Canalave City
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Dream sequence takes you to Newmoon Island
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Darkrai at Level 50
✔ Fight at night to boost Dusk Ball effectiveness
✔ Disable / Hypnosis helps a lot
(Without the real Member Card, you must cheat or use PKHeX.)
🌸 11. Shaymin (Event Only)
Requires:
-
Oak’s Letter
Steps:
-
Go to Route 224
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Talk to Professor Oak
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Follow the glowing path to Flower Paradise
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Shaymin appears at Level 30
Sky Forme:
-
Use Gracidea Flower (daytime only)
(Event item needed or cheat.)
🕊️ 12. Arceus (Official Event Not Released)
Arceus was supposed to use the Azure Flute, but the event was never officially distributed.
With Azure Flute:
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Go to Spear Pillar
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Play the flute
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Staircase to Hall of Origin
-
Arceus at Level 80
In real gameplay, the only way is:
-
PKHeX
-
Emulator cheats
-
Mystery Gift hacked event
🏆 SUMMARY TABLE – All Legendary Pokémon in Pokémon Platinum
| Pokémon | Level | Location | Requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| Giratina | 47 / 70 | Distortion World / Turnback Cave | Story / Post-game |
| Heatran | 50 | Stark Mountain | Buck sidequest |
| Uxie | 50 | Lake Acuity | Post-game |
| Mesprit | 50 | Lake Verity (roaming) | Post-game |
| Azelf | 50 | Lake Valor | Post-game |
| Cresselia | 50 | Roaming | Sailor quest |
| Articuno | 60 | Roaming | National Dex |
| Zapdos | 60 | Roaming | National Dex |
| Moltres | 60 | Roaming | National Dex |
| Regirock | 30 | Route 228 | National Dex |
| Regice | 30 | Mt. Coronet | National Dex |
| Registeel | 30 | Iron Island | National Dex |
| Regigigas | 1 | Snowpoint Temple | Regi Trio |
| Rotom | 20 | Old Chateau | Night |
| Dialga | 70 | Spear Pillar | Adamant Orb |
| Palkia | 70 | Spear Pillar | Lustrous Orb |
| Darkrai | 50 | Event | Member Card |
| Shaymin | 30 | Event | Oak’s Letter |
| Arceus | 80 | Event | Azure Flute |
🎉 Conclusion
Pokémon Platinum offers one of the largest legendary collections in the entire franchise. Whether you’re completing the Pokédex, shiny hunting, or preparing for competitive play, this game gives you more post-game content than almost any other DS title.