Pokémon Why is completing the Pokedex so hard these days?

[VanitasFan26]

Unless you own Multiple Switches and Multiple Copies of the Pokémon games to trade with yourself, I don't see how anyone can complete the Pokédex. The pokédex has to deal with Pokémon that are like Version Exclusives, Time-Locked, Event-Locked, and Region-Locked Pokémon. Don't even get me started on the Evolution of Pokémon. Walk 1,000 steps without stopping. Have a high friendship. Please give it a particular stone.. Trade it while holding that odd item.m Make it level up, in particular, in the zone. Have it level up knowing a specific move.

Now I know you're going to say, "OH, just use Pokémon Home." Here's the thing. They expect you to own Pokémon Let's go Pikachu/Evee Sword/Shield: Legend Arceus BDSP Scarlet/Violet. Gee, if only I had Pokémon Bank and a way to transfer from Pokémon GBA, DS, and 3DS games, since there is no legitimate way to do so.

Completing the full National Dex now means syncing like six games and a blood pact with Professor Oak. Completing the Pokédex is a fun and challenging task. Now it's a part-time job that makes you question your life choices.

But hey… You get a certificate and a shiny charm.
Worth 80 hours of your sanity, right?

 

[Rainy.Nights]

It takes lots of time playing and a good amount of trades. I've spent years trying to complete the national dex (as many different forms as I can find included) in Pokemon Home and as many game dexes as possible. Working on it is fun for me and I don't mind helping people with their dex so feel free to dm me and lmk if you need help! I don't have everything though. Currently I have 1014 unique Pokemon registered to Home with only gens 1-6 fully completed, and most in the other gens minus a few legendaries and mythicals mainly. If you didn't download Pokemon Home (also Poke Transporter) before the 3DS server shutdown I believe you can no longer download it, but I still have that and it still works, so I can get some Pokemon from there if I'm able to find them on the versions of the games I have.

There are many game versions you don't need to personally play to get certain Pokemon, because they appear in other versions. If you don't want to play too many different games, really most can be found in trades. I can't think of any exclusive Pokemon species that is only found in games older than the 3DS ones (feel free to correct me if I'm wrong). I skipped BDSP, it has no new Pokemon. The only unique Pokemon from Pokemon Go I can think of is Melmetal, other than that only certain forms are exclusive, so that one's pretty optional too but can make some Pokemon easier to find.

Overall, when playing a new Pokemon game, I start by playing the game normally and catching all the different ones I see. It can also help fill out some entries by doing surprise trades with extras you don't want. When I feel like I have about everything I can find, I figure out what is missing and start with whatever is easiest to catch or evolve, gradually progressing to the more difficult ones. Trading on Home really helps with finding version exclusives. For the hardest to find ones, I'd usually look for trades on online Pokemon communities.

Getting the shiny charm was always worth it for me, I have a few of those. Good luck with your Pokemon collecting!

 

[azurill]

It really is crazy how long it takes to complete it. I very happy when I can get them completed . I have two Pokemon left on my blueberry Pokédex on Violet before I can complete it. They are both Scarlet exclusive so I am trying to go through the story again on my second switch lite just to get two Pokemon I can trade for them. If I wanted them on my own I would have to get both Scarlet and DLC for it. Then there is the Pokemon you can’t evolve unless you are playing with friend. I was lucky and someone was nice enough to play with me so that finizen could evoke. I was so happy when I finally got the Pokédex in Arceus completed. I am definitely thankful for home since it has helped me get my violet dex completed.

 

[stitchmaker]

Trading is easier with the Universal Code Trade Exclusive List.
Pokemon Home on the Switch has one free box. If you have both games on one Switch you can trade using Pokemon Home.

One of my profile on my main Switch just had the free Pokemon Home box. To get the missing/evolved Pokemon my main Profile that has paid Pokemon logged into home and than Switched Home Profile to the profile that needed the Pokemon. Added them, save/quit, removed to my main Profile and save/quit. It's a good way to check the stats for profile that just have the free box or to get their shiny pokemon.

There are raid that will help with special Evolutions. I found a Palafin and other Evolve raids.

 

[Romaki]

Pokémon X/Y was so userfriendly, especially with online being free at the time. I loved completing that Pokédex.

 

[Awesome Gamer 2009]

I wonder why, maybe because let's see the amount of pokemon in the game! oh, right, ITS OVER 1000!!!!

At this point, I'm scared to even try 100%ing these games.

 

[-Blue-]

I kind of got out of Pokemon and returned with Sword and then Arceus, but both those games only had a handful of Pokemon in game from the entire list. Arceus having 240 and Sword having like 400 base game. Even with those numbers it's hard to complete because they divide them up in different versions. Sword/Shield, Violet/Scarlet and between requirements that require online and conditions that need to be met online it's no wonder why some don't want to complete it.

To complete Arceus I'd have to waste hours or days trying to find all the glowing orbs through the worlds. I don't think I complete one area all the way. It's like the Korok seeds all over again. It's not fun and is totally mindnumbing. Why does Nintendo love grinds like this?

 

[VanitasFan26]

I kind of got out of Pokemon and returned with Sword and then Arceus, but both those games only had a handful of Pokemon in game from the entire list. Arceus having 240 and Sword having like 400 base game. Even with those numbers it's hard to complete because they divide them up in different versions. Sword/Shield, Violet/Scarlet and between requirements that require online and conditions that need to be met online it's no wonder why some don't want to complete it.

To complete Arceus I'd have to waste hours or days trying to find all the glowing orbs through the worlds. I don't think I complete one area all the way. It's like the Korok seeds all over again. It's not fun and is totally mindnumbing. Why does Nintendo love grinds like this?

Oh man, Legends Arceus was the worst. I mean, just catching 25 of the same Pokémon? What kinda madman would design that?!

 

[Rainy.Nights]

Oh man, Legends Arceus was the worst. I mean, just catching 25 of the same Pokémon? What kinda madman would design that?!

You wouldn't like Pokemon Go then lol. I'm still working on my dexes. Looks like Violet should be the first one I'll complete, I have 2/3 dexes with just about everything and recently hit the point I realized you have to grind for BP to unlock some last few pokemon, not a fan of that mechanic. Working on that alongside PLA which I have completed a majority of entries for. Spiritomb is not one of them. Sword will actually be one of the last dexes I fully complete due to the large number of legendaries/ultra beasts you have to successfully finish dynamax adventures (and me being stubborn about wanting to get shinies of some of them), and how infrequently I want to do that since each attempt takes like 20 mins. Thankfully the online isn't dead on that game yet, although it can take awhile to get a group.

 

[VanitasFan26]

You wouldn't like Pokemon Go then lol. I'm still working on my dexes. Looks like Violet should be the first one I'll complete, I have 2/3 dexes with just about everything and recently hit the point I realized you have to grind for BP to unlock some last few pokemon, not a fan of that mechanic. Working on that alongside PLA which I have completed a majority of entries for. Spiritomb is not one of them. Sword will actually be one of the last dexes I fully complete due to the large number of legendaries/ultra beasts you have to successfully finish dynamax adventures (and me being stubborn about wanting to get shinies of some of them), and how infrequently I want to do that since each attempt takes like 20 mins. Thankfully the online isn't dead on that game yet, although it can take awhile to get a group.

This game, Legends Arceus, pushed me into Pokémon breeding because the idea that you had to catch 25 of the same Pokémon drove me crazy. I went to my Pokémon Scarlet game and bred Pokémon from my old Pokémon Legends: Arceus file that I transferred through Pokémon Home. After spending 10 hours breeding eggs and hatching them, I had to go to my old Legends Arceus and transfer the Pokémon I bred from Scarlet into my old save file of PLA through Pokémon Home. Then I went to my other switch that had a new copy of the game and a new save file to trade with myself. As soon as I did that, the game counted that as "Number of Caught." Honestly, the fact that you have to do this to progress through the story and make your Pokémon listen to you is just unbelievable.

 

[Captain Jigglypuff]

I think part of the reason is that there are currently five Pokémon lines not in any Switch game and only available in the DS or 3DS games. But they were also in the Kalos Dex so they’ll probably appear in Legends ZA. We’ll just have to wait until next week to find out. ZA will probably help completing the Home Dex much easier.

 

[AlexSilverpen]

back in the 3DS days, I was crazy enough to do a living dex in Alpha Sapphire. Since I had downloaded Bank before the shutdown, I have an easier time, but I still haven't gotten the shiny charm except in Alpha Sapphire and Shield... that's it. I don't want to put in the effort for the shiny charm. Am I still a shiny hunter? yes. But the charm doesn't seem to do me much good anyway. I've found more shinies without it than with it.