Given that Hisui is the same region as Sinnoh, it should come as no surprise to learn that Giratina is in Pokémon Legends: Arceus. What might be slightly more surprising, however, is the fact that Giratina is hard to find and even harder to catch. Arceus makes that weird puzzle in Platinum look like a walk in Pal Park.
Luckily, we’ve managed to catch the Renegade Pokémon and were sure to document every step we took on our mission to do so. Once you know where you’re going, what you’re doing, and how to approach your battle with Giratina, you’ll be able to add this spectral dragon to your team in no time.
Here’s how to get Giratina in Pokémon Legends: Arceus.
Pokémon Legends Arceus – How to get Giratina
As you might expect, you’re not able to just “get” Giratina. Before having the chance to battle this Pokémon, you’re going to need to finish the main story and collect all of the various Plates associated with Arceus. This means that before you can catch Giratina, you need to capture Mesprit, Uxie, Azelf, Heatran, Regigigas, and Cresselia. You’ll also need to defeat Commander Kamado in battle on Prelude Beach, before collecting three pieces of wood for Cogita in order to receive the Pixie Plate.
Once you’ve accomplished all of this, you’ll need to visit the Temple of Sinnoh. When you arrive, Volo will reveal his true nature and challenge you to a battle. He’s got a similar team to Cynthia in Diamond & Pearl, meaning he’s a fairly formidable opponent. Once you beat him, Giratina will appear, at which point you have to defeat it in both its Altered and Origin Formes. You cannot catch it at this point, so focus on reducing its HP to zero and finishing this part of the story.
Pokémon Legends Arceus – Where to find Giratina
After you defeat Giratina at the Temple of Sinnoh, you’ll be able to find it in a location that will likely be familiar to anyone who played Pokémon Platinum or Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl: Turnback Cave. This is located in Cobalt Coastlands — its exact position on the map is visible in the screenshot above.
You’ll be glad to know that there’s no messing about with pillar puzzles and doors to nowhere here. You simply need to enter Turnback Cave and Giratina will be there, waiting for you. If you want to catch it, you’ll need to take it on in its Origin Forme one last time.
Pokémon Legends Arceus – How to beat Giratina
You likely already know how to beat Giratina on account of having faced it twice already, although it’s worth pointing out both its moves and weaknesses. It knows Earth Power, Shadow Force, and Dragon Claw — the latter two are STAB moves, meaning they hit with 1.5x damage on account of Giratina’s Ghost/Dragon typing. It’s also worth pointing out that Giratina will become “obscured” after using Shadow Force, making it temporarily impossible to land a hit on it.
Pokémon Legends Arceus – How to catch Giratina
We recommend using either Dialga or Palkia to hit Giratina with a Roar of Time or Spacial Rend, respectively. This is provided that neither Pokémon has reached level 70 yet, meaning Giratina will be brought to low health, but not knocked unconscious. At this point, send in a bulky Electric-type like Luxray to paralyze it with Thunder Wave. If you have Ultra Balls on you, this should now be a relatively easy catch.
If you’d like to read even more about Pokémon Legends: Arceus, don’t miss our handy tips and tricks guide.
Written by Cian Maher on behalf of GLHF.
