Pokemon Legends Arceus: How to Catch Darkrai and Shaymin

If you’re looking to truly catch ’em all, here’s where to find Darkrai and Shaymin in Pokemon Legends: Arceus!

Although Pokemon Legends: Arceus is moving away from the dual release strategy that’s been around since Red and Blue, that’s not to say you won’t need multiple games to complete the Pokedex.

Usually, players must seek out another fan with the corresponding game to trade for their missing Pokemon. However, this time, you’ll need to be a hardcore fan to catch every Pokemon in the Hisui region!

Thankfully, you can at least catch all the Starter Pokemon in Arceus, with this new trick!

But when it comes to Darkrai and Shaymin, these two Legendary Pokemon will require quite the added cost.

How to Catch Darkrai and Shaymin in Pokemon Legends: Arceus

Darkrai and Shaymin are only available to Pokemon Legends: Arceus players who have played Pokemon Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl and Pokemon Sword/Shield respectfully.

Darkrai – To receive the Darkrai research request, players will need a play record for Pokemon Brilliant Diamond or Shining Pearl on their Nintendo Switch.
Shaymin – To receive the Shaymin (Land Forme) research request, players will need a play record for Pokemon Sword or Shield on their Nintendo Switch.

Then, to catch either of these Mythical creatures, players will first need to complete the main story of Pokemon Legends: Arceus.

After viewing the game’s credits, head back to Jubilife Village and into Galaxy Hall. Go inside Professor Laventon’s office, and interact with the blackboard behind him.

There, you’ll be able to take on ‘A Token of Gratitude’ and ‘The Darksome Nightmare’ missions, assuming save files from the previous games are present on your system.

Where to Find Darkrai – The Darksome Nightmare Guide

After accepting The Darksome Nightmare, the player will be greeted by Cael.
After talking to him, head to the Coronet Highlands and rest in your tent until night.
Then, find this mountain to the North of Lonely Spring and Southeast of Clamberclaw Cliffs.
Once you get to the location shown above, a cutscene will trigger and Darkrai will appear.

Since Darkrai likes to teleport to avoid your Poke Balls, you’ll want to make use of a Smoke Bomb to cause it to lose sight of you.
Wait until you have the chance to hit Darkrai in the back and fire off a Poke Ball for the best chance at catching it.

Pokemon Legends Arceus Where to Catch Darkrai

Where to Find Shaymin – A Token of Gratitude Guide

Head to the Obsidian Fieldlands and speak to Medi who is standing in the Fieldlands Camp.
Medi will give you a Gracidea flower and then you need to head to the Floaro Gardens at the top left of your map.
Here you’ll find a large field of dead flowers and Medi will arrive in a cutscene.

The flowers will bloom and Shaymin will appear.
From now on, Shaymin will spawn here until caught.
Throw a Poke Ball at it and the mythical Pokemon will be yours!

How to Get Sky Forme Shaymin

To get your hands on Sky Forme Shaymin, simply use the Gracidea flower from your bag on Shaymin and it will transform!

Next up, it’s time to find and catch Arceus itself in Pokemon Legends!