Pokémon Emerald: How to Find & Catch Rayquaza, Groudon & Kyogre

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Use this quick guide to catch these three Legendaries

Co-authored by Hannah Dillon Reviewed by Ishrak

Last Updated: October 24, 2025 Fact Checked

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Catching Rayquaza

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Catching Groudon

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Catching Kyogre

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Q&A

In Pokémon Emerald, you'll be able to catch Rayquaza, Groudon, and Kyogre in the same game without trading. The first Legendary you can catch is Rayquaza, but you must defeat the Elite Four, Team Magma, and Team Aqua to catch Groudon and Kyogre. In this article, we'll teach you how to catch all three of these Legendaries. Read on to learn more.

Catching the Three Legendaries in Emerald

To catch Rayquaza, go to the Sky Pillar after seeing Rayquaza there once, then battle it and catch it.
To catch Groudon, defeat Team Magma and the Elite Four, then talk to the scientist at the top of the Weather Institute to see where Groudon is hiding.
To catch Kyogre, defeat Team Aqua and the Elite Four, then talk to the scientist at the top of the Weather Institute to see where Kyogre is hiding.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Catching Rayquaza

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1
Go to the Sky Pillar. You must have already been to the Sky Pillar and seen Rayquaza once, and you must have watched the cutscene that plays after in Sootopolis City.
- You don't have to beat the Elite Four to get Rayquaza in Emerald, but you do need to have a Pokémon that knows Surf. You also should bring a Pokémon that can inflict Paralysis or Sleep (avoid Burn and Poison, as these status effects cause damage).
- Bring a lot of healing items, as well as Ultra Balls (or use your Master Ball).
2
Ascend to the top of the Sky Pillar. There are a lot of strong Pokémon in the Sky Pillar, so feel free to use a few Max Repels to speed up the process. However, climbing the Sky Pillar is not as straightforward as it might seem. Here's how to do it:
- In the first room, navigate around the rocks and enter the door at the north of the room.
- In the second room, you'll need to use the Mach Bike to ride over the cracked tiles. If you stop on a tile, you'll fall through, so you may need to practice a few times. To get through this room, you'll need to ride the bike south, then west, then north to find the door that leads to the next room.
- In the third room, you'll enter from the left-most door. Go south, east, then north to enter the right-most door. There are no cracked tiles in this room.
- In the fourth room, you'll enter from the right-most door. Go south, west, and then north, then stop on a non-cracked tile. You'll see some cracked tiles in the middle of the room (across from another door). Ride your Mach Bike forward, then stop on one of the middle cracked tiles so you fall back down to the third room.
- After falling through the floor, go into the middle door in front of you.
- Back in the fourth room, you'll enter through the middle door. Go west and walk through the left-most door in the room.
- In the fifth room, go down, east, and north to find the door to the next room. There are no cracked tiles in this room.
- Once you leave the fifth room, you'll be at the top of the Sky Pillar. Ascend the steps that are slightly west of the doorway you came out of, and you'll find Rayquaza!^{[1]
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3
Save the game at the top stage before fighting. Save the game as soon as you reach the top of the Sky Pillar. You only get one chance to catch Rayquaza, so you need to make sure you save in case you fail the first time. If it escapes, defeats you, or faints, you're out of luck. If you don't save right before the fight, you'll have to restart the game and lose potentially hours of progress to try and get Rayquaza again.
Use a party of level 80+ Pokémon (Rayquaza is level 70). If you have it, attack using False Swipes. This move will damage Rayquaza, but will never let him fall below 1 hit point.
5
When Rayquaza's health bar turns red, throw Ultra Balls frequently. Use a move that inflicts Paralysis or Sleep before trying to capture Rayquaza, as this will make it easier to catch.
- You'll likely need a lot of Ultra Balls unless you get super lucky.
- If you want to use your Master Ball, you can throw it immediately! A Master Ball is a guaranteed catch, but you only get one of them.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Catching Groudon

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Groudon can only be captured once both are defeated.
He will tell you the route Groudon is on (which is random). If he says there is a drought, you'll be catching Groudon first. If he says there is lots of rainfall, you'll need to catch Kyogre first.
Make sure to bring level 55+ Water Pokémon, since Groudon is a Ground-type Pokémon. You should also bring a lot of Ultra Balls (or your Master Ball if you still have it) and healing items.
4
Save before you fight Groudon. You can only battle Groudon once, so if you accidentally knock it out, you may lose a lot of progress if you have to reload your save.
5
Battle Groudon. Once Groudon's health is in the red, start throwing Ultra Balls. You can use a Pokémon to inflict Paralyze or Sleep, but avoid inflicting Burn or Poison, as these status effects cause damage. False Swipes is handy here, since it will keep Groudon from getting knocked out.
- Once you catch Groudon, save your game again.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Catching Kyogre

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1
Defeat both Team Aqua and the Elite Four. Kyogre can only be captured once both are defeated.
2
Go to the Weather Institute and talk to the scientist on the top floor. He will tell you the route Kyogre is on (which is random, but it will always be a water route). If he says there is heavy rainfall, you'll be able to catch Kyogre. If he says there is a drought, you'll be catching Groudon first.
3
Go to the route the Weather Institute scientist said. You'll need to use Surf to surf along the water route until you find a dive spot.
- Bring level 55+ Grass Pokémon, because Kyogre is an Ice/Water-type Pokémon. You should also bring a lot of Ultra Balls (or your Master Ball if you still have it) and healing items.
Follow the cave until you get to the bottom, where you see a large pool of water.
5
Save before you fight Kyogre. You can only battle Kyogre once, so if you accidentally knock it out, you may lose a lot of progress if you have to reload your save.
6
Battle Kyogre. Once Kyogre's health is in the red, start throwing Ultra Balls. You can use a Pokémon to inflict Paralyze or Sleep, but avoid inflicting Burn or Poison, as these status effects cause damage. False Swipes is handy here, since it will keep Kyogre from getting knocked out.
- Once you catch Kyogre, save your game again.

Community Q&A

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Question

If it is possible to get Rayquaza in Pokemon Ruby, then is it possible to get Kyogre in Pokemon Ruby as well?

Community Answer

It's not possible to get Kyogre in Pokemon Ruby.

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Question

My earthquake is not capable to battle. Why?

Blubb lé Blubb

Community Answer

If you use it against Rayquaza, it won't work, because it is a flying type pokemon. Ground attacks won't work against flying types or pokemon with the ability to levitate.

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Do I have to defeat the Elite Four to get Groudon?

Community Answer

Yes, then you have to beat the champion (Wallace), and go to the weather institute.

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