I’ve been running around the streets of a redeveloping Lumiose City on my return to the Kalos region in Pokemon Legends Z-A. The newest game in the popular monster-catching franchise hasreal-time battles, an engaging plot concerning wild Mega Pokemon and a league of tough opponents you’ll have to fight as you play through the story.
To make sure you’re set up for success, having a strong partner Pokemon is a no-brainer. And the ghost and poison type Gengar is one to consider, despite the hoops you need to jump through to get one. It evolves from Gastly, which you can capture early in the game, so if Gengar has piqued your interest, here’s how you can get one.
How to evolve Haunter in Pokemon Legends Z-A with trading
Let’s start with the basics. Gengar’s evolution line has three stages. It starts as Gastly, which you can very easily find in Wild Zone 4. Gastly then evolves into Haunter at Level 25. Following this, you need to trade Haunter with another player to evolve it into Gengar.
In Pokemon Legends Z-A, the Link Trade feature is unlocked during Main Mission 3, called “A New Life in Lumiose City”. During this mission, you’ll meet Mable, the acting director at the Pokemon Research Laboratory. Through her, you’ll unlock Mable’s Research, a series of tasks that revolves around collecting Pokemon, battling trainers and destroying Mega shards.
Unlocking Mable’s Research also gives access to the “Link Play” tab in the menu, behind which you’ll find Link Trade.
Choose this to start a trade with a nearby friend or other online players — you’ll need an active Nintendo Switch Online membership for the latter. Once the trade is complete, provided you’re not pranked with the Everstone held item (which prevents evolution), you’ll see a text prompt saying Haunter is ready to evolve and will leave the trade with your own Gengar.
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Can you evolve Haunter without trading?
Unfortunately, it’s impossible to evolve Haunter without trading in Pokemon Legends: Z-A. The previous Pokemon Legends title, Pokemon Legends: Arceus, had an item called Link Cable, which allowed players to get trade-evolved Pokemon without an actual trade. We really wish this item was also featured in the new game, but it isn’t.
However, there are still a few ways to capture a Gengar in Pokemon Legends: Z-A. Let’s look at those next.
How to catch Gengar in the wild
Pokemon Legends: Z-A gives you two opportunities to add Gengar to your team. First, you can try to capture one during Main Mission 20. The next chance will have you hunt Gengar in Wild Zone 20, an area that’s unlocked after finishing the main storyline.
If you’re hoping to use Gengar for at least some part of the plot, Main Mission 20 will be your best bet because it guarantees encountering not one, but two Gengar (double the chances, woohoo).
Catching Gengar in Main Mission 20
Main Mission 20 is titled “A Request From the Rust Syndicate,” and one of the jobs you’ll do for the Rust Syndicate requires you to clear wild Pokemon from an abandoned building. Once you enter it, you’ll find one Gastly and two wild Gengar to battle. They will be around Level 40 or higher.
To best prepare yourself to catch Gengar, do these things:
- Stock up on Ultra Balls and Dusk Balls.
- Unlock Level 3 of the Blue Canari Plush by trading Colorful Screws at Racine Construction.
- Perform a manual save right after you knock out Gengar in battle. It’ll allow you to reload the game and try to capture it in case your first attempt fails.
Note: You can even use status moves to paralyze Gengar or make it drowsy to increase your capture success rate.
Catching Gengar in Wild Zone 20
If you’ve missed your chance to catch Gengar in Main Mission 20, don’t fret. You can find it in Wild Zone 20, provided you’re ready to sit on a bench and reset the Pokemon spawns in the area. Gengar will appear under Prism Tower. The wait might feel too long, but it will be worth it because this Gengar is guaranteed to be an alpha and will have good stats from the get-go.
How to trade in Pokemon Legends Z-A
Trading is a key Pokemon mechanic, one that’s important to have a complete Pokedex. It stands true for Pokemon Legends: Z-A, too, to some extent. To start trading in Pokemon Legends: Z-A, you have to unlock the Link Play feature, which happens during Main Mission 3. Once Link Play is unlocked, follow these steps:
- Press X to open the menu.
- Scroll down and select Link Play.
- Now choose Link Trade. On the next screen, choose Nearby Players if you’re trading with friends that are around you or Faraway Players if you want to trade over the internet.
- Next, enter a Link Code and wait for your trade to start.
Remember, Link Codes need to match for a trade to happen, so cross-check with your friend or trade partner. If you’re trading for specific Pokemon, look up trade codes being used by online Pokemon communities. I used codes from AustinJohnPlays’ video to help complete my Pokedex.
Also note, if you’re trading online for trade-evolved Pokemon, be sure to check the held item on the Pokemon you’ll receive (do this by pressing the R button on your Joy-Con) before confirming the trade. It will make sure you’re not left with a sour taste in your mouth on your journey to catch ‘em all.
