Catch Arceus

Arceus is one of the rarest Pokémon in the series, as it has only been made available through special events. In order to get one now, you'll have to either trade someone for it, or use cheat codes to gain access to the old events. You can get Arceus in all the Nintendo DS versions of Pokémon, but to get it in the 3DS games, you'll need to transfer it over. Arceus is not available at all in Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, FireRed, and LeafGreen.

Steps

Acquiring Without Cheats

  1. Get the National Pokedex. This will unlock all of the Pokémon in your pokedex, allowing you to catch and migrate Pokémon across versions.[1] Obtaining this will vary depending on which version of the game you are playing.[2].
    • To unlock this on Diamond, Pearl, or Platinum, you'll need to complete two tasks: beat the Elite Four and see all 150 Pokémon in the Sinnoh Pokedex. You don't need to capture them, just see them.
    • To unlock this on HeartGold and SoulSilver, you'll need to complete two tasks: beat the Elite Four and capture 60 Pokémon from the Pokedex.
  2. Trade for Arceus if possible. Arceus is an Event Pokémon, meaning that it could only be acquired legitimately through special events held by Nintendo. The last Arceus event was in 2010 and there are no more planned, meaning the only way to get one in Diamond, Pearl, or Platinum without cheating is to trade with someone who got one from the event.
    • Arceus is an incredibly rare Pokémon, so you'll likely only be able to trade for one if you have an equally rare Pokémon to offer in return. Event Legendaries such as Landorus and Deoxys are good choices. If you have a Shiny Legendary such as a Shiny Mew or Shiny Rayquaza, this will also be good for trading.
  3. Transfer Arceus from another version. This can be done by trading Pokémon to yourself or by download 3DS software like pokebank, which allows you to to perform transfers with a single system. The steps for transferring Pokémon will vary depending on which versions you are transferring to/from.
    • Since Arceus is not available in earlier versions, you will at least be transferring from Generation 4.
    • You can trade an Arceus from Diamond, Platinum, Pearl, HeartGold, or SoulSilver using PokeTransfer, as well as from any of the Black or White games as a regular trade.
    • In order to get an Arceus from an older version of the Pokémon to X or Y, it will need to first be transferred to Black, White, Black 2, or White 2. You can then use PokeTransporter and PokeBank to transfer Arceus into X or Y.

Using Action Replay (Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum)

  1. Obtain an Action Replay. If you don't have anyone to trade with, your only other option is to cheat. You can purchase an Action Replay that works with your physical Nintendo DS system, or you can use an emulator with built-in Action Replay support like DeSmuME.
  2. Add the code to get the Azure Flute. This is the item required to access Arceus. If you are using an Action Replay cartridge, add the necessary codes to the cartridge.
    • Cartridge users will not need to use the following steps.
  3. Start your Diamond, Pearl, or Platinum ROM file in DeSmuME.
  4. Open the "Tools" menu and select "Cheats". This will open another submenu.
  5. Select "List" from the “Cheats” submenu.
  6. Click the “Action Replay” button. A window will appear to enter an Action Replay code.
  7. Paste the code into the field:
    94000130 FCFF0000
    B21C4D28 00000000
    B0000004 00000000
    0000AA3C EDB88320
    2000AA68 0000000A
    D2000000 00000000

  8. Click “Add”.[3]
  9. Press the L + R buttons when playing the game. This will activate the cheat.
  10. Enter any Pokemart and talk to the green man. He will give you the Azure Flute.
  11. Take the Azure Flute to Mt. Coronet. Climb all the way to the top until you reach the Spear Pillar. You will be given the option to play the flute.
  12. Play the Azure Flute to gain access to the Hall of Origin. You will see a staircase appear when playing the flute. This will allow you to enter the Hall of Origin, where Arceus can be found.
    • It'll be helpful to save your game before fighting Arceus so you can easily retry if you accidentally knock it out during the battle.
  13. Fight and capture Arceus. Use a Pokémon with the False Swipe ability to lower Arceus's health without knocking it out. Once the Arceus's health bar is red, put it to Sleep and then throw Ultra Balls until it is captured.
    • Arceus will be Level 80, so you're going to be in for a tough fight. Make sure that your party is strong enough to handle it.

Using Action Replay (HeartGold and SoulSilver)

  1. Obtain an Action Replay. If you don't have anyone to trade with, your only other option is to cheat. You can purchase an Action Replay that works with your physical Nintendo DS system, or you can use an emulator with built-in Action Replay support like DeSmuME.
  2. Add the code to get the Arceus. Specifically, this is the "Toys R' Us Event" Arceus, which can be used to trigger the special event in HeartGold or SoulSilver. If you are using an Action Replay cartridge, add the necessary codes to the cartridge.
    • Cartridge users will not need to use the following steps.
  3. Start your HeartGold or SoulSilver ROM file in DeSmuME.
  4. Open the "Tools" menu and select "Cheats". This will open another submenu.
  5. Select "List" from the “Cheats” submenu.
  6. Click the “Action Replay” button. A window will appear to enter an Action Replay code.
  7. Paste the following code into the field:
    94000130 FCFF0000
    62111880 00000000
    B2111880 00000000
    E0009E4C 00000104
    00000001 00000001
    00000001 E9FC0000
    80CC3D7B 9AF815B0
    FBD75914 F45879D2
    21244E0C 7405FF78
    DA07DF53 C8E4AE17
    56BF96AC 7676779C
    E9F4F2FF 4E71CC2E
    5C016360 F0098D53
    53ED7155 0F2F1F73
    28FB350E 556B032B
    0D9642E6 4ACD38C7
    C5B85DF2 6D8B57DB
    F79ECB5E D0F22842
    533488C3 E6467D22
    1383A281 BA3458B7
    5D118BF0 F7F08592
    CEC2302C 427E331C
    AC2141C6 1EE9D28A
    B7A578BD 374C4A26
    DEBC0CD8 92F95736
    22317837 D4E459C1
    82413E98 FF91B194
    3CD5D027 02E7D2AB
    1445107D D4934469
    742B3167 A857A728
    138B2BCE 26D8ABF6
    975673D6 C1B333EB
    D8372D49 062303D5
    EEB0FDA5 0AB9A8B3
    474E9945 00000000
    00004000 00000000
    D2000000 00000000
  8. Click “Add”.
  9. Press the L + R buttons when playing the game. This will activate the cheat.
  10. Enter any Pokemart and talk to the green man. He will give you your Event Arceus.
  11. Bring the Arceus to the Ruins of Alph. Make sure that the Arceus is the first Pokémon in your party. When you reach the walk up to the door of the research Center, the special event will start.

Using Action Replay (Black, White, Black 2, and White 2)

  1. Obtain an Action Replay. If you don't have anyone to trade with, your only other option is to cheat. You can purchase an Action Replay that works with your physical Nintendo DS system, or you can use an emulator with built-in Action Replay support like DeSmuME.
  2. Add the code to get the Arceus. If you are using an Action Replay cartridge, add the necessary codes to the cartridge.
    • Cartridge users will not need to use the following steps.
  3. Open the "Tools" menu and select "Cheats". This will open another submenu.
  4. Select "List" from the “Cheats” submenu.
  5. Click the “Action Replay” button. A window will appear to enter an Action Replay code.
  6. Paste the following code into the field:
    94000130 FFFB0000
    B2000024 00000000
    E0019728 00000088
    685011A9 7D1B0000
    D6DEC5D8 786B58CD
    D1ED3A5A A8356E11
    A95338B4 E6B30856
    3060ED18 C48A929A
    ED62CDF2 F2ED582B
    809F1ED7 330490A4
    999526F4 E3EB896F
    7E6DEA63 4B08551B
    541EA774 65543B54
    D0105DB9 9FBDB85E
    2E7703BB 449A106B
    7A296651 1EA8C306
    788C012D A308EFD7
    58D8C3C0 912146BC
    23905D45 DC5E7C3A
    64F8DFF0 5FD54A3D
    E00197B0 00000054
    1BE7612F 5E29FFEE
    07DB2D04 7E4BAB18
    DCEA1E78 52134F69
    7B045533 A8877221
    F7C82C4A C48F9639
    DF9AB077 B66D753E
    E61C58FA E1DC6E8A
    375DFC58 DE41B7C5
    B5271E7E 262111AE
    B595FD2C 49D3051B
    16E7FE90 00000000
    D2000000 00000000

  7. Click “Add”.[4]
  8. Put an expendable Pokémon at the front of your party. When you activate this cheat, your lead Pokémon will be overwritten by the new Arceus, so place a Pokémon you don't care about in the front of your group.
    • The lead Pokémon will be erased and lost forever when this cheat is used.
  9. Press Select to activate the cheat. Your lead Pokémon will be replaced by an Arceus with a random level.

Tips

  • Arceus is not available in X or Y. The only way to obtain Arceus in these games is to trade with another player or transfer an Arceus from an older version using the PokeBank and the PokeTransporter.
  • There are currently no working 3Ds emulators with which to use cheat codes.[5]
  • Action Replay is currently not compatible with 3DS, so there are no codes that you can use to get Arceus. If you need to cheat to get one, you'll need to use a code in a previous version and then transfer it.

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Sources and Citations