You’re standing in the back of a moving truck. It’s cramped. Your mom tells you to set the clock, and just like that, you’ve started one of the most polarizing yet beloved generations in Pokémon history. Hoenn is a weird place. It’s got way too much water, a ridiculous amount of HMs you're forced to carry, and two teams of villains who basically want to commit ecological suicide because they don't understand how clouds or evaporation work.
If you’re looking for a Ruby and Sapphire walkthrough, you aren't just looking for a list of gyms. You’re looking for a way to survive the slog between the fifth and seventh badges without losing your mind to a Tentacool encounter every four seconds.
Let’s be real. Gen 3 was a massive technical leap from the Game Boy Color, but it introduced some mechanics that still frustrate people twenty years later. We’re talking about the physical/special split—or rather, the lack of one. In Ruby and Sapphire, whether a move uses your Attack or Special Attack stat depends entirely on its type. Fire is always special. Ground is always physical. This means your Gyarados is kind of a wet noodle because its high Attack stat doesn't help its Water-type moves. It’s these little nuances that make or break a playthrough.
Picking Your Starter and the Early Game Hustle
Choosing a starter in Littleroot Town is the first "make or break" moment. Most speedrunners and competitive players will tell you Mudkip is the objective king. Why? Because Marshtomp’s Water/Ground typing is basically a cheat code for the Hoenn region. You become immune to Electric moves, which is huge in a region dominated by the sea. Plus, the first gym is Rock. You literally just press "Water Gun" and win.
Treecko is the "hard mode" pick. It’s fast, sure, but Grass types struggle against the sheer volume of Bug, Poison, and Flying types early on. Torchic is the middle ground. It’s cute, it turns into a Fighting type (Combusken), and it hits like a truck, but you’ll feel the pain when you hit the seafaring routes later.
After you grab your Pokédex and beat your rival (who is surprisingly nice compared to Blue or Silver), you head to Petalburg. You meet your dad, Norman. He’s a jerk who won't fight you yet. Instead, you have to help a sickly kid named Wally catch a Ralts. Honestly, watching Wally find a Ralts on his first try while you spend three hours in the grass looking for one is the true Ruby and Sapphire experience.
The Roxanne and Brawly Hurdle
Rustboro City is your first real test. Roxanne uses Rock types. If you picked Mudkip or Treecko, this is a breeze. If you picked Torchic, you better have caught a Shroomish in Petalburg Woods or evolved your bird into Combusken to get Double Kick.
Once you get the Stone Badge, things get messy. You have to rescue a Wingull named Peeko. Then you meet Mr. Briney, an old sailor who is your primary mode of transportation until you get the HM for Surf. He takes you to Dewford Town.
Dewford is home to Brawly. His gym is dark, which is a gimmick that returns in almost every generation. Brawly uses Fighting types. If you caught a Taillow or a Wingull earlier, use them. If not, go into the Granite Cave nearby and find a Sableye (if you're playing Sapphire) or just power through. Granite Cave is also where you find Steven Stone. He’s the Champion, he likes rocks, and he gives you the TM for Steel Wing. Keep track of him; he’s the most important NPC in the game.
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The Mid-Game Complexity: Slateport to Mauville
Landing in Slateport City feels like the game finally opens up. There’s a beach, an oceanic museum, and the first major encounters with Team Magma or Team Aqua. The Ruby and Sapphire walkthrough shifts here from a linear path to a series of errands. You have to deliver parts to Captain Stern. You have to fight your rival under a cycling road.
Mauville City is the central hub. It’s where you get the Bike. Pro tip: Always get the Mach Bike first. The Acro Bike is cool for tricks, but you need the Mach Bike to get up muddy slopes and finish certain puzzles later in the Sky Pillar.
Wattson, the Mauville Gym Leader, is a laughing old man who will absolutely wreck you with Magneton if you aren't prepared. This is where having a Marshtomp or a Geodude becomes mandatory. Electricity doesn't care about your feelings.
The Long Trek North
After Mauville, you head north toward Fallarbor Town. You’ll pass through fiery caves and ash-covered fields. This area is great for grinding. You’ll meet Professor Cozmo, get bamboozled by the villainous teams at Meteor Falls, and eventually head to Mt. Chimney.
The battle at the top of the volcano is iconic. Whether you’re stopping Maxie from erupting the volcano (Ruby) or Archie from... wait, what was Archie doing? Team Aqua's plan makes even less sense. They want to flood the world? In a game that is already 60% water? Bold move.
The Norman Wall and the Weather Institute
Once you beat Flannery in Lavaridge Town—watch out for her Overheat, it deletes Pokémon—you finally get to go back to Petalburg and fight your dad.
Norman is the "gatekeeper" of the mid-game. His Slaking is a monster. It has massive stats but can only move every other turn because of the Truant ability. The strategy here is simple: Protect. If you have a Pokémon with the move Protect, use it on the turns Slaking can attack. On the turns he's "loafing around," hit him with everything you’ve got.
Beating Norman gives you Surf. The world is now your oyster, or your Shellder.
You head east toward Fortree City, but you’ll get stopped at the Weather Institute. This is a mandatory story beat where you kick out the bad guys and get a Castform as a reward. Castform is gimmicky and mostly useless for a main-team slot, but it’s a neat bit of lore.
Fortree, Lilycove, and the Great Ocean Slog
Fortree City is cool because the houses are in trees. The gym leader, Winona, uses Flying types. Her Altaria uses Dragon Dance and Earthquake. It is surprisingly dangerous.
After Fortree, you hit Lilycove City. This is the end of the road for walking. From here on out, you are living on the back of a Pokémon. You’ll raid the Team Magma/Aqua hideout, watch a legendary Pokémon wake up and run away to an underwater cave, and then realize you need the HM for Dive.
The Ruby and Sapphire walkthrough gets confusing here. You have to go to Mossdeep City, beat the twins Tate and Liza in a double battle (the first of its kind for a gym), and then use Dive in a very specific patch of dark water on Route 128 to find the Seafloor Cavern.
Dealing with Kyogre and Groudon
Depending on your version, you’re either facing a drought or a monsoon. You have to go to Sootopolis City. It’s a city inside a crater. You enter the Cave of Origin, find the legendary beast, and either catch it or knock it out.
Advice: Use your Master Ball on Kyogre or Groudon. You might want to save it for the roaming Latios or Latias later, but for a standard playthrough, making the legendary fight easy saves a lot of stress.
The Final Stretch: Victory Road and the Elite Four
Sootopolis Gym is the last one. Wallace (or Juan in Emerald, but we’re sticking to Ruby/Sapphire) uses Water types. It’s a multi-level ice puzzle. Fall through the cracks and you fight trainers. Finish the puzzle and you fight the leader.
Victory Road in Hoenn is a nightmare. You need Flash, Strength, Rock Smash, Surf, and Waterfall. You basically need two "HM slaves" just to navigate the cave. Wally meets you at the end for one last battle. He’s grown up. His Gardevoir is tough. Beat him, and you’re at the Pokémon League.
The Elite Four breakdown:
- Sidney: Dark types. Use Fighting or Bug moves. Easy start.
- Phoebe: Ghost types. This is tricky because of the physical/special split. Shadow Ball is physical in this game. Use high-defense Pokémon or your own Ghosts.
- Glacia: Ice types. She has two Sealeos and two Walreins. They love to use Sheer Cold. Do not let the fight drag on.
- Drake: Dragon types. If you have an Ice move (Ice Beam is a TM in the Abandoned Ship), you win. If not, good luck.
Finally, Steven. He’s the Champion. He uses Steel types but also has a Cradily and an Armaldo. His Metagross is the hardest Pokémon in the game. It’s fast, it’s tanky, and its Meteor Mash will ruin your day. Bring lots of Full Restores.
Post-Game and the Real End
Once the credits roll, you aren't actually done. You wake up back in your room. Your dad gives you a ferry ticket. You can now catch the roaming legendary (Latias in Sapphire, Latios in Ruby). You can also go to the Battle Tower, which was the precursor to the much more famous Battle Frontier in Emerald.
The biggest thing most people miss is the Regis. Finding Regirock, Regice, and Registeel requires a literal knowledge of Braille. You need a Wailord and a Relicanth in specific spots in your party while sitting in a specific underwater trench. It’s one of the most obtuse and brilliant puzzles in gaming history.
Actionable Steps for Your Playthrough
If you’re booting up a copy of Ruby or Sapphire today, keep these specific strategies in mind to avoid the common pitfalls:
- The HM Problem: Do not clutter your starter's moveset with HMs. Catch a Zigzagoon (it has the Pickup ability for free items anyway) and a Marill to act as your "utility" Pokémon.
- The Power of Manectric: Electric types are vital for the late-game water routes. Catch an Electrike near Mauville. It evolves into Manectric and will carry you through the 8th gym and parts of the Elite Four.
- The Ice Beam TM: Go to the Abandoned Ship on Route 108 as soon as you have Surf. You need the Scanner to get the Ice Beam TM. Without this, the Dragon-type Elite Four member is significantly harder.
- The Physical/Special Trap: Remember that in this generation, Fire, Water, Electric, Grass, Ice, Psychic, Dragon, and Dark are all Special. Everything else (Normal, Fighting, Flying, Ground, Rock, Bug, Ghost, Poison, Steel) is Physical. Check your Pokémon's stats before teaching them TMs.
Hoenn is a journey of high peaks and very wet valleys. It’s a game that rewards exploration but punishes a lack of preparation. Map out your team early, respect the HMs, and don't forget to pack plenty of Repels for the surf to Ever Grande City.