Completing a Pokedex used to be a chore. Seriously. Back in the day, you just caught the same birds and rats until a professor gave you a diploma that lived in your bag and did absolutely nothing. But the Ultra Sun Ultra Moon dex changed that vibe. It’s not just a checklist; it’s a weirdly curated museum of Alolan culture and some of the most brutal lore entries Game Freak has ever dared to write.
If you're jumping back into Gen 7 on your 3DS (or ahem, "other" ways), you'll realize the Alola Dex is a different beast entirely. It’s smaller than the National Dex—thank god—but it’s dense. There are 403 entries. That sounds manageable until you’re four hours deep into a SOS chain trying to find a Mareanie that only shows up if a Corsola calls for help. It’s mean. It’s tedious. And yet, it's easily the most satisfying regional dex to actually finish.
The Alola Regional Dex vs. The National Dex Problem
Let's be real: the National Dex is dead. It died so the modern games could run, and while people are still salty about "Dexit," Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon were the first games to really lean into the idea that the regional dex is the only one that matters. There is no National Dex in these games. You can transfer your old Blaziken from Ruby, sure, but he won't have a Pokedex entry. He's just a ghost in the machine.
This was a massive shift. By focusing strictly on the Ultra Sun Ultra Moon dex, the developers actually gave the Alolan Pokemon room to breathe. You start to notice how the ecosystem works. You see how the Alolan forms—like that ridiculous long-necked Exeggutor or the fabulous Alolan Dugtrio—actually make sense in a tropical environment. It makes the world feel lived-in rather than just a grid of random encounters.
The SOS Battle Grind
If you want to complete the Ultra Sun Ultra Moon dex, you have to master SOS battles. This is the mechanic everyone loves to hate. You get a Pokemon low on health, it cries for help, and a second Pokemon appears. Easy, right? Wrong.
Some species only appear via SOS. Take Salamence. You can technically find a level 10 Salamence on Route 3 if you have the patience of a saint. You have to find a Bagon—which has a 1% encounter rate—and then wait for it to call for help, and then hope that 1% chance for Salamence hits. It’s a gambling simulator disguised as a monster catcher. Honestly, it’s kind of brilliant. It turns a standard encounter into a high-stakes mini-game. You’re managing Adrenaline Orbs, checking PP counts, and praying your False Swipe lead doesn’t get knocked out by a lucky crit.
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Lore That Actually Goes Hard
We need to talk about the Rotom Dex entries. People usually skip the text, but the Ultra Sun Ultra Moon dex entries are famously dark. Gen 7 was when the writers decided to lean into the "Pokemon are actually terrifying" angle.
Take Gengar's entry in Ultra Moon. It says, "Even your home isn't safe. Gengar will lurk in any dark corner of a room it can find and wait for its chance to steal its prey's life." Or look at Primeape. Most games say it’s just angry. Ultra Sun tells you it sometimes gets so angry it dies, but looks peaceful in death. That is heavy. It gives the act of "completing the dex" a sense of morbid curiosity. You aren't just collecting data; you're uncovering the weird, often lethal nature of the world around you.
Version Exclusives and the Ultra Wormhole
You can't finish the Ultra Sun Ultra Moon dex alone. It’s physically impossible. Ultra Sun has things like Buzzwole and Kartana; Ultra Moon has Pheromosa and Celesteela. Then you have the legendary splits: Solgaleo vs. Lunala, or the different paths for Lycanroc.
But the real kicker is the Ultra Wormhole. This was the big "Ultra" addition. By riding Solgaleo or Lunala through a literal space-time rift, you can find non-Alolan legendaries and Ultra Beasts. It’s a psychedelic mini-game that rewards you with guaranteed Shinies if you travel far enough. If you’re trying to 100% the dex, this is where you’ll spend your endgame. It’s much more engaging than just walking through tall grass. You’re aiming for specific colored holes, dodging energy spheres, and trying not to get sucked into a tier-1 portal when you’re hunting for a Mewtwo.
The Shiny Charm Carrot
Why do we do this? For the Shiny Charm. Once you hit that 400+ mark and show your finished Ultra Sun Ultra Moon dex to the Game Director in Heahea City, you get the charm. This is the holy grail for collectors.
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In Alola, the Shiny Charm combined with SOS chaining makes shiny hunting actually viable for casual players. Without the charm, your odds are 1 in 4096. With it? They plummet. If you hit a chain of 31+ in an SOS battle with the Shiny Charm, your odds become roughly 1 in 273. Those are insane numbers for a mainline Pokemon game. It turns the "impossible" task of finding a shiny into a weekend project.
Evolution Methods That Will Break You
The Alola Dex is notorious for some of the most specific evolution requirements in the series. You have:
- Vikavolt: Only evolves at Vast Poni Canyon (unless you're in the Ultra games, where they mercifully added the Blush Mountain option).
- Crabominable: Only at Mount Lanakila.
- Salazzle: Only females evolve. If you spend three hours leveling up a male Salandit, I am so sorry. You’ve wasted your time.
- Midnight vs. Midday Lycanroc: Dependent on your game version and the time of day.
Managing these quirks is what separates a casual player from a Dex completionist. You have to plan. You have to check the clock. You have to know that Alolan Marowak only evolves at night, or you'll be staring at a level 50 Cubone wondering what went wrong.
Managing the Island Scan
The Island Scan is a feature a lot of people forget about when talking about the Ultra Sun Ultra Moon dex, but it’s essential for those rare "non-native" Alolan entries. By scanning QR codes, you earn points. At 100 points, you can scan an island to find a rare Pokemon like Charmander, Deino, or Honedge.
But there’s a catch. You only get one scan per 100 points, and the Pokemon only stays for an hour. If you mess up the catch or accidentally knock it out, you’re done for the day. It adds a layer of "daily quest" energy to the game that keeps it from feeling like a mindless grind. You start looking up QR code databases just to get that one specific starter you need.
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The Mythicals and the Magearna Secret
Most people think completing the Ultra Sun Ultra Moon dex requires Marshadow or Zeraora. It doesn't. Mythicals are never required for the Shiny Charm. However, there is one "secret" Mythical you can still get today without a limited-time event.
If you scan a specific QR code (which is still active and easy to find online), you can pick up a Magearna at the Antiquities of the Ages shop in Hau'oli City. It’s a free level 50 Mythical just for playing. It’s one of the few times Pokemon has left a legendary "open" for everyone regardless of when they bought the game. It’s a nice little bonus for anyone still grinding out the Alola Dex years after the game's prime.
What Most People Get Wrong About completion
People assume you need to transfer 800+ Pokemon to "finish" these games. You don't. Because the National Dex isn't in the game code, your goal is strictly the 403 Alolan entries. This makes it a perfect entry point for someone who wants that 100% feeling without needing a collection dating back to 2003.
It’s a self-contained ecosystem. It’s challenging because of the SOS mechanics and the version exclusives, but it’s fair. You don't need a copy of Pokemon Ranger or a weird DS wireless adapter. You just need a 3DS and a lot of patience for Rotom’s constant chatting.
Step-by-Step Action Plan for Dex Completion
If you're looking to actually finish this thing, don't just wander into the grass. You need a strategy or you'll burn out by the second island.
- Catch a Smeargle Immediately: Route 2. This is your MVP. Teach it False Swipe, a paralysis move (like Thunder Wave), and a recovery move. You need this for SOS chaining.
- Stock up on Adrenaline Orbs: You can buy these at any Poke Mart after the first few trials. Use one at the start of an SOS battle to make the wild Pokemon call for help more often.
- The GTS is Your Friend (Mostly): While the GTS is currently a bit of a mess with hacked mons, you can still find legitimate trades for version exclusives if you put up a decent offer like a Breedject or a rare item.
- Use the "Leppa Berry" Trick: If you're going for a long SOS chain (like for a 4IV ditto or a shiny), give your Smeargle a Leppa Berry and use the move "Recycle." This prevents you from running out of PP and struggling to death.
- Check the Time: Remember that Ultra Moon is offset by 12 hours from your 3DS clock. If you need a night evolution and it’s noon outside, you’re in luck—or you’re in for a long wait if you’re playing Ultra Sun.
- Register Magearna: Find the QR code online and scan it. It doesn't help with the Shiny Charm, but it's a "free" entry that looks great in your collection and is a beast in battle.
Finish the islands one by one. Don't move from Melemele to Akala until you've caught everything possible. It feels much less daunting when you break it down by geography rather than just looking at a massive list of 403 names. Once you get that Shiny Charm, the real game begins.