How to Get and Evolve Goomy in Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Goomy, the lovable and deceptively powerful Dragon-type Pokémon, is a sought-after companion in Pokémon Legends: Z-A. Its unique evolutionary line culminates in the formidable Goodra, a Pokémon known for its exceptional Special Defense and surprising versatility. This guide provides a comprehensive walkthrough on how to locate Goomy, capture it effectively, and navigate its evolutionary stages to obtain a powerful Goodra for your team. We will delve into optimal locations, required conditions, and strategic considerations to ensure a smooth and rewarding experience.

Finding Goomy: Prime Locations and Encounter Strategies

Securing a Goomy is the first step toward adding Goodra to your roster. Unlike some Pokémon with elusive spawn rates, Goomy’s appearance is generally consistent within specific areas. However, weather conditions and time of day can influence your chances of finding one.

• Specific Locations in Lumiose City (Expected Areas): While the precise map of Lumiose City and its surrounding areas is yet to be revealed for Pokémon Legends: Z-A, based on its Kalos region inspiration, we anticipate Goomy to inhabit areas with significant rainfall or bodies of water. Potential locations include:

  • Areas near artificial waterways: Look for areas along the canals and water features that may be part of the city’s renovated infrastructure. These damp environments would provide ideal habitats for Goomy.
  • Parks and Gardens: The city’s green spaces, especially those with ponds or fountains, could be potential spots for Goomy to appear, particularly after rain.
  • Underground areas with high humidity: Considering the urban revitalization theme, explore any accessible underground areas like sewers or maintenance tunnels, where humidity might be high enough to attract Goomy.

• Weather Conditions: Goomy is most likely to appear during rainy weather. If it’s not raining, consider resting at a base camp until rainfall begins. Check the weather forecast frequently to maximize your chances.

• Time of Day: While Goomy doesn’t have a strict day/night cycle requirement, its spawn rate might be slightly higher during the morning or evening hours when the city is less active.

• Stealth and Approach: Given Goomy’s timid nature, approach it cautiously. Crouch and move slowly to avoid startling it. Using items like Smoke Bombs can provide cover and increase your chances of initiating a battle or catching it outright.

• Utilizing Pokémon Scents and Food: Depending on the mechanics implemented in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, certain scents or food items might attract Goomy to your location. Experiment with different items to see if they influence its appearance rate.

Capturing Goomy: Best Techniques and Strategies

Once you’ve located a Goomy, the next step is to capture it successfully. Its small size and low HP can make it seem easy to catch, but a few strategic considerations will significantly improve your success rate.

• Choosing the Right Poké Ball:

  • Standard Poké Ball: Effective for Goomy at full health.
  • Great Ball: Offers a higher catch rate than a standard Poké Ball, especially useful if Goomy’s HP is slightly reduced.
  • Ultra Ball: Provides the highest catch rate among standard Poké Balls and is recommended for Goomy with low HP or if you’re having trouble catching it with other balls.
  • Specialized Balls: Look for specialized Poké Balls with increased effectiveness in certain situations, such as Net Balls (effective against Water-types, which share a vulnerability with Dragon-types) or Dusk Balls (if encountering Goomy in underground areas or at night).

• Weakening Goomy: Before throwing a Poké Ball, weaken Goomy to increase your chances of a successful capture.

  • Use Non-Lethal Moves: Utilize moves that inflict fixed damage or have a low chance of knocking out Goomy. Examples include False Swipe (if available in the game) or weaker, type-neutral attacks.
  • Status Conditions: Inflicting status conditions like paralysis or sleep can significantly increase your catch rate. Use moves like Thunder Wave or Sleep Powder to incapacitate Goomy temporarily.

• Aiming for Critical Catches: Master the timing of your Poké Ball throws to increase the likelihood of a critical catch, which bypasses the usual shake sequence and guarantees capture. Practice throwing Poké Balls from different distances and angles to improve your accuracy.

• Using Items to Aid Capture: Certain items can make capturing Goomy easier.

  • Berries: Use berries like Razz Berries to make Goomy more docile and increase your catch rate.
  • Sticky Globs (if available): In Pokémon Legends: Arceus, Sticky Globs were used to stun Pokémon. If a similar item exists in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, it could be effective in holding Goomy in place for an easier capture.

Evolving Goomy: A Step-by-Step Guide to Sliggoo and Goodra

Goomy’s evolutionary line is unique, requiring specific conditions to trigger its transformations into Sliggoo and Goodra. Understanding these conditions is crucial for obtaining the final form of this powerful Dragon-type.

Evolving Goomy into Sliggoo:

• Level Requirement: Goomy evolves into Sliggoo starting at level 40.
• Leveling Up: The primary method for leveling up Goomy is through battles. Engage in battles against wild Pokémon, complete trainer battles, or participate in any other combat activities available in Pokémon Legends: Z-A.
• Experience Share: If you have other strong Pokémon in your party, the Experience Share function (if available) can help Goomy gain experience passively, even if it doesn’t participate directly in battles.
• Rare Candies: Use Rare Candies to instantly level up Goomy. However, Rare Candies are typically limited in number, so use them strategically.

Evolving Sliggoo into Goodra: The Rain Requirement

This is where the evolution becomes more complex. Sliggoo does not evolve into Goodra simply by leveling up. It requires a specific weather condition.

• Rainfall: Sliggoo must level up during rainfall to evolve into Goodra. This means you need to find a location where it’s raining and then level up Sliggoo.
• Finding Rainfall:
  • Check the Weather Forecast: Pay attention to the in-game weather forecast. This will give you advance warning of when rain is expected in different areas of Lumiose City and its surroundings.
  • Rest at Base Camp: If it’s not raining, rest at a base camp until rainfall begins. Keep checking the weather forecast to ensure you don’t miss the opportunity.
  • Rain-Inducing Items (If Available): Some Pokémon games include items that can temporarily induce rain. Check if such an item exists in Pokémon Legends: Z-A and use it if needed.
• Leveling Up During Rain: Once it’s raining, level up Sliggoo by:
  • Winning a Battle: Engage in a battle and ensure Sliggoo gains enough experience to level up.
  • Using a Rare Candy: The simplest and most reliable method is to use a Rare Candy while it’s raining. This guarantees the evolution will occur immediately.
• Location Matters (Potentially): While not always the case, some Pokémon evolutions are location-specific. Try evolving Sliggoo near a body of water or in a particularly rainy area to increase the likelihood of success.

Goodra: Stats, Movesets, and Battle Strategies

Once you’ve successfully evolved Sliggoo into Goodra, you’ll have a powerful Dragon-type Pokémon with impressive stats and a diverse movepool. Goodra excels as a special wall and can be a valuable asset to your team.

• Base Stats: Goodra boasts high Special Defense, decent Special Attack, and respectable HP. Its Attack and Speed are lower, making it less effective as a physical attacker or a fast sweeper.
• Type Matchups: As a Dragon-type, Goodra is strong against Dragon-types but weak to Ice, Dragon, and Fairy-type moves. Be mindful of these weaknesses when choosing your battles.
• Recommended Movesets:
  • Special Attacker/Wall:
    • Dragon Pulse/Draco Meteor: Powerful Dragon-type STAB (Same Type Attack Bonus) moves. Draco Meteor has higher power but lowers Special Attack after use.
    • Flamethrower/Fire Blast: Coverage move to deal with Steel-types that resist Dragon-type attacks.
    • Thunderbolt: Coverage move to deal with Water-types and Flying-types.
    • Sludge Bomb/Sludge Wave: Coverage move to deal with Fairy-types, which are a major threat to Dragon-types.
  • Status/Support:
    • Dragon Tail: Forces the opponent to switch out, useful for disrupting strategies.
    • Rain Dance: Sets up rain, which can benefit certain team compositions and boost the power of Water-type moves (if Goodra knows any).
    • Protect: Allows Goodra to scout the opponent’s moves and stall for time.
    • Toxic: Inflicts poison, slowly damaging the opponent over time.
• Held Items:
  • Leftovers: Provides passive HP recovery each turn, increasing Goodra’s longevity as a wall.
  • Assault Vest: Boosts Special Defense but prevents the use of status moves. Suitable for a purely offensive Goodra.
  • Choice Specs: Boosts Special Attack but locks Goodra into using the same move each turn. Risky but can be devastating.
• Battle Strategies:
  • Special Wall: Utilize Goodra’s high Special Defense to absorb special attacks and retaliate with powerful special moves.
  • Status Inflictor: Use status moves like Toxic to wear down opponents or Dragon Tail to disrupt their strategies.
  • Rain Support: If you have a rain-based team, Goodra can set up Rain Dance to boost the power of Water-type moves and activate abilities like Swift Swim.

Tips and Tricks for Goomy and Goodra in Pokémon Legends: Z-A

• Shiny Hunting: If you’re interested in obtaining a Shiny Goomy, the same principles apply: check potential spawn locations during rain, and repeatedly encounter and reset the area until a Shiny Goomy appears. Be patient, as Shiny hunting can be time-consuming.
• Breeding (if applicable): If breeding mechanics are present in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, breed Goodra or Sliggoo with a compatible Pokémon to obtain more Goomy. This is a reliable way to obtain Goomy with desirable natures or IVs (Individual Values).
• Natures: The best natures for Goodra are Modest (increases Special Attack, decreases Attack) for a special attacker and Calm (increases Special Defense, decreases Attack) for a special wall.
• EV Training (if applicable): If EV (Effort Value) training is present, focus on increasing Goodra’s Special Defense and Special Attack to maximize its potential.
• Experiment with Different Builds: Don’t be afraid to experiment with different movesets, items, and strategies to find what works best for your team and playstyle. Goodra is a versatile Pokémon that can be adapted to various roles.

By following this comprehensive guide, you’ll be well-equipped to find, capture, and evolve Goomy into the powerful Goodra in Pokémon Legends: Z-A. Remember to be patient, adaptable, and persistent, and you’ll soon have this formidable Dragon-type Pokémon as a valuable member of your team. Good luck, and happy hunting!