Turnback Cave

Turnback Cave		もどりのどうくつ Returning Cave
"Wild Missingno. appeared!"

Location:

Sendoff Spring

Region:

Sinnoh

Generations:

IV

Location of Turnback Cave in Sinnoh.

Pokémon world locations

Turnback Cave (Japanese: もどりのどうくつ Returning Cave) is a maze-like cave filled with dense fog which is home to the legendary Pokémon, Giratina. Turnback Cave is located at the north-central region of Sendoff Spring, which itself may only be accessed through the Spring Path. In Diamond and Pearl, in the room Giratina resides in is an inscription that implies the cave is a location where the separation between the real world and the Distortion World is weaker. This is more or less confirmed in Platinum, where a portal to the Distortion World appears in front of the inscription. It reads:

This is... That where life sparkles... That where life has faded... A place where two worlds overlap...

The only way to locate Giratina is to pass the three pillars before passing through thirty rooms as the inscription in the entrance says:

...Past three pillars...to the sleeping... ...before 30 is surpassed...

There is no way to consistently traverse the cave as rooms are always randomized upon entry, but the best hint to navigate the puzzle is to look at the pattern of rocks on the floor of each room, and enter the door out of the three which has the odd pattern. When the three pillars have been encountered the first time, Giratina will be in the next room. Escape Ropes and Dig cannot be used to escape, but if one turns back and leaves through the door from which they entered, it will warp them directly to the first room. When the player reaches a pillar and examines it two numbers will appear: the top number indicates which pillar the player is looking at, and the bottom indicates how many rooms have been passed through on the way to it.

After catching Giratina, one can return through the cave to obtain a rare item, depending on how many rooms it takes to reach Giratina's room again. In just 3 rooms, the item will be a Reaper Cloth; 4 to 15 will earn a Rare Bone; 16 to 30 will earn a Stardust. Over 30 rooms, of course, will return the player to the entrance. Riding the Bicycle seems to increase the chance of next entering a pillar room. Rare items regenerate by returning to the cave each time, and they can even be received with Giratina still in the room. In Pokémon Platinum, it will have an item and the portal to the Distortion World.

Geography

Rooms and pillars

A pillar

There is much mystery shrouding Turnback Cave, in relation to getting consistently to Giratina's room. Rooms occur randomly when the player goes through an entrance. The only way to locate Giratina is to pass the three pillars before passing through thirty rooms. The best hint to navigate the puzzle is to look at the pattern of rocks on the floor of each room, and enter the door out of the three which has the odd pattern. Riding the Bicycle also seems to help. Some players have tried to enter a certain door repeatedly —like the northern door— and sometimes this oddly works, however this is only a coincidence. When the three pillars have been encountered the first time, Giratina will be in the next room. Each pillar has two numbers on it: the top number indicates which pillar the player is looking at, and the bottom indicates how many rooms have been passed through on the way to it.

Items

	Location	Games
Reaper Cloth	Every time the player reaches the last room by passing through only 3 rooms.	D P Pt
Rare Bone	Every time the player reaches the last room by passing through 4-15 rooms.	D P Pt
Stardust	Every time the player reaches the last room by passing through 16-30 rooms.	D P Pt