Roaming Pokémon

A roaming Pokémon (Japanese: 移動してるポケモン migrating Pokémon) is a Legendary Pokémon that, instead of remaining in one place as a special event, runs around the region it appears in, seemingly at random. Roaming Pokémon have appeared in every core series game from Generations II through VI except Black 2 and White 2 and Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire.

Mechanics

This section is incomplete. Please feel free to edit this section to add missing information and complete it. Reason: When are IVs, natures, and personality determined? Double-check whether roaming Pokémon in Generation III will attempt to flee if they are able to after the first turn

In addition to changing routes (something that happens every time the player moves to a new area), roaming Pokémon will also attempt to flee from battle.

Generation II

When encountering a roaming Pokémon for the first time, their HP and DVs are initialized. Those stats remain static once generated. This means that Shiny Pokémon will remain Shiny, and any damage you've done to them will remain across battles.

In addition to moving around each time you change map, all currently roaming Pokémon will also move after each battle with a 1/16 chance (always, if you just encountered a roaming Pokémon, not merely the one you just encountered).

There is a 1/8N chance that a roaming Pokémon will move to a completely random map other than the one the player is on, where N is the amount of possible connections to where the roaming Pokémon is at the moment. Otherwise, a roaming Pokémon will move to an adjacant route. A roaming Pokémon will never move past Olivine, meaning that if it is currently on Route 39, it will always move to Route 38.

A roaming Pokémon will flee on any turn it is able to, immediately before it would use its move; if it is unable to flee, it will instead use its prepared move. Since the roaming Pokémon in Generation II all know moves with different priorities, depending on the move they are prepared to use, the player's Pokémon may sometimes act before it flees and sometimes not.

The player can stop a roaming Pokémon from fleeing by using trapping moves (such as Mean Look or Wrap). Sleep and freeze also prevent the Pokémon from fleeing.

If a roaming Pokémon is defeated, it will not reappear under any conditions.

Generation III

From Generation III onward, if a roaming Pokémon is afflicted by a non-volatile status condition, it will retain those effects in subsequent encounters.

If a roaming Pokémon is not already trapped, each turn it will attempt to flee at an effective priority of 0 instead of using a move. If it becomes trapped in the battle during the turn, it will attempt to flee but fail. If it is already trapped at the start of a turn, it will use a move instead of attempting to flee.

A roaming Pokémon can become trapped if it is hit by a trapping move before it is able to act. Trapping Abilities (such as Shadow Tag) can only prevent the Pokémon from attempting to flee if in place at the start of the turn; if a Pokémon with a trapping Ability is switched in, its Ability will not prevent the roaming Pokémon from fleeing on that turn if it is able. Status conditions do not prevent a roaming Pokémon from fleeing.

Generation IV

Starting in Platinum, if the player defeats a roaming Pokémon, it will reappear when the player next enters the Hall of Fame, but the player must retrigger its roaming. For example, if the player defeats Mesprit and then enters the Hall of Fame, Mesprit will only begin roaming again once the player visits Verity Cavern.

Generation V

If a roaming Pokémon is not already trapped, each turn it will attempt to flee at an effective priority of -7 instead of using a move. If it becomes trapped (either by a trapping move or Ability) before it is able to act, it will attempt to flee but fail.

If the player defeats a roaming Pokémon, it will reappear when the player next enters the Hall of Fame.

Generation VI

A roaming Pokémon will flee unconditionally after the player sends out their Pokémon. It will become stationary in a specific area after the player encounters it 11 times.

If a roaming Pokémon is defeated, it will reappear in its stationary position the next time the player enters the Hall of Fame.

Tracking

In Generations II, III and VI, players can use their Pokédex to check the current location of a roaming Pokémon (after they have seen it). In Generation IV, the Pokétch's Marking Map^DPPt application and the Pokégear's map card^HGSS serve this purpose. In Generation V, the player can track their locations using the notifications of stormy weather on electric bulletin boards in gates.

List of roaming Pokémon

Generation II

The Legendary beasts are found roaming Johto in Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal; however, Suicune is not roaming in Crystal, where it instead can be found at the Tin Tower. They can be captured at any point after they are disturbed by the player in Ecruteak City's Brass Tower.

Pokémon	Games						Location	Levels	Rate
Raikou	G		S		C		Grass	40	Event
Entei	G		S		C		Grass	40	Event
Suicune	G		S		C		Grass	40	Event
A colored background means that the Pokémon can be found in this location in the specified game. A white background with a colored letter means that the Pokémon cannot be found here.

Generation III

Hoenn

The Eon Pokémon can be caught in Hoenn after defeating the Elite Four for the first time. Only one will roam Hoenn; the other can be obtained on Southern Island with the Eon Ticket. In Emerald, the roaming Pokémon will depend on the color of Pokémon that the player tells their Mom was on the TV; red will result in Latias roaming, while blue will result in Latios roaming. These are the only two roaming Pokémon that can be encountered while Surfing. In Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, the roaming Pokémon will have low individual values due to the Roaming Pokémon IV bug.

Pokémon	Games						Location	Levels	Rate
Latias	R		S		E		Grass	40	Event
Latios	R		S		E		Grass	40	Event
Surfing
Latias	R		S		E		Surfing	40	Event
Latios	R		S		E		Surfing	40	Event
A colored background means that the Pokémon can be found in this location in the specified game. A white background with a colored letter means that the Pokémon cannot be found here.

Kanto

One of the three Legendary beasts will roam Kanto in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, depending on the type weakness of the player's chosen starter Pokémon (Raikou for Squirtle, Entei for Bulbasaur, Suicune for Charmander). It will commence roaming the Kanto mainland after the player defeats Team Rocket in the Rocket Warehouse on Five Island and delivers the Sapphire to Celio. It will have low IVs due to the Roaming Pokémon IV bug, and if it uses Roar to flee, it will disappear permanently due to the roaming Roar bug.

Pokémon	Games						Location	Levels	Rate
Raikou	FR			LG			Grass	50	Event
Entei	FR			LG			Grass	50	Event
Suicune	FR			LG			Grass	50	Event
A colored background means that the Pokémon can be found in this location in the specified game. A white background with a colored letter means that the Pokémon cannot be found here.

Generation IV

In all Generation IV games, entering a gate does not cause roaming Pokémon to change routes, even if the player's location changes as a result.

Sinnoh

Sinnoh has five roaming Pokémon, each of which is available in the wild after certain events have taken place. Mesprit will roam after the player goes to Lake Verity after defeating Team Galactic at Mt. Coronet, Cresselia will appear after the player helps cure Eldritch's son's nightmares, and the Legendary birds will appear in Platinum only after the player first talks to Professor Oak in Eterna City.

Pokémon	Games						Location	Levels	Rate
Articuno	D		P		Pt		Grass	60	Event
Zapdos	D		P		Pt		Grass	60	Event
Moltres	D		P		Pt		Grass	60	Event
Mesprit	D		P		Pt		Grass	50	Event
Cresselia	D		P		Pt		Grass	50	Event
A colored background means that the Pokémon can be found in this location in the specified game. A white background with a colored letter means that the Pokémon cannot be found here.

Johto and Kanto

In Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, Raikou and Entei will roam Johto after meeting them in the Burned Tower. After leaving the Vermilion City Pokémon Fan Club house with Copycat's doll, Latios or Latias will start roaming Kanto.

Pokémon	Games						Location	Levels	Rate
Raikou	HG			SS			Grass	40	Event
Entei	HG			SS			Grass	40	Event
Latias	HG			SS			Grass	35	Event
Latios	HG			SS			Grass	35	Event
A colored background means that the Pokémon can be found in this location in the specified game. A white background with a colored letter means that the Pokémon cannot be found here.

Generation V

In Pokémon Black and White, after obtaining the Legend Badge, when entering the gate leading to Route 10, the woman behind the desk will alert the player about the big storm on Route 7. Tornadus^B or Thundurus^W will make the weather more extreme in Route 7 when entering the route. Heading towards the second house on the route will cause an old lady to come out and pull the player in. She will then recite the story of either Tornadus^B or Thundurus^W. Upon exiting the house, the player will be approached by the respective Pokémon, which will then fly off and will roam around Unova until being caught or defeated. Wherever these Pokémon appear will be subject to weather identified as "stormy" by the bulletin boards in gates. Only these two Pokémon can cause stormy weather (which manifests as rain in-battle), so they can be tracked down using the bulletin boards.

Unlike other generations, the roaming Pokémon's location varies depending on the time of day. At night, between midnight and morning, the Pokémon can only be encountered in Routes 12, 13, 14 and 15, in the morning it can only be encountered in Routes 2, 3 and 18, during the daytime it can only be encountered in Routes 4, 5 and 16, in the evening it can only be encountered in Routes 6, 7 and 8 and at night before midnight it can only be encountered in Routes 9, 10 and 11.

Bulletin boards can be considered somewhat inferior to the tracking methods of previous generations, as, unlike Generation IV, Tornadus or Thundurus's location changes when the player exits the gate. However, as they simply cycle between three or four routes, one may continuously re-enter and exit the same gate until the route displays stormy weather.

Pokémon	Games						Location	Levels	Rate
Tornadus	B			W			Grass	40	Event
Thundurus	B			W			Grass	40	Event
A colored background means that the Pokémon can be found in this location in the specified game. A white background with a colored letter means that the Pokémon cannot be found here.

Generation VI

In Pokémon X and Y, one of the Legendary birds roams the Kalos region, depending on the chosen starter Pokémon: Articuno if the chosen starter Pokémon was Chespin, Zapdos if it was Fennekin, and Moltres if it was Froakie. It will begin to roam after the player has defeated the Pokémon League, and it will always be the first wild Pokémon encountered in tall grass after the Pokémon League has been defeated.

If the player uses Fly, the roaming Pokémon will relocate to a random location. Traveling normally, on the other hand, will only provide a small chance for the roaming Pokémon to change routes, and even then it will move to an adjacent route. Furthermore, entering any of the connecting gates between cities (or Victory Road) may cause the roaming Pokémon to relocate randomly. This appears to be on a timer, however, as immediately pursuing the roaming Pokémon does not seem to cause it to change location.

As the bird will automatically flee upon encounter, it cannot be caught until after it has been encountered an additional 10 times (not counting the first encounter), and has subsequently retreated to the Sea Spirit's Den in Azure Bay, where it remains as a stationary Legendary Pokémon. However, if the battle in the Sea Spirit's Den is fled from, the bird will begin roaming Kalos again as before.

Pokémon	Games						Location	Levels	Rate
Articuno	X			Y			Grass	70	Event
Zapdos	X			Y			Grass	70	Event
Moltres	X			Y			Grass	70	Event
A colored background means that the Pokémon can be found in this location in the specified game. A white background with a colored letter means that the Pokémon cannot be found here.

In other languages

Language Title French Pokémon mouvant German Umherziehende Pokémon Italian Pokémon che si spostano da un luogo all'altro Korean 이동하는 포켓몬 migrating Pokémon Spanish Pokémon Errante

Game locations of Legendary and Mythical Pokémon

Kanto Seafoam Islands • Power Plant • Victory Road • Cerulean Cave Route 10 • Route 25 • Pewter City • Roaming Pokémon Sevii Islands Mt. Ember • Navel Rock • Birth Island Johto Ilex Forest • Bell Tower • Whirl Islands • Mt. Silver Cave Burned Tower • Embedded Tower • Roaming Pokémon Hoenn Desert Ruins • Island Cave • Ancient Tomb • Cave of Origin • Marine Cave Terra Cave • Sky Pillar • Southern Island • Sea Mauville • Scorched Slab Pathless Plain • Nameless Cavern • Fabled Cave • Gnarled Den Trackless Forest • Crescent Isle • Sky • Roaming Pokémon Sinnoh Acuity Cavern • Valor Cavern • Spear Pillar • Turnback Cave Rock Peak Ruins • Iceberg Ruins • Iron Ruins • Snowpoint Temple Stark Mountain • Newmoon Island • Flower Paradise • Hall of Origin Ramanas Park • Floaroma Town • Roaming Pokémon Unova Guidance Chamber • Trial Chamber • Rumination Field • N's Castle • Abundant Shrine Giant Chasm • Dragonspiral Tower • Liberty Garden • Route 11 • Route 13 • Route 22 Route 23 • Celestial Tower • Nacrene City • Underground Ruins • Twist Mountain Dreamyard • Marvelous Bridge • Reversal Mountain • Coastal Biome • Roaming Pokémon Kalos Sea Spirit's Den • Team Flare Secret HQ • Terminus Cave Unknown Dungeon • Roaming Pokémon Alola Route 16 • Altar of the Sunne • Altar of the Moone • Mount Lanakila • Mahalo Trail Ruins of Conflict • Ruins of Life • Ruins of Abundance • Ruins of Hope Aether Paradise • Ancient Poni Path • Lake of the Sunne • Lake of the Moone Ten Carat Hill • Resolution Cave Galar Tower summit • Battle Tower • Master Dojo • Crown Shrine • Max Lair Rock Peak Ruins • Iceberg Ruins • Iron Ruins • Split-Decision Ruins • Giant's Bed Frigid Sea • Lakeside Cave • Ballimere Lake • Freezington • Roaming Pokémon Hisui Seaside Hollow • Temple of Sinnoh • Acuity Cavern • Valor Cavern • Verity Cavern Lava Dome Sanctum • Moonview Arena • Snowpoint Temple • Turnback Cave • Bonechill Wastes Cobalt Coastlands • Ramanas Island • Scarlet Bog • Coronet Highlands • Floaro Gardens Paldea Grasswither Shrine • Icerend Shrine • Groundblight Shrine • Firescourge Shrine Poco Path • Area Zero • Area Zero Underdepths • Glaseado Mountain South Province (Area One) • Asado Desert • West Province (Area One) • East Province (Area Three) Casseroya Lake • North Paldean Sea • South Province (Area Four) • North Province (Area Two) Alfornada Cavern • Great Crater of Paldea • Tagtree Thicket • East Province (Area One) South Province (Area Five) • Dalizapa Passage • Pokémon League • Socarrat Trail Kitakami Paradise Barrens • Wistful Fields • Oni Mountain • Dreaded Den • Loyalty Plaza Other Faraway Island • Distortion World • Sinjoh Ruins • Ultra Space Wilds

This game mechanic article is part of Project Games, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on the Pokémon games.