How to Catch a Shiny Haxorus: A Foolproof Tutorial

Catch this special Dragon-type Pokémon in the Nature Preserve

Co-authored by Ishrak and Janice Tieperman

Last Updated: February 7, 2025 Fact Checked

Shiny Haxorus is a special Pokémon that’s available after you’ve completed the main portion of Pokémon Black 2 or Pokémon White 2 and completely filled out your Unova Pokédex. Once you’ve visited Professor Juniper and received a Permit to re-enter the Nature Preserve, you’ll be ready to go—and we’re here to show you how. Read on to learn everything there is to know about successfully battling and catching this unique Pokémon.

How to Get Shiny Haxorus

Earn the Pokémon Champion title by defeating the Elite 4 and Pokémon Champion Iris.
Complete the Unova Pokédex by catching or seeing all 297 Pokémon in the region.
Get a Permit from Professor Juniper in Nuvema Town.
Enter the Nature Preserve in Mistralton City and find the shiny Haxorus there.
Battle and catch the shiny Haxorus.

1

Become the Pokémon Champion.

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Beat the Elite 4 as well as the Pokémon Champion. Before you can find the shiny Haxorus, you’ll need to collect all 8 Unova Gym Badges, beat the Elite 4, and defeat the Pokémon Champion. Find these competitors on the north end of Victory Road—just be prepared to battle some trainers along the way!
- As a refresher, the Elite 4 include Shauntal, a Ghost-type expert; Grimsley, a Dark-type expert; Caitlin, a Psychic-type expert; and Marshall, a Fighting-type expert.
- Pokémon Champion Iris is a Dragon-type expert. Expect to fight a level 57 Hydreigon (Dark/Dragon), a level 57 Druddigon (Dragon), a level 57 Archeops (Rock/Flying), a level 57 Aggron (Steel/Rock), a level 57 Lapras (Water/Ice), and a level 59 Haxorus (Dragon).^{[1]
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2

Complete the Unova Pokédex.

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To complete this Pokédex, you only need to see—not capture—all 297 Pokémon in the wild. This doesn’t include Keldeo, Genesect, Victini, or Meloetta, which are all Event-exclusive Pokémon.^{[2]
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3

Visit Professor Juniper.

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Head to the town you started the game in—just north of your childhood home, you’ll find Professor Juniper’s lab. Speak with the Professor and show her your completed Pokédex; in return, she’ll give you a Permit, which allows you to enter the Nature Preserve again.^{[3]
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4

Go to Mistralton City and fly to the Nature Preserve.

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The shiny Haxorus spawns in the middle of this Nature Preserve. Use Fly to get to the city directly, or reach the city via Route 7. Then, enter the Cargo Service building and talk to the person behind the counter. Present the Permit to automatically be flown to the Nature Preserve.^{[4]
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- The Cargo Service building is just northwest of the city’s Pokémon Center.

5

Find Haxorus in the Nature Preserve.

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When you land, start on the left edge of the Preserve. Walk down to the bottom of the screen, past the plane—then, walk to the right. Go up through the opening in the trees; after a few moments of walking, find Haxorus sitting in the center of a clearing.

6

Save your game and adjust your team.

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Saving allows you to redo the battle infinitely if anything goes wrong. Pull up the main menu in your Pokémon game and hit the “Save” option. At this point, make any necessary changes to your roster. It’s ideal to have a Pokémon on your team that knows the “False Swipe” move, which allows you to safely lower Haxorus’s health without knocking it out.^{[5]
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- Don’t have False Swipe? You can pick it up from a Pokémon researcher on Reversal Mountain.^{[6]
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- Haxorus is level 60. Chances are, your current team is more than strong enough to defeat the Pokémon without any issues—the main challenge will be not knocking it out.

7

Start the fight.

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Walk up to the Haxorus and hit A to start the battle. Pay attention to the sparkles on the Pokémon at the beginning of the battle—this is proof that the Haxorus is indeed shiny. Hit the Haxorus with a few powerful hits to get the majority of its health down, being careful not to KO it in the process. Once its health is low, hit it with False Swipes until it’s down to 1 HP.
- Moves that immobilize the Haxorus (like Sleep or Paralyze) can make it easier to capture.
- Haxorus is a Dragon-Type Pokémon, which means that it’s especially weak to Dragon-, Ice-, and Fairy-Type moves.^{[7]
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8

Catch the shiny Haxorus.

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Once the Haxorus is at 1 HP (and possibly incapacitated), use the best Pokéballs you have on hand to catch it, like Ultra Balls. Keep in mind that it might take a few tries before you successfully make the capture!

Community Q&A

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Question

Do you need black and 2 or just one?

Bubblymice

Community Answer

Just one. You don't need both versions.

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Does Kyurem appear twice?

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No, you can't battle Kyurem again. You could save before battling it.

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How can I get starters without trading?

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Unfortunately, you cannot get anymore starters after the beginning of the game. The only way to get a starter (without trading) would be hacking.

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