How to Find and Catch Relicanth in Pokémon Emerald

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Plus, how to use Relicanth to unlock the Regi-trio

Co-authored by Devin McSween Reviewed by Ethan Dobbs

Last Updated: July 7, 2025 Fact Checked

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Where to Catch Relicanth

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Catching Relicanth

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Catching the Regis

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Video

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Q&A

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Tips

Relicanth is a rare Water and Rock-type pokémon that plays an important part in unlocking the legendary Regi-trio in Pokémon Emerald. Whether you’re looking for a Relicanth to get the Regis, to complete your pokédex, or just because you think it’s cool, we’re here to help! We’ll explain where to find Relicanth and provide tips for making catching it easier. We’ll also go over how to unlock and find the Regis once you’ve caught a Relicanth.

Where to Catch Relicanth in Emerald

Dive underwater at Route 124 or 126 and swim through the seaweed until you encounter a Relicanth. It is very rare (5% chance of appearing), so it can take some time to find it. Weaken it and put it to sleep to make it easier to catch. Then, use Dive, Net, or Ultra Balls to catch it for the highest success rate.

Section 1 of 3:

Where to Catch Relicanth

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1
Dive underwater at Route 124 or 126 and swim through the seaweed. There are only 2 areas to find Relicanth in the game: Route 124 and 126, which are off of Lilycove City and Sootopolis City, respectively. Simply surf on the water at either route and find a dark patch of water to dive into. Then, swim through the seaweed. Relicanth is very rare and has a 5% (or 1/20) chance of appearing, so patience is necessary.^{[1]
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- Most people say that it takes about 30 minutes to 1 hour of swimming through the seaweed to encounter Relicanth. So, be prepared for it to take a few tries to find it!
- Relicanth will be between levels 30 and 35.
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Use Sweet Scent or the White Flute to boost your encounter chances. Sweet Scent is a move that you can use outside of battle while standing on wild grass or seaweed to cause a wild pokémon to appear. So, using it while swimming through seaweed can speed up the time it takes to find Relicanth.^{[2]
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Research source} The White Flute is an item that has a similar effect—using it increases the chances of encountering a pokémon by 50%.^{[3]
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- Pokémon that can learn Sweet Scent: Oddish, Bellsprout, Surskit, Mawile, Illumise, Roselia, and Tropius.^{[4]
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- Or, use a pokémon with the Illuminate ability. This ability increases the chances of encountering a wild pokémon by 100% when the pokémon is first in your party. Pokémon that have the Illuminate ability include:^{[5]
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  - Staryu/Starmie, Chinchou/Lanturn, and Volbeat

Section 2 of 3:

Tips for Catching Relicanth

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1
Buy lots of Dive Balls (at least 25) at the PokéMart in Mossdeep City. Dive Balls are 3.5 times more powerful than a regular Poké Ball when used underwater, making them a great option for catching Relicanth.^{[6]
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Research source} That’s almost twice as powerful as an Ultra Ball!^{[7]
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- Other good poké balls to use:
  - Net Balls: 3x catch rate modifier when used on Water and Bug-type pokémon
  - Ultra Balls: 2x catch rate modifier
  - Quick Ball: 4x catch rate modifier if used on your first turn of battle
  - Timer Balls: 3x catch rate modifier if used after 20 turns of battle have passed, and 4x catch rate modifier if used after 30+ turns have passed.^{[8]
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Bring a level 30 or up pokémon that knows False Swipe. Since Relicanth appears between levels 30 and 35, you want your pokémon to be at a similar level to fight it. False Swipe is a 40 power move that will never knock out an opponent. Instead, it leaves them with 1 HP, which is perfect for catching pokémon.^{[9]
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- Pokémon that learn False Swipe:
  - Grovyle or Sceptile: Level Grovyle up to level 53 or Sceptile to level 59 to learn False Swipe.
  - Nincada: Catch a Nincada on Route 116 (uncommon) and train it to level 25 without evolving to teach it False Swipe.
  - Smeargle: It can use Sketch to learn False Swipe.
- Alternatively, trade a friend for a pokémon that learns False Swipe from Ruby, FireRed, or LeafGreen:
  - Farfetch'd (learns at level 46)
  - Cubone (learns at level 33)
  - Marowak (learns at level 39)
  - Scyther or Scizor (learns at level 16)
  - Zangoose (learns at level 55)
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Bring a level 30 or up pokémon that knows a sleep-inducing move. When Relicanth is asleep, it is much easier to capture. An alternative is a paralysis inducing move, but it’s less effective than sleep-inducing moves.^{[10]
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- Pokémon that learn sleep-inducing moves:^{[11]
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  - Spinda: Catch a Spinda on Route 113 (common). It learns Hypnosis at level 23.
  - Oddish or Gloom: Catch an Oddish or Gloom on Route 110, 117, 119, 120, 121, or 123, or at the Safari Zone. They learn Sleep Powder at level 18.
  - Swablu: Catch a Swablu on Route 114 or 115 (common). It learns Sing at level 11.
  - Shroomish: Catch a Shroomish in Petalburg Woods (uncommon). It learns Spore at level 54.
  - Slugma: Catch a Slugman on Route 113 or Fiery Path (uncommon). It knows Yawn when caught.
  - Gulpin: Catch a Gulpin on Route 110 (uncommon). It learns Yawn at level 6.
  - Ralts, Kirlia, and Gardevoir: Catch a Ralts on Route 102 (rare) and train it to level 41 to learn Hypnosis. Kirlia learns Hypnosis at level 47 and Gardevoir at level 51.
  - Jigglypuff: Catch a Jigglypuff on Route 115 (rare). It knows Sing when caught.
  - Skitty: Catch a Skitty on Route 116 (rare). It learns Sing at level 13.
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Weaken Relicanth until its HP is in the red zone, then put it to sleep. For instance, use False Swipe to get Relicanth’s HP down to 1. Or, use moves that are super effective against it, like Grass, Electric, Fighting, or Ground-type moves. Just be careful not to accidentally knock it out. Then, put Relicanth to sleep with a sleep-inducing move.
- Weakening pokémon and putting them to sleep makes them easier to catch, says Pokémon expert Ethan Dobbs.^{[12]
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Throw Dive Balls until you catch Relicanth. It can take a while to catch Relicanth, as it has a very low catch rate that’s similar to some legendaries. Just keep throwing Dive, Net, Ultra, and Timer Balls for the best chances of capturing it.
- If Relicanth wakes up, simply put it back to sleep.

Section 3 of 3:

How to Get the Three Regis

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Add Wailord, Relicanth, and pokémon that know Dig and Dive to your party. Either level up a Wailmer to level 40 to evolve it into Wailord, or catch a Wailord on Route 129. Then, put Wailord first in your party and Relicanth last. Make sure you also have pokémon in your party that know Dig and Dive, as you’ll need these to unlock the Regis.^{[13]
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- Find Wailmer while fishing using a Good Rod or Super Rod on Routes 103, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 115, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 127, 128, 129, 130, 131, 132, 133, and 134.^{[14]
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Go to Pacifidlog Town, and from the Pokémon Center, swim down and all the way to the left on Route 132. Once you get to the rocks, swim up and then continue left onto Route 133. Swim down and to the left until you find the dive spot on Route 134 surrounded by 4 large rocks.^{[15]
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Find the Sealed Chamber to unlock the Regis. Enter the underwater cave and swim down until you find the inscription on the wall. Then, use Dive. In the new room, find the inscription on the far back wall and use Dig. Enter the new opening to the Sealed Chamber. Then, read the inscription on the large rock at the end of the room.^{[16]
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- This causes an earthquake that opens up the tombs to the three Regis.
- Make sure Wailord is first in your party and Relicanth is last—they need to be in these positions in Emerald to properly release the Regis.
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Catch the Regis on Route 111, 105, and 120. Each of the Regis—Regirock, Regice, and Registeel—are found in different tombs around Hoenn. These are the locations of each Regi:^{[17]
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- Regirock: Fly to Lavaridge Town and head to the desert on Route 111. Head right and then down to find the Desert Ruins where Regirock lies.
- Regice: Fly to Dewford Town and surf on the water to head to Route 105. Swim up and to the left to find the Island Cave where Regice lies.
- Registeel: Fly to Fortree City and head to Route 120. Go all the way down the route and head up the stairs to the left. Walk through the tall grass and head up another flight of stairs to find the Ancient Tomb where Registeel lies.

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What is so good about Relicanth?

Natalie Tellechea

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Relicanth is necessary to complete the puzzle so you can obtain the Regis.

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Do I have to complete the game to find one?

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No.

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What happens when I kill one?

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Nothing special happens; you just get EXP.

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Tips

Relicanth knows the move Take Down, which causes recoil damage after it uses it. Be careful about getting its HP down so low that it knocks itself out from recoil.

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Be careful that your sleep-inducing Pokémon doesn't get knocked out while you are throwing Dive Balls. Switch Pokémon if necessary.

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