Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. Guides

All Legendary Pokémon locations in Pokémon Snap

Jesse Lennox
By

Nintendo has given us the chance to go on the safari of our dreams in New Pokémon Snap. With this long-awaited sequel to a classic N64 game, we are finally able, via the Switch, to ride along and snap pictures of our favorite pocket monsters as they go about their daily lives at home or on the go. It is meant to be a relaxing and somewhat Zen experience. You don’t have to worry about battles, types, stats, moves, or even catching any Pokémon here. And there are a ton of Pokémon to snap in this game, which feeds into the old Pokémon trapping of needing to catch, or in this case snap, them all.

Aside from the traditional Pokémon populating the various courses you will ride through, there are 10 Legendary and Mythical Pokémon that you may not even realize are in the game, let alone know how or where to find them. Most of these are best attempted after you have completed the main game since some can’t be found until you’ve hit research level three. Those will be pointed out as we go along. Others are nearly impossible to miss if you play normally. If you’re ready, load up some film, orbs, and fruit and get ready to snap a pic of all Legendary Pokémon in New Pokémon Snap.

Recommended Videos

Further reading:

Lugia

New Pokemon Snap Lugia

Lugia is one of the more difficult Legendary Pokémon to get a photo of, but certainly not the hardest. Right off the bat, you’ll have to come back for this one after beating the game and reaching research level three. Once you are at that level, go to the Lentil Seafloor map and use the alternate route you can access at the beginning of the track. You unlock this path by hitting the Clawitzer with an orb to make him break the wall on the left side.

Related

Keep riding along until you see the Lanturn, then toss an Illumina orb at it to make it sink. A swarm of water types, including a Wailord if you haven’t spotted one of those yet, will rise up and cover your view for a moment. When you can see again, the Lanturn will be farther out with a Frillish. It’s a tough shot, but you need to hit him with one more Illumina orb to let him escape the Frillish and lead you to a secret cave. Scan it to unlock it as a path for the future. Inside will be the sleeping Lugia, which you can disturb by tossing Illumina orbs to get some more unique shots.

Ho-Oh

New Pokemon Snap Ho-oh

This big old bird is going to be found in the Fireflow Volcano stage, which is unfortunately about as much we can say about this Pokémon. Ho-Oh is unique among this list for not having a set trigger or location in the stage but instead appearing seemingly at random. Your best bet is to keep your camera trained on the sky, such as right near the start of the stage on the right side, and to look between a pair of rocky pillars. Aside from there, which we’ve seen people have some good luck with, all you can do is keep your finger ready, keep your camera trained on the sky, and ho(-oh)pe.

Shaymin

New Pokemon Snap Shaymin

Odds are you will find Shaymin naturally as the first Legendary you come across while playing New Pokémon Snap. In fact, you have three times the odds of finding this one compared to the others since it actually shows up in two stages plus the daytime version of one of those stages. One option is to go to the Florio Nature Park during the night and continue on until you hit the field of flowers right at the end of the stage. There will be a Crystabloom hidden on the right-hand side, under the flowers you need to hit with an Illumina orb. This will draw out Shaymin. After you manage this, you will also find Shaymin near Grookey and Pichu during the daytime variant of this stage.

The other spot is the first Illumina spot you unlock where Meganium is. Shaymin is hard to spot here, but if you look back and to the left, you can get a picture of it behind the cliffs.

Mew

New Pokemon Snap Mew

Arguably the most popular of the Mythical Pokémon, Mew isn’t particularly camera shy. Make your way through Founja Jungle during the night and instantly turn around once you have control. Two Morelull will be looking back at you, and if you are able to use the Melody quick enough, they will begin to dance. After a second a purple orb will appear that you need to hit with a Fluffruit to make Mew appear. Once you capture his image here, Mew will also show up at the start of this same stage during the day.

Celebi

New Pokemon Snap Celebi

Celebi, with one possible exception we will get to at the end, might be the least hidden Mythical Pokémon in New Pokémon Snap. Technically, you could miss it, but odds are that you already have this one cataloged. If not, all you need to do is revisit Elsewhere Forest and follow the main path. Don’t take any turns or alternate paths, and eventually Celebi will fly right at you. It’s almost impossible to miss, so take some good shots.

Suicune

New Pokemon Snap Suicune

Coming off such an easy one, Suicune is no doubt the most difficult to snap. In fact, you’ll need to do a good bit of prep work to get the chance to glimpse this Legendary. Step one is to go into the daytime version of Shiver Snowfields and instantly look to your left. Find the Alolan Sandslash and take its picture. Continue on until Sandslash appears again on a cliff to the left, although it is very hidden, and get another pic. Finally, Sandslash will show up one last time by a wall of snow that the Swinub is climbing. He will dig through the snow and open up an alternate path you can scan and take. From there, just finish off the stage.

The next step is to go back to the same stage, Shiver Snowfields, only at night. Use the alternate path and look for the Crabominable attacking a tree near an Abomasnow. Hit the Crabominable with an Illumina orb, which will cause a chain reaction resulting in a Froslass appearing. Get a picture of it, and it will lead you to an additional secret area in this stage. Go through the cave and look to the right to see a Jynx on top of an Avalugg. It’s another tough shot, but you need to hit the Jynx with an Illumina orb to finally make Suicune appear and run across the water.

Diancie

New Pokemon Snap Diancie

Now we head to Outway Cave, but only after hitting research level three. Choose the alternate path when the time comes to go into the cave full of crystals and two Carbinks with a Mawile. Tag each of these three Pokémon with an Illumina orb to make Diancie pop out from the right side of the area, also opening up another path to take for your trouble.

Manaphy

New Pokemon Snap Manaphy

After finishing the game and unlocking the Maricopa Reef stage, travel through it during the night. You’ll want to use the alternate path here and find the spot with tons of Lapras — you can’t miss it — and get your Illumina orbs ready. You need to hit all of them with an orb, including the ones way in the back that can be really tricky to tag. If you manage to hit them all, two will stop side by side. Use your melody, and Manaphy will pop up out of the water between them, giving you just enough time to snap his picture if you’re quick on the draw.

Jirachi

New Pokemon Snap Jirachi

Another easy one, Jirachi, lives in the Ruins of Remembrance, which you can access after beating the game. Just start up the stage, and he basically flies right in front of you, begging to be snapped, with a few Eldegoss in tow. Nothing difficult or tricky here, so just beat the game and hit this stage up to add Jirachi to your collection.

Xerneas

New Pokemon Snap Xerneas

Finally, we have what is essentially the final boss of New Pokémon Snap, if you consider this game to have bosses, that is. As such, he’s not hidden at all. Just go through the Ruins of Remembrance and hit the Illumina spot to see this dazzling creature and complete your initial journey. If you upgrade your research level to two and three, you can go back to see it strike some new poses for better shots.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Jesse Lennox
Jesse Lennox
Jesse Lennox loves writing, games, and complaining about not having time to write and play games. He knows the names of more…
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet’s DLC lets players venture outside of Paldea
Key art featuring new characters and Pokémon that are in The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero: The Teal Mask.

During a Pokémon Presents showcase to celebrate Pokémon Day, the DLC for Scarlet and Violet was revealed. The Pokémon Scarlet and Violet DLC is titled The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero and will release in two parts, both planned to launch in 2023.
The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero ✨| Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet
Both pieces of DLC take place outside of the Paldea region and will be accessible once players start the Treasure Hunt in the main game's story. The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero: The Teal Mask, which comes out first, sees players go on a school trip to the Japan-inspired land called Kitakami. While there, players will encounter new Pokémon, such as the monkey-like Munkidori, dog-like Okidogi, bird-like Fezandipti, and the mask-wearing Legendary Pokémon Ogerpon. The Teal Mask comes out this fall.
Then, this winter, The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero: The Indigo Disk will arrive and let players transfer to Blueberry Academy, where they will meet lots of new students and teachers. It will continue the story established in The Teal Mask and ultimately culminate in an encounter with another new Legendary Pokémon called Terapagos. Over the course of both DLCs, over 230 older Pokémon will come to Scarlet and Violet, including Chingling, Milotic, Shiftry, Vikavolt, Yanma, Ninetales, Zebstrika, Metagross, Dewgong, Espurr, Whimsicott, and Alcremie.
Additionally, once players preorder The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero DLC by October 31 will get a Hisuian Zoroark that knows the moves Happy Hour, Tera Blast, Bitter Malice, and Nasty Plot and has a Dark Tera Type as a bonus alongside some new outfits. 
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are available now for Nintendo Switch. The Teal Mask launches sometime during fall 2023, while The Indigo Disk will arrive during winter 2023.

Read more
NBA All-World aims to replicate Pokémon Go’s success starting today
A player walks around their neighborhood's map in NBA All-World.

Niantic launched NBA All-World, its basketball-themed, location-based mobile game, on iOS and Android today. Ahead of this release, Digital Trends attended a presentation to learn more about how the sports AR title works.
If you've played any of Niantic's games before, many elements of NBA All-World will feel quite familiar. The mobile game tracks players' location and encourages them to explore. While doing so, players will find Drop Zones that grant them new gear. Niantic says Drop Zones will often be placed near real-world counterparts, so players can find money near a bank or shoes near a shoe store. 
There will also be Player Encounters, where they can face off against current NBA athletes. Niantic tells Digital Trends that classic athletes aren't currently in the game, but feels that idea "is a good one." 

In Player Encounters, users face off against athletes in one of four minigames: 3-Point Shootout, Beat the Clock, Around the World, and First-to-Five. While they feature some impressive and realistic animation for a mobile game, Niantic says these minigames only use simple swipe controls because the studio wanted to make something that is easy to play while someone is walking around their neighborhood. If a user wins a Player Encounter, they can recruit that athlete to their team, customize them with items found at Drop Zones, and upgrade them by playing with them. Players can also challenge players they already recruited again to earn more currency. 
The title also includes "Rule the Court" neighborhood leaderboards, many of which are placed at real-world basketball courts, where players can compete for the highest score. Currently, there are no player-versus-player elements in NBA All-World, although Niantic understands players like competitive modes in their sports games and may add them in the future. In fact, many features are still in the pipeline for post-launch updates, including Niantic's trademark AR support. Early in the second quarter of 2023, Niantic plans on adding AR support to NBA All-World to enhance the loot drops from Drop Zones to make it look like they're happening in the real world.
One thing that will be in the game at launch is microtransactions, which Niantic says will be similar to the ones available in its other games and allow players to increase their athletes' stats with Offense, Defense, and Fitness boosts. 
Despite the undeniable success of Pokémon Go, Niantic has never been able to completely replicate its success with games like Harry Potter: Wizards Unite or Pikmin Bloom. However, the studio seems confident that basketball has the global mass appeal to make NBA All-World another massive hit for the company. The early footage we saw of the game does leave us optimistic for NBA All-World's prospects, but we'll ultimately have to wait and see if the game will make it past its rookie season. 
NBA All-World is available now for iOS and Android.

Read more
After 25 seasons, Ash Ketchum is retiring from Pokémon
Ash holds a Pokeball while a lot of iconic Pokemon stand behind him.

The Pokémon Company confirmed that Ash Ketchum will no longer be the main protagonist of the series' anime starting in 2023.
Ever since Pokémon! I Choose You! first aired in Japan on April 1, 1997, the Pokémon anime has followed the exploits of 10-year-old Pokémon trainer Ash Ketchum on his quest to become Pokémon Master. After trying and failing many times across 25 seasons, Ash finally managed to become the world's greatest Pokémon trainer in Pokémon Ultimate Journeys: The Series after winning the Pokémon World Coronation Series.
The Pokémon Company is deciding to leave Ash's journey on a high note and will retire his character as the protagonist of the Pokémon anime after the current season. Thankfully, he is getting a proper send-off across the final 11 episodes of Pokémon Ultimate Journeys: The Series, with classic anime characters like Misty and Brock returning to help tell "the final chapter in Ash and Pikachu's story." These final 11 episodes will start airing in Japan on January 13, 2023.
This won't be the end of Pokémon anime adaptions, though; The Pokémon Company will start a new series later next year, following two new characters named Liko and Roy. Details on this new series are still scarce, but we know it will also feature Sprigatito, Fuecoco, Quaxly, and a Shiny Rayquaza in significant roles. We're likely to see them venture through Paldea, the region Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are set in.
While the announcement that Ash Ketchum will no longer be the protagonist of the Pokémon series is bittersweet for those of us who grew up with the Pokémon anime, we can hope that the series will give him a beautiful farewell, and that Liko and Roy's series can successfully capture the hearts of a whole new generation of Pokémon fans. 

Read more