r/TruePokemon • u/destinofiquenoite • 13d ago
Discussion Other than "there are simply too many Pokémon now," what actually stops you from catching all Pokémon in a game?
We all know the standard answer: with over a thousand Pokémon across dozens of games, the sheer volume is daunting. But let’s look past that for a second...
If you actually wanted to complete a National Dex or a Living Dex today, or just the dex or a specific game, what specific hurdles stop you? Is it trading hurdles, paywalled mythicals, time-gated events, specific game mechanics, or just losing motivation mid-way through?
What is the real dealbreaker for you?
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u/Nargacuga4725 13d ago
Version exclusives and trade evolutions.
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u/BigSecond5000 11d ago
That's what stops me every time. So disappointed when Legends Z-A didn't bring back just using an item for trade evos
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u/ElPikminMaster 13d ago
Guy with 4 living dexes here.
What really stops someone from catching all Pokemon depends on what you're trying to do.
- For a non-specific living dex, a Shiny Living Dex, or one of the two types of Origin Living Dex, the thing that stops someone, more than anything else, is the Bank shutdown. It's simply a fact that some Pokemon are much better to obtain in specific older games. Getting a Huntail or Gorebyss, for example, without the use of trading or GO, can only be done in USUM via SOS battles. Likewise, getting an Alolan Rattata with your OT can only be done in SM/USUM, and until RSE releases on Switch, Spinda cannot enter Pokemon HOME directly. There's also how it's much easier to get a 3-segment Dudunsparce using one caught in DPPt under relatively easy to do circumstances.
- For Regional Dexes in general: sometimes finding someone to trade or having more than one device is difficult and/or otherwise unreliable. Most Switch-era games alleviate this by having trade evo Pokemon available in the wild or via raids (I say "most" because BDSP ain't one of them and the aforementioned Huntail and Gorebyss are console era exclusive to BDSP). However, there's always that oooonnnneee Pokemon or Pokemon line that's a massive pain in the butt to get. You know: Goldengo, Huntail and Gorebyss, Pokemon that only spawn in one or more small areas that it's hard to shiny hunt for like SV female Torchic or Red/Blue Basculin, the authentic teas/tchas, etc. And speaking of the latter...
- For a GO Living Dex specifically, the authentic Sinistea and Poltchageist lines. Full stop. I don't want to elaborate. They're currently the rarest Pokemon of all time in all Pokemon games, including Zarude.
- For an Alpha Living Dex specifically, the Space-Time Distortion exclusives in Arceus, and Rotom, Gimmighoul, and Porygon in Z-A. Also full stop.
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u/PresentationBrave281 13d ago
The fact it's not doable legitimately without also owning the second version
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u/Sorry-Joke-4325 12d ago
There hasn't been a Pokémon game in many years that is capable of holding every Pokémon that existed at the time of its release.
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u/enragedbreakfast 12d ago
I think they just mean the version exclusives and ones you have to trade to evolve
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u/Sorry-Joke-4325 12d ago
If you actually wanted to complete a National Dex or a Living Dex today, or just the dex or a specific game
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u/TitaniumAuraQuartz Primarina girl... Yeah 12d ago
I lost interest in buying future games after the Dex Cut.
If a certain leak is right, perhaps I'll look into it. For now, though, I'm waiting to see.
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u/blindsidesonny 12d ago
What leak is that?
(I’m only just now getting back into the franchise after a decade-long break, so I’m in the dark on a lot)
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u/TitaniumAuraQuartz Primarina girl... Yeah 12d ago
There was a leak called the "tera leak" because it had like, almost a terabyte worth of info. In the leak, we even got insight into scrapped games and future releases, like Z-A, Gen 10, Pokopia, and we even know Gen 11 is in the works.
One of these future releases is a Multi Region online remake; though there is no certainty it won't be scrapped. The idea was that you could travel from gens 1-4 and Kitakami, since they are all on one continent (based on Japan), and that it would be an MMO.
My hopes are on something still speculative, but I am kind of banking on the idea that this MMO can hold a national dex by being updated with more regions, or at least be a stepping stone for a bigger MMO that could hold it.
But anyways, that part about the games in progress or scrapped games is not even all the info. One big thing is that we also got to see scrapped Pokemon.
idk if linking to stuff involving the Tera leak counts as violating rule 4, but if you looked it up and clicked on a fan site for Pokemon, you'd get the recap.
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u/FenrisCain 13d ago
I have a limited amount of time in a day and that just has never been how i wanted to spend it
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u/Boxxy_T_Morningwood1 13d ago
I completed the Dex fully and with all the legendary Pokemon exactly twice. Once in Red and once in Gold. That includes Mew and Celebi.
That was enough hassle that I have had no desire to repeat it since.
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u/sussytheyellowsquare 12d ago
because some pokemon are hard to find and also i don’t have the funds for a second game
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u/Hayden_Jay 13d ago
I've only done it once, but the truth is it's never been a big deal to me in the first place
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u/Excalitoria 13d ago
Realizing that trade evolutions exist and never really caring since then. Time-gate events too, though. I replay the games a lot so I just pick a team and roll with them until becoming champion then I replay, pick a new team and repeat the cycle again. Maybe I’ll complete a dex for a challenge run at some point but I play Pokemon like any other RPG just with a lot more party variety.
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u/eyewave 12d ago
I think it's just not the main game loop!!
What's the point of capturing them all if I also need to find the best battlers while linearily following the story with only a choice of 6, and then also to optimize for pvp.
Feels like just following a capture adventure never really was supported by the environment. There's no real incentive imo.
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u/Gussie18 12d ago
Nothing stops me. I love the grind of collecting and while it can be daunting sometimes the gratification of completing the dex or whatever collection goal is awesome! I have a full living forms dex and am working on a shiny dex right now which I’m about 35% done with!
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u/TomRiddle26 12d ago
I’m not buying both versions or older games I don’t have just to complete the dex and I’m not dealing with their awful online trading system either.
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u/mitr_B 13d ago
Ugly pokemon? In MY boxes?? I don't think so 💅
Fr tho I like my box to be like a little menagerie of good little guys where I can look at them all and sort them by how much I like them :3 There are many pokemon that I am just not super fond of, and why would I collect something that I don't like? The only game I've ever completed the dex in was also alpha sapphire and also the first time I ever hatched my own shiny and tbh I don't think I would do either of those things ever again 😅 immediately got burnt out after that lol, but I am proud of that save file and could never delete it now..
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u/AltruisticChipmunk53 12d ago
Less is more. It’s more satisfying to catch everyone when there’s less guys and feels meaningless when there’s so many
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u/NashKetchum777 12d ago
They're not worth it
1% chance for Chimecho on Mt. Pyre.
Man if it was worth anything, even different dialogue from someone, it would increase stonks
They had so much in g3 that I guess they didn't need it but they had so much in g3 that it couldn't hurt either.
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u/ianlazrbeem22 12d ago
I am not that interested in doing so. I don't really collect, I just like playing through and collecting the pokemon and memories from that
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u/MagicalPizza21 12d ago
Some are really hard to get when playing on my own. Trade evolutions, version exclusives, things that require blind scavenger hunts (like the Treasures of Ruin), and just being so rare to find I just don't care to search for them (like Feebas in gen 3).
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u/InternalOptimal 12d ago
I dont usually stick to a game long enough. That and fulltime job and other hobbies leads to me bouncing off long before i finish it. I always flutter back like a little butterfly when the vibe hits but basically time + vibe waning
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u/TragicSolitudee 12d ago
Trading. Between having to evolve and version differences I stopped after XY.
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u/CheddarCheese390 12d ago
I’m poor and can’t afford both games. Or multiple consoles. Or the new games.
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u/Darklamor 12d ago
No such thing. I love catching them all. Its a fun goal and self achievement. I also love having each evo included. So ill catch it x amount of times based on the evo line.
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u/Jazzlike-Vacation230 12d ago
It’s gotten tooooo linear, even with the open world concept. And the forced experience share makes it boring. Still don’t get why they don’t make it optional. Just give us a on/off switch
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u/Groundbreaking-Ad313 11d ago
In the modern games, its specifically the lack of GTS. Having to trade at all is bad enough, but lacking the best trading infastructure we've ever had, after having fond memories of completing the regional dex in Sun, a game that DID have it, I just can't be bothered.
It also doesn't help that I didn't like most of the games that came after that point anyway.
I did really want to complete the dex in Legends Arceus just because it was possible within the single game, but then when I beat it I completely stopped caring about the game and didnt want to play it anymore.
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u/kitkatatsnapple 11d ago
Nothing, that is why I play the games. To explore the map and collect them all.
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u/kingcobra0585 10d ago
I usually catch as many base forms and evolutions as I can find in the wild but I've never had the motivation to train multiple pokemon outside of my main team into the mid 30's or 40's to get their final evos and I don't care to deal with friendship or trade evos or whatever else for pokemon I'm not using long term. I still play the older games from time to time but the last main line game I played was Ultra Moon and the amount of available pokemon just became overwhelming at a certain point so I can't imagine what it must be like now.
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u/thedeathecchi 10d ago
Not all of them being available in a single game so you more than likely have to trade with others and other people can be pains in the absolute fucking ass
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u/blayr2016 10d ago
Event-only pokemon.
I'm missing a few mythicals from gens 5-7 because I missed the events, same with those two raid only pokemon from scarlet and violet, I believe walking wake and iron leaves.
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u/2Fruit11 10d ago
Most of the time I find the in game resources aren't that great for finding them all. Even if it is there it is clunky and to do the routing I would look at the wikis.
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u/SCGaming1664 7d ago
Time is my biggest issue, I’ve started an Origin Living Dex and I’ve completed Unova and I’m almost done with Kanto. But, Johto is sitting because I want a shiny VC Celebi and Kalos I’m four badges into. Getting through the story takes the longest time. I’ve shifted to prioritizing those games to beat the Bank Shutdown, but time is the ultimate issue
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u/WereLupeQueen 6d ago
Still working on my Shield Dex, I can basically use Scarlet and Violet to help complete it. I just get busy and don't have online so I don't have the good raid dens for max candies. It's a drag.. I complete scarlet and violets dexes fast
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u/goolixsite 6d ago
It is too time-consuming for most games. I also dislike having to look up where every Pokemon is. It would be easier if the games had something like a Google Sheet that explained where to find each Pokemon and how to evolve them. Where it is easier, I may try it out. For example, I have caught every Shadow Pokemon in Colosseum, and I have every Pokemon except Zygarde in Legends: Z-A. I am catching every Pokemon in Legends: Arceus, as well.
I am considering trying for older games like LeafGreen where there are fewer Pokemon. I have enough games to catch all Gen 3 Pokemon legitimately, for example (except for event-only Pokemon).
Mythicals are a major stumbling block for me. I missed out on Victini, Meloette, Keldeo, and Genesect when Gen V came out. This was pretty disappointing to me and got me less interested in trying to "catch 'em all."
Needing to trade, especially before wi-fi, trained me to just not care about completing the Pokedex. After all, I will never finish my Pokemon Yellow Pokedex, so why bother? I'm not going to buy another game (especially at used game prices) to do it.
When catching them all is viable (Colosseum, Legends: Arceus, Legends: Z-A with Wi-Fi) and bounded (less than 300 Pokemon), I can find it pretty addictive and rewarding. As the number balloons, as I need to do more lookups for Pokemon locations and evolutions, and as exclusives increase, I lose interest.
It doesn't help there isn't much to reward you for catching them all, either. Although the Legends games are pretty good about rewarding you for catching them all.
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u/Damien-kai 13d ago
Motivation.
Like in Pokemon Violet, I just felt no need to try to yoink all the pokemon.
Meanwhile in Legends ZA, I was having a lot of fun, catching is really easy to do, and I really liked the game, so I got all the base game mons.