Pokémon Ruby & Sapphire – Complete Walkthrough (Step by Step Guide)

By: Gabriel Mazzi

Before you start, you can choose between being a boy or a girl. If you choose to be the boy, the girl will be your rival, and her name will be May. If you choose to be the girl, the boy will be your rival and his name will be Brendam.
After disembarking from the truck, you will have to set the clock in your room. Although the game does not have a change of day and night, there is still a clock that works all the time. Then, you must save the game’s new teacher, Prof. Birch and, for this, you can choose a starting Pokémon: Treecko, made of grass, Torchic, made of fire, or Mudkip, made of water.
The choice is up to you, choose your favorite and proceed with the game. As always, the objective of the game is to travel through all the cities, capturing new Pokémon and defeating gym leaders, to collect their badges and be able to participate in the Hoenn League. After facing May, you will get a Pokédex from the professor, Pokéballs from May (and from then on they will be available to buy in Marts, in all cities) and Running Shoes from your mother (press B to run). From here, we will give you the basic steps so you don’t get lost in the game.

Petalburg City
Here is your father’s gym. But don’t insist, this is only the fifth gym you’ll be able to face. Go straight on.

Rustboro City
At the Pokémon center, where you can heal your Pokémon, a man will give you the HM1-Cut. It’s still not really necessary to teach this move to your Pokémon, as HM moves cannot be replaced naturally and the ability can only be used after obtaining a badge. And since in the next gym your battle skill will be almost useless, go straight to the gym.

Rustboro Gym
Leader: Roxanne %u2013 Type: Rock %u2013 Recommended level: 15
For this gym, water and grass Pokémon have a lot of advantage. Avoid the electricity ones and Pokémon with physical attacks. The more special moves (based on elements), the better. It will be an easy battle if you follow the advice. When you win, earn the right to use Cut outside of battles and cut down certain trees. Upon leaving town, a man from Devon Corp. will be robbed and asks for your help. Head to the cave on Route 116 and face the Team Aqua/Magma henchman. Return to town and you will receive it from the owner of Devon Corp. the PokéNav. However, you will have to make two deliveries. Return to the beach between Petalburg and Rustboro, talk to the man in the house near the boat and you will be taken to Dewford Town.

Dewford Town – Dewford Gym
Leader: Brawly %u2013 Type: Fighting %u2013 Recommended level: 18
Against fighting Pokémon, the best options are psychic Pokémon. Flying Pokémon are also a good idea in this battle. Finish battles quickly to avoid setbacks. Earn the right to use Flash outside of battle. After another badge, head to Granite Cave.

Granite Cave
Talk to the man at the entrance and get the HM5-Flash. Go forward until you find Steven and give him the package. Return to Dewford, get on the boat again and head to Slateport.

Slateport City
Go to the large building full of boats outside. Talk to everyone and then go to the museum. Find Captain Stern on the second floor, make your delivery and face Team Aqua/Magma. Time to stop deliveries. Head to Mauville.

Mauville City
As soon as you arrive, enter the first house and get the HM6-Rock Smash. Go to the bike store and choose between one of the two models. Battle Wally and then head to the gym.

Mauville Gym
Leader: Wattson %u2013 Type: Electric %u2013 Recommended level: 23
Release the electric fences and advance until you reach the gym leader. Use Ground Pokémon against Electric Pokémon. All of the starter Pokémon help here: Treecko resists electricity, Mudkip becomes a water/ground hybrid when it evolves, and Torchic can use its fire techniques on Electric/Metal types. Beware of blows that paralyze you. Earn the right to use Rock Smash outside of battles. Finishing your obligations here, head to Verdanturf.

Verdanturf Town
Nothing much, just use the Rock Smash ability in the cave to clear the path between Verdanturf and Rustboro, thus obtaining HM4-Strength. Continue straight past Fallarbor and reach Meteor Falls.

Meteor Falls
Here you find Team Aqua/Magma trying to steal a meteorite. Then, the rival team arrives, showing themselves to be the good guys in the story, but they still escape with the meteorite. After that, head to Mt. Chimney.

Mt. Chimney
Go to the top of the mountain and find the two teams facing off. Face some members of Team Aqua/Magma and then their leader. Defeat him and everyone will flee. Collect the meteorite to later return it to Cozmo in Fallarbor. However, for now, continue below, descending to Lavaridge.

Lavaridge Town
Nothing to do, except get an egg from the woman in front of the thermal spring, to hatch into a Wynaut.

Lavaridge Gym
Leader: Flannery %u2013 Type: Fire %u2013 Recommended level: 28
Go through the thermal water wells, entering one and exiting another further ahead. Decorate the entrances and exits and find your way to the gym leader. Put out the flames in that gym with lots of water. The more water strikes, the better, especially if they are strong. Avoid types of grass and metal to avoid mishaps. Earn the right to use Strength outside of battle. Leaving the gym, find your rival and take the Go-Googles with him, allowing you to now visit the desert. Go there before returning to collect one of the prehistoric Pokémon fossils, higher up in the desert. You will only be able to catch one of them, while the other will be swallowed by the sand. Your choices are a Root Fossil (revived into a Lileep [stone/grass]) or a Claw Fossil (revived into an Anorith [stone/bug]). Pick one and have a long way to Petalburg.

Petalburg City
Remember how your father is the gym leader here and you could only face him when you were stronger? This is the time.

Petalburg Gym
Leader: Norman %u2013 Type: Normal %u2013 Recommended level: 31
Here, there are a series of rooms to choose from, where trainers use different types of items that increase Pokémon’s abilities in fights. Make your way to Norman through the rooms. Against normal Pokémon, don’t even try to use psychic Pokémon. Go for fighting Pokémon and rock/metal-type hybrids. Earn the right to use Surf outside of battles. Where is Surf, you ask? Talk to Wally’s family, next to the gym, who thanks you by awarding him the HM3-Surf. Automatically teach the technique to a Pokémon of your choice to be able to travel across water. Return to Mauville (remember to take advantage of your new ability) and from there, use Surf to reach the Weather Institute.

Weather Institute
Some members of Team Aqua/Magma cause trouble here. Defeat them and gain a Castform from the researchers here. This special Pokémon changes its shape depending on the climate where you are. Then head to Fortree, first having to battle your rival. When you defeat him, he will give you the HM2-Fly.

Fortree City
For now, you cannot access the gym yet, as something blocks its entrance. Continue forward until you find Steven again, in another location where you cannot advance. He asks you if you are ready to fight. Say yes and face a Kecleon, revealed with the power of the Devon Scope. Take the opportunity to capture it, as they are limited. Defeating him earns you the Devon Scope, which you can use to reveal another Kecleon blocking the gym entrance.

Fortree Gym
Leader: Winona %u2013 Type: Flying %u2013 Recommended level: 33
Fry the feathers of bird Pokémon with an Electric type. Avoid bugs and ground-type moves. Earn the right to use Fly outside of battles. Without further ado, head to the next town, Lilycove.

Lilycove City
Here we have the large shopping department, which sells everything you need, the man who makes your Pokémon forget a move (essential for forgetting some HM) and you find your rival here too and you can battle him. Head back to Route 121 and surf to Mt. Pyre.

Mt. Pyre
Go forward until you find the leader of Team Aqua/Magma, who stole the Red/Blue Orb, running away. Take the other Orb and go to Slateport. There, find Captain Stern in front of the port, but Team Aqua/Magma ends up stealing a submarine from there. You must follow them to their hideout and try to stop them, before they complete their plan to awaken Kyogre/Groudon and achieve their dreams. So, return to Lilycove, go to the beach and enter the small cave near the sea’s edge. It’s Team Aqua/Magma’s secret hideout.

Team Aqua/Magma Hideout
ATTENTION: Here you must get the only Master Ball in the game, essential for capturing rare Pokémon right after. Don’t lose it or you’ll never be able to get them again. Continue forward until you find a room with four Pokéballs on the floor. You must take the one on the left side, at the top, thus obtaining the Master Ball. Continue forward until you see Team Aqua/Magma flee with the submarine once again. The only way to follow them is to find a way to get underwater. Make sure you’ve already got the Master Ball and then leave, and head across the ocean to Mossdeep.

Mossdeep City
Find Steven in the house near the Pokémon Center. Get him the HM8-Dive, which allows him to go underwater. But not yet, as you must face the gym here to be able to use Dive.

Mossdeep Gym
Leaders: Liza and Tate %u2013 Type: Psychic %u2013 Recommended level: 42
Here you will find some arrows that cause you to be pushed in the indicated direction. Change the positions of the arrows and reach the gym leaders. Yes, it’s the first and only 2v2 gym battle. Grass Pokémon have an advantage over Psychic Pokémon, but Solrock, one of the Gym Leaders’ Pokémon, knows Flamethrower. So it’s better to trust your strongest Pokémon and forget about the advantages and disadvantages. Just avoid fighting Pokémon. If you want to appeal, try using psychic Pokémon. Earn the right to use Dive outside of battles. Then, use Surf in the southern part of the city until you find a large circle of darker water. In this location, use Dive and find, at the bottom of the ocean, an entrance to the Seafloor Cavern.

Seafloor Cavern
Continue straight ahead, solving the puzzles along the way until you find Team Aqua/Magma. Face your leader until you defeat him, but, too late, the rare Pokémon will awaken and a great tragedy happens, depending on the Pokémon that is awakened: if Kyogre was awakened, infinite rain will begin to fall over the entire world; if it is Groudon, the sun will begin to shine brightly. This will cause the entire world to suffer irreparable consequences, so you have to stop it. Steven says the answers must be in Sootopolis. Head there. To avoid getting lost, look for the city’s location on PokéNav. As it is a city surrounded by mountains, you must use Dive in the dark water around it and enter through an underwater entrance.

Sootopolis City
Meet Steven and Wallace, gym leaders here, who take you to the Cave of Origin. There, you must get HM7-Waterfall and then you will find the rare Pokémon. SAVE, as you will only have one chance to capture him. Try putting negative status on the Pokémon before capturing it. If you find it advantageous, use the Master Ball now, or save it for later. With the capture of the Pokémon, the weather returns to normal and the Sootopolis gym becomes available.

Sootopolis Gym
Leader: Wallace %u2013 Type: Water/Ice %u2013 Recommended level: 43
To advance in this gym, you must step on the ice, which cracks after the first step and breaks in the second. The objective is for all the pieces to be cracked, to open the passage to the next room. But to do this, you must always end up in front of the passage to the next room, or the floor will break when you try to get there. Against water and ice Pokémon, use Electric Pokémon. It’s going to be one of the easiest gym battles so far. Earn the right to use Waterfall outside of battles. You now have all eight badges you need to enter the Hoenn League, the final challenge for all trainers. Head to Ever Grande.

Ever Grande City
Have all the special abilities on your Pokémon, as you will need them now. Go past the waterfall using Waterfall and continue forward until you reach the challenge. Face Wally one last time before you can enter. From here, make sure all your Pokémon are above level 50 and that you have a well-balanced team. Heal yourself, save and go for the Elite 4 challenge.

Elite 4 Sidney %u2013 Type: Black
Against your black-type Pokémon, use fighting or metal Pokémon. Avoid psychic Pokémon by any means, as psychic moves don’t hit black Pokémon. Defeating him, head to Phoebe.

Elite 4 Phoebe %u2013 Type: Ghost
Against ghosts, use Dark-type or Psychic-type Pokémon. Avoid Normal, Bug and other Pokémon with physical attacks. Defeating her, head to Glacia.

Elite 4 Glacia %u2013 Type: Ice
Use Fighting or Metal-type Pokémon against Ice Pokémon. Avoid dragons, flying, grass or ground. Defeating her, head to Drake.

Elite 4 Drake %u2013 Type: Dragon
Use ice Pokémon against dragons. If you want to take a risk, use a Dragon type too and try to be faster than Drake’s Pokémon. By defeating them, you will have defeated the Elite 4, leaving only the current champion in front of you.

Champion Steven %u2013 Type: Metal
Finally a battle against Steven. After all, this battle could be very difficult. Try attacking with a Fire, Ground, or Fighting-type Pokémon. Avoid ice and rock Pokémon. By defeating him, you will be crowned the new champion and will have your name and that of your Pokémon engraved in the Hall of Fame. Congratulations.