Our advice for getting through Pokémon Colosseum faster, missing no Shadow Pokémon and getting ready for the end of the game.

The Snag Machine: the tool that makes all the difference.

During the adventure

  1. Never leave without Poké Balls: there are Shadow Pokémon as early as Phenac City, and the town’s shop is out of stock at the start.
  2. Save before each Cipher admin: Miror B., Dakim, Venus, Ein, then Gonzap, Nascour and Evice hold the most interesting Shadow Pokémon.
  3. Use sleep and paralysis to catch them: they raise your chances, and a sleeping Shadow Pokémon can’t use Shadow Rush.
  4. Keep Shadow Pokémon in your party to purify them along the way, and stop by Agate Village regularly.
  5. Talk to everyone: several residents of Orre give items and hints about the remaining Shadow Pokémon.
  6. Do Mt. Battle as soon as you can for its Poké Coupons, and trade them for the TMs Ice Beam, Thunderbolt, Flamethrower and Psychic.

Missing no Shadow Pokémon

  • A Shadow Pokémon you knock out almost always reappears later: our list tells you where.
  • The three Johto starters of the Verde, Rosso and Bluno trio can be caught up on at the Shadow Pokémon Lab or at the Team Snagem Hideout.
  • The 48th, Togetic, only appears at the Outskirt Stand once you have caught the other 47.
  • Chapter 8 of our walkthrough, the remaining Shadow Pokémon, guides you through the last ones.

After the story

  • Purify them all to unlock Ho-Oh in the Mt. Battle 100-battle challenge (see the legendary Pokémon).
  • Send your Pokémon to the Game Boy Advance: see the Game Boy Advance link.
  • Retry the Battle Mode tournaments at level 100 for Poké Coupons.

Known bugs

  • Infinite Poké Balls: in a Double Battle, if you select a Ball with your first Pokémon, then, with the second, swap its place in the bag with another type of Ball (Y button), the Ball thrown isn’t deducted. The bug fails if the second Pokémon uses a multi-turn move, and a Master Ball used this way can freeze the game: at your own risk.
  • The Agate Village bug: at the end of the cliffs bordering the village entrance, Wes walks in place and the screen shakes. Purification progresses as if he were walking normally: handy for emptying a purification gauge without moving.

Action Replay codes

We once published a list of Action Replay codes for the French-language European version of the game: Pokémon Colosseum Action Replay codes. They can corrupt a save file: always back up your memory card before using them.