Hordes and Encounters

Kalos has renewed wild Pokémon encounters: hordes of five opponents at once, colored flowers with their own inhabitants, Pokémon that drop from the ceiling or swoop down from the sky, and even trash cans that move. Here is how it all works, with the list of Pokémon for each type of encounter.

🐾Horde Encounters

In tall grass, five Pokémon sometimes burst out at the same time. A horde can only be caught once the others are defeated, since you cannot throw a Poké Ball while several opponents remain.

• Honey, spread in tall grass, triggers a horde every time. Trevor gives you three on Route 5.
• A spread move, such as Surf, Earthquake or Flare Blitz, hits all five at once.
• Experience: a horde yields a lot in a single battle, and it is an excellent way to train a stat’s EVs.
• Mixed hordes combine two species, like the male and female Nidoran on Route 11.

67 encounters

🌼Colored flowers

Patches of yellow, red or purple flowers work like tall grass, with their own list of Pokémon and different rates. That is where, for example, Eevee is most common on Route 10, or where Drapion hides on Route 19.

🌿Ambushes

• From a bush: when walking along certain hedges, a Pokémon can leap out, like the Venipede on Route 6 or the Durant on Route 18.
• From the ceiling: in caves, Woobat, Ferroseed or Noibat drop on you.
• From the sky: on Victory Road, a shadow on the ground announces a Flying Pokémon swooping down on you.
• From the ground: on Route 13, Pokémon hide in clouds of dust that move toward you. Repels have no effect there.

31 encounters

🗑️Trash cans

For the first time, trash cans hide Pokémon. When one of them moves, search it: an item or a Pokémon comes out. At the Lost Hotel, it is the only way to catch Rotom, on Tuesdays. In Pokémon Village, Banette come out of them on Thursdays.

5 encounters

🎣Fishing

Three rods: the Old Rod in Ambrette Town, the Good Rod in Coumarine City and the Super Rod on Route 16. New feature: by fishing several times in a row in the same spot without a miss, you chain bites, and the chances of running into a Shiny Pokémon increase.

🦏Mounts

Three Pokémon serve as mounts: Rhyhorn on Route 9, Skiddo at the Route 12 ranch and Mamoswine on Route 17. On Route 9 and Route 17, wild Pokémon burst out from under your mount’s feet. At the ranch, on the contrary, riding a mount lets you avoid all encounters.