In Pokémon Ranger, captured Pokémon don’t battle: they help you. During a capture, you can call one of your friend Pokémon, which triggers a Poké Assist depending on its type. Choosing the right Poké Assist makes tough captures much easier. Here is how they work and what each one does.
Using a Poké Assist
- During a capture, touch the icon at the bottom right of the touch screen and choose a friend Pokémon.
- The Poké Assist lasts a limited time, longer with a powerful Pokémon: a Swampert‘s lasts longer than a Mudkip‘s.
- The Pokémon used then leaves your team, released.
- A gauge, your partner Pokémon’s, must have at least one segment to call a Poké Assist; it fills up as you close loops during captures.
Effectiveness by group
Each Pokémon belongs to a group, the equivalent of a type. A Poké Assist is more or less effective depending on the group of the Pokémon you’re capturing: a red up arrow means it’s effective, a blue down arrow that it’s not very effective. Against a Fire-group Pokémon, a Water Poké Assist is a good choice, a Grass Poké Assist a bad one.
Pokémon Ranger’s Poké Assists
| Poké Assist | Effect | Effective against | Not very effective against |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grass | Grass grows on the capture line and traps any Pokémon that touches it | Ground, Rock, Water | Poison, Flying, Bug, Fire, Grass, Steel, Dragon; no effect on Pokémon that fly or levitate |
| Fire | Flames burst from the line and scare the Pokémon; a closed loop creates a blaze | Grass, Ice, Bug, Steel | Rock, Fire, Water, Dragon |
| Water | A bubble, bigger or smaller, to throw with a flick of the stylus; it traps the Pokémon it hits | Fire, Ground, Rock | Water, Grass, Dragon |
| Electric | Recharges the Capture Styler’s energy; can also be used in the field | Water, Flying | Electric, Dragon, Ground |
| Fighting | Each loop counts double | Normal, Rock, Ice, Dark, Steel | — |
| Poison | A toxic mist immobilizes the Pokémon caught in it | — | Poison, Ground, Rock, Ghost, Steel |
| Psychic | The Pokémon is lifted up and can no longer move | Fighting, Poison | — |
| Bug | A sticky ball, thrown with a flick of the stylus, immobilizes the Pokémon | Grass, Dark, Psychic | — |
| Ground | The ground rises along the line and hinders movement | Poison, Rock, Fire, Electric, Steel | No effect on Pokémon that fly or levitate |
| Rock | Gravel, thrown with a flick of the stylus, immobilizes the Pokémon in a cloud of dust | Flying, Bug, Fire, Ice | — |
| Flying | A whirlwind, thrown with a flick of the stylus, lifts the Pokémon | Fighting, Bug, Grass | — |
| Dark | The capture line doubles in length, at the cost of some of the Capture Styler’s energy | — | — |
| Ghost | A ghost appears in each loop and immobilizes the nearest Pokémon | Psychic, Ghost | — |
| Ice | Ice appears in each loop and freezes any Pokémon that walks on it | Grass, Ground, Dragon | No effect on Pokémon that levitate |
Which Poké Assists to favor?
- Fighting is the most universal: halving the number of loops helps against almost every boss.
- Psychic and Ghost immobilize the target, ideal against fast Pokémon.
- Electric saves a capture that’s going badly by recharging the Capture Styler.
- Dark is a double-edged sword: useful against a big Pokémon that needs large loops, risky if the Capture Styler is already weakened.
New Poké Assists unlock as your rank goes up: see Capture Styler and ranks.
