How to evolve Haunter in Pokemon Legends ZA to get Gengar

I was wandering the streets of the redeveloped Lumiose City upon my return to the Kalos region in Pokemon Legends ZA. The latest game in the popular monster hunting franchiseReal time battlesan engaging plot related to Mega Pokemon and a league of powerful opponents that you will have to fight while playing through the story.

To make sure you’re set up for success, having a strong partner Pokemon is a no-brainer. Things to keep in mind are the Ghost type and Gengar poison, despite the hoops you need to jump through to get one. It evolves from Gastly, which you can pick up early in the game, so if Gengar piques your interest, here’s how to get one.

How to evolve Haunter in Pokemon Legends ZA through trading

Let’s start with the basics. Gengar’s line of development consists of three stages. It starts with Gastly, which you can easily find in Wild Zone 4. Gastly then evolves into Haunter at level 25. After that, you need to trade the Haunter with another player to evolve it into Gengar.

In Pokemon Legends ZA, the Link Trade feature is unlocked during Main Mission 3, which is called “New Life in Lumiose City”. During this mission, you’ll meet Mable, the acting director of the Pokémon Research Laboratory. Through it, you’ll unlock Mable’s Research, a series of quests that revolve around collecting Pokemon, fighting trainers, and destroying massive pieces.

Unlocking Mable’s Research also gives access to the “Link Play” tab in the menu, behind which you will find Link Trade.

Choose this to start trading with a nearby friend or other players online – you’ll need an active Nintendo Switch Online membership for the latter. Once the trade is complete, provided you have not been pranked with the item held in Everstone (which prevents evolution), you will see a text message stating that the Haunter is ready to evolve and will leave the trade with your Gengar.

Read more: How to Redeem All Pokemon Legends: Mystery Gift and Reward Code from ZA

Can you develop Haunter without trading?

Unfortunately, it is impossible to evolve Haunter without trading in Pokemon Legends: ZA. Previous Pokemon Legends title, Pokemon Legends: Arceusit contained an item called the Link Cable, which allows players to obtain commercially evolved Pokémon without actually trading them. We really wish this item would also appear in the new game, but it’s not.

However, there are still several ways to catch Gengar in Pokemon Legends: ZA. Let’s look at those next.

How to catch Gengar in the wild

Pokemon Legends: ZA gives you two chances to add Gengar to your team. First, you can try to capture one during Main Mission 20. The next opportunity is to hunt down Gengar in Wild Zone 20, an area that is unlocked after completing the main story.

If you’re hoping to use Gengar for at least some part of the plot, Main Mission 20 will be your best bet because it guarantees you’ll encounter not just one, but two Gengar (double chances, whoo).

Hunt Gengar in Main Mission 20

Main Quest 20 is titled “A Request from the Rust Syndicate,” and one of the tasks you’ll be doing for the Rust Syndicate requires removing wild Pokemon from an abandoned building. Once inside, you’ll find one Gastly and two wild Gengar to battle. They will be level 40 or higher.

To best prepare yourself to catch Gengar, do the following:

1. Stock up on Ultra Balls and Dusk Balls.
2. Unlock level 3 of the Blue Canari Plush game by trading colored bolts at Racine Construction.
3. Perform a manual save immediately after eliminating Gengar in battle. It will allow you to reload the game and try to pick it up if your first attempt fails.

Note: You can also use status moves to immobilize Gengar or make him sleepy to increase the capture success rate.

Hunt Gengar in Wild Area 20

If you missed your chance to catch Gengar in Main Mission 20, don’t worry. You can find it in Wild Zone 20, provided you’re willing to sit on a bench and reset the Pokémon appearing in the area. Gengar will appear under the Prism Tower. The wait may seem very long, but it is worth it because this Gengar is guaranteed to be an alpha and will have good stats from the start.

How to trade in Pokemon Legends ZA

Trading is a major Pokémon mechanic, and is important for obtaining a full Pokedex. This applies to Pokemon Legends: ZA to some extent as well. To start trading in Pokemon Legends: ZA, you need to unlock the Link Play feature, which happens during Main Mission 3. Once the Link Play is unlocked, follow these steps:

1. Press X to open the menu.
2. Scroll down and select Link playback.
3. Now choose the link you want. On the next screen, choose Nearby Players if you’re trading with friends around you or Far Away Players if you want to trade online.
4. Next, enter the link code and wait for your trade to start.

Remember, the link codes must match for a trade to take place, so check with your friend or trading partner. If you’re trading for a specific Pokemon, look for trade codes used by online Pokemon communities. I used codes from AustinJohnPlays video To help complete my Pokedex.

Also note, if you are trading online for a commercially evolved Pokémon, be sure to check the hold item on the Pokémon you will receive (do this by pressing the R button on your Joy-Con) before confirming the trade. It will make sure you don’t leave a sour taste in your mouth during your journey to catch them all.