Topic: "Battery Has Run Dry" Problem on Pokemon Sapphire (or Ruby)

Hey guys, been trying to figure this out and haven't exactly found a clear answer so I figured I'd ask it here. So has anyone ever had their battery "run dry" in Pokémon Ruby or Sapphire???? I booted up Sapphire for the 1st time in a good while today and was greeted with said message. Any help is appreciated, what I really don't wanna lose is my save data (and from what I've read that doesn't sound like it will be affected) put well over 100+ hours into that bloody game....Might very well be time for a remake Game Freak....

Your save data is fine I think its just the clock thats effected.

http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Berry_glitch

Just link to FireRed, LeafGreen, Emerald, or any of the Gamecube games, and a patch will be installed that fixes the problem. Check the article for specific instructions for the game you chose to link with.

Edit: And yes, this has happened to me on my Ruby and Sapphire carts too. I never bothered to fix Ruby, but my Sapphire was fixed because I downloaded the shiny Zigzagoon from EB Games, and the patch was on that. Honestly, the game is playable even with the dry battery. You won't lose your save files or anything, it simply affects the in-game clock.

Sadly, this isn't the Berry-glitch, which can be fixed easily. The battery within your game cartridge has run dry. It's the battery that powers the internal clock, which allows for time-based events to occur. Nintendo stopped replacing batteries in gameboy cartridges a few years ago. All you can do is, either continue to play the game, the affected gameplay should be minimal, or get the battery replaced. Without the internal battery one cannot do things such as; catch Regice, or visit Mirage Island, berries won't grow, the Shoal Cave doesn't change tides anymore either, etc.

You can try and replace your battery on your own. I've replaced batteries in gameboy color games before, but I have no experience with Gameboy Advance games. Though, here's a video that might help:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ji3LbKNX_Bc

So you're telling me that GBA games have been around so long, the batteries in them are starting to die from age?

Thanks for making me feel old

But in all seriousness, your best bet is to replace the battery in the cartridge...this happens with N64 games as well.

@Octane Ah, you're right. I had just assumed that it was the Berry Glitch because of the similar effects.

But yeah, if the battery has actually ran out, it will need to be replaced. I remember seeing a pretty cool youtube video where someone replaced the battery in a Gold version cartridge. I'll see if I can't find it. What's cool is that in the video, the guy uses electrical tape instead of solder for the necessary connections, so it is a pretty easy fix anyone can do.

Edit: Found it! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsROHA7RUCQ
It's a GBC cartridge, but the same principles apply

Also, I'm pretty sure you will lose your save information if the battery is removed, so if you want to preserve it, you may not want to change the battery. As a last-ditch effort, you could always transfer your team to a DS game if you want to keep your Pokemon, but still fix the battery.

Replacing the battery won't effect the save data I did for my Sapphire cartridge 2 years ago.

The save file should be safe if the battery is replaced correctly. All the battery does is power the internal clock, it cannot tell the difference between a dead battery and no battery. In other words; You can even play the game with the battery removed.

I guess you learn something new everyday then, lol. I suppose the reason I felt the save would be erased is because I heard for other games, like Earthbound on SNES, if the battery was removed, the save would be erased. I thought the same applied here.

If I recall correctly, that is, because the cartridge needs a battery to save the game. The SRAM needs a continuous feed of electricity to keep the save files stored. No battery means no save files.

Now that you mention it, SRAM was mentioned in the original topic I read about Earthbound years ago, so that make perfect sense. Thanks for clearing that up.

Thanks for the help guys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ^_^ Looks like I'll have to grab a new battery next time I'm at the store, just in case anything goes awry I'll move some Pokémon over to FireRed later on, Thank you all again!!!!

If you know how to solder it's a pretty easy fix if not just wrap electrical tape around the battery and the contacts.

The GBA Pokemon games use FlashROM (or something similar) to hold save data, which doesn't need a battery. Most games on older consoles used SRAM, which does need a battery, to save.

That's only for batteries that basically use the clock, since the game is constantly updating the time, even when it is not powered. With that in mind, those batteries would last for around 10 years.

The good news, the Pokémon GBA games store the save data in the cartridges. It only uses the internal battery for clock-base events. So replacing the battery won't delete the save data.

Details on replacing battery (requires soldering): http://www.instructables.com/id/Pokemon-Sapphire-Battery-Repl...