The box art legendaries for Pokémon X & Y make their grand return in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, and if you're a true Pokémon collector, then you'll want to add these two to your team.
While not available until much later, Xerneas and Yveltal are iconic Kalos 'mon that require a little bit of work to acquire. So we'll be covering every single step on how to capture both of these 'mons in the game.
Note that this guide contains major spoilers for Pokémon Legends: Z-A, so be warned!
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How to get Xerneas & Yveltal in Pokémon Legends: Z-A
Before you even think about catching the Life & Destruction Pokémon, you need to beat the main story and roll credits. They're part of the post game only, and don't get much of a mention beforehand. Ouch!
Anyway, once you've rolled credits and loaded up your save again, you'll wake up inside Hotel Z. Head downstairs and talk to your friends who remind you that, because you're an A Ranked trainer, you're allowed to wish for anything you want from Quasartico Inc.
Head outside, watch a cutscene, then head over to Centrico Plaza, the place where Prism Tower used to be but is now Wild Zone 20. Speak to Vinnie and you'll get a cutscene, where you'll get your Wish — access to the Infinite Z-A Royale.
You'll need to take part in at least one Challenger Battle to progress the post game story, so at nightfall, head to the next Battle Zone and rake in those points. Return to Quasartico Inc, win the fight (ours was against Zach who... hasn't got any better!), and you'll get a phone call.
Return to Hotel Z where you'll meet L, who reveals his memory has come back. Convenient! He'll tell you about two Pokémon that bring life and death to the world. After he leaves, you'll get two separate Main Quests — The One That Gives and The One That Takes.
The One That Gives Main Quest guide - Xerneas
For The One That Gives, you'll want to head to the Pokémon Research Lab and speak to Mabel. As always, she's... expressive. But chat with her and she'll tell you about the Life Pokémon Xerneas, and what you need to do to to stop it from causing chaos.
Basically, you need to catch or defeat three Alpha Pokémon that have appeared in three different locations — Wild Zone 3, Wild Zone 5, and Wild Zone 9.
These are all level 70 and extremely powerful, so make sure you have some appropriately-levelled Pokémon on you; if they can Mega Evolve, even better.
Alpha Steelix Location - Wild Zone 3
Alpha Steelix is pretty easy to spot, wandering around close to the south gate of Wild Zone 3.
Because of its high defense stat, this one was the toughest for us to take down. If you picked Totodile as your starter, however, that will help — particularly thanks to Mega Feraligatr.
Alpha Gallade Location - Wild Zone 5
Alpha Gallade is also pretty easy to find — he's wandering around next to a market stall on the western side of the Zone.
Mega Hawlucha is your best friend here — a Brave Bird and another attack should be enough to take it down.
Alpha Pangoro Location - Wild Zone 9
Heading to the far west side of the map, Alpha Pangoro is on the roof of the southwest building of Wild Zone 9. You'll need to climb up some of DYN4MO's scaffolding to reach it.
Again, Mega Hawlucha is great here, but so is a powerful Florges with some Plus Moves on Moonblast.
Xerneas Location
Once you've defeated all three Alpha Pokémon, report back to Mable at the Research Lab and she'll tell you she's found some strange energy in Wild Zone 11. Off we go!
Fast travel there and cross the river — you want to enter from the north side, as Xerneas will appear on the northern canal bank.
Once inside, head down the stairs and walk up to the sparkling on the patch of grass. Examine it and Xerneas will appear. Talk to Xerneas to engage it in battle. It's level 75, so be careful!
To complete the quest, you must catch Xerneas.
The One That Takes Main Quest guide - Yveltal
If you want to go after Yveltal first, then it's a much easier process — head to Nouveau Café close to Centrica Plaza then speak to Griselle and Grisham.
The pair will recall their encounter with Xerneas and Yveltal during their time with Team Flare, and then offer to help you track down the Destruction Pokémon.
After talking to the pair, head to Quasartico Inc. and speak to Vinnie. who reveals the company has built a device capable of replicating battles, allowing you to train up for the fight with Yveltal. This involves refighting three Rogue Mega Evolutions all on your own. Again, all three fights are level 70 and hit much harder than before.
Rogue Mega Victreebel rematch
Probably the easiest of the three thanks to being weak to an extremely common type (Fire), Rogue Mega Victreebel is the same as ever — spitting poison around the arena and dropping poison puddles on the floor.
If you started with Tepig, then congrats! You probably have this in the bag. Mega Emboar is excellent here. We used Mega Chandelure. Big Fire damage is the key.
Rogue Mega Hawlucha rematch
Mega Hawlucha has a ton of weaknesses, but it also has a lot of counters for those gaps and good type coverage across the board. It's also the fastest of the three rematches, as Hawlucha can leap towards you from the length of the arena.
A Flying-type is good here, such as Mega Pidgeot. But we stuck with old Faithful Mega Feraligatr with Ice Fang.
Rogue Mega Tyranitar rematch
Rogue Mega Tyranitar is a pain, especially in its second phase, as it can cover itself in a sandstorm, doing constant damage to anything that gets near it. Add in the sand dunes and you get a hectic fight.
Luckily, it's very weak to Water-type moves. So if you're like us and started with Totodile, you've got a good counter. Mega Hawlucha is also amazing here with Fighting-type moves, but Tyranitar has plenty of Ground-based counters, so just be careful.
Yveltal Location
Once you've defeated all three simulations, Vinnie will tell you that Yveltal appears to be approaching the roof of the Galerie de la Lune, the domed shopping centre in the Rouge District.
Head to the Pokémonm Center there and then look for some scaffolding on the side of the building. Climb it to reach the top.
To get onto the glass dome, you want to reach the highest wall here and then roll off. Then, press A to Roto-Glide over to the dome. Run up, examine the sparkle, do the same, then speak to Yveltal to challenge it.
Like Xerneas, Yveltal is level 75 and must be caught in order to finish the quest.
How to catch Xerneas & Yveltal
Being legendary Pokémon and both level 75, these can be a pain in the backside to catch and may require multiple attempts to get inside a Poké Ball. If you accidentally defeat them or they break out too many times, don't worry, you can try again as many times as you want.
First thing's first, status moves are your friend here. Sleep, Poison, Paralysis — all of these make Pokémon weaker and easier to catch. So if you have them, use them when these two drop below half health.
For typing, Xerneas is Fairy-type, so it's only weak to Poison and Steel. Not ideal! If you have a Aegislash, Victreebel, or any of those move types on a Pokémon, then now's the time to use them.
Yveltal is a little easier to deal with — it's more aggressive, but its Dark Flying-type, so it's weak to Fairy, Electric, Ice, and Rock. Lots more options here, then: Eelektross, Tyrantrum, Aurorus, Florges, Clefairy... you could go on.
The best time to attack Xerneas is when it's using Geomancy, as it's charging up its stats. It won't be attacking then! For Yveltal, Ruinous Wings is the best attack to take advantage of — it's pretty powerful, but if you can dodge it, you can walk around to its side and whittle away at its health.
Lastly, we recommend taking on both of these fights at night and stocking up on Dusk Balls. These are amazing at catching Pokémon when the sun goes down. Timer Balls are also good here, but you also can't go wrong with some Ultra Balls.
Don't forget, you can throw Poké Balls at any time during the fight — they're less successful, but we caught both Xerneas and Yveltal mid-fight while they were weakened. It's less hassle than doing the fights over and over again.
That's two more slots in the Pokédex filled. We've got the complete Lumiose City Pokédex right here if you need help filling out your list. Otherwise, head over to our Pokémon Legends: Z-A Walkthrough hub for more helpful guides!