How to Catch Mesprit in Pokémon Diamond and Pearl

Last Updated: October 31, 2022

Mesprit roams throughout Sinnoh, making it difficult to track down. Trying to follow it around Sinnoh will be a fruitless endeavor, but you can use a trick to make it appear in your location fairly quickly. Once you encounter Mesprit, you'll have to quickly do some damage and then track it down again, because it will flee as its first move in every battle.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Preparing Your Party

1
Defeat Team Galactic. Mesprit is not available to catch until you have proceeded through the story far enough to defeat Team Galactic by defeating Cyrus and catching Dialga/Palkia. This will happen automatically in the story after you complete the seventh Gym and raid the Galactic Headquarters.
2
Put a Pokémon that knows Surf in your party. You'll need the Surf ability to reach the Verity Cavern to trigger Mesprit's appearance. You'll have assigned Surf to one of your Pokémon much earlier in the game, as it is required for a variety of tasks.

Advertisement
3
Set a Pokémon under Level 50 but with a high speed as the first Pokemon. The Pokémon will need to have a speed higher than 80 in order to ensure that you are able to go first. This will give you the opportunity to inflict status ailments and damage before it escapes. It will also need to be Level 50 or under so that your Repels work when hunting for Mesprit.
- Make sure the Pokémon knows a move that causes Sleep, Freeze, or Paralyze. This will help speed up the catching process.
- Ideally you'll want a Pokémon that also knows a Bug, Ghost, or Dark attack, as these will be the most effective against Mesprit. False Swipe is also an good move for lowering its health safely, but can take a lot longer.
- An alternative option is to put a Wobbuffet or Wynaut with the Shadow Tag ability at the front of your party. Shadow Tag can prevent the Mesprit from fleeing. Wobbuffet is much slower than Mesprit, however, and will likely not last long in battle.^{[1]
  X
  Research source}
4
Buy lots of Ultra / Dusk Balls and Repels. Since Mesprit has a low catch rate, Dusk and Ultra Balls get are your best bet. Dusk balls have the highest catch rate, but only work at night or in caves.. Stock up on these; you may need 40 or more if you're unlucky. You'll also need a lot of repels to ensure that you only encounter Mesprit
5
Get the Marking Map from Jubilife City. You'll need this tool from the Poketch Company in Jubilife City in order to know when Mesprit is in the same area as you. You'll need to find the three clowns around town and answer their trivia questions.
- You'll find one clown next to the Pokémon Center, one in front of the Poketch Company headquarters, and one in front of the TV station.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Finding Mesprit

1
Travel to Lake Verity. Once you've defeated Team Galactic and your party is ready, you can head to Lake Verity and cause Mesprit to appear. Flying to Twinleaf Town is the quickest way to get to the lake.
2
Surf to the middle of the lake. You'll find the Verity Cavern entrance in the middle of the lake.
3
Enter Verity Cavern. You'll see Mesprit in the center of the room.
4
Talk to Mesprit in the cavern. It will look like the battle is about to start, and then Mesprit will run away before it begins. Professor Rowan will inform you that Mesprit is now roaming throughout Sinnoh, and that you can track it on the map.
- Roaming Pokémon like Mesprit will change locations every time you move between locations. This can make tracking them down difficult, but there's a trick you can use to speed it up.
5
Travel to Route 205 or Valley Windworks. Walking between these two locations is the most effective way to encounter a roaming Pokémon due to the close proximity of tall grass on each side and the low level wild Pokemon.
6
Move back and forth between the two locations to cause Mesprit to move. Each time you walk from one location to the other, Mesprit will move to a new location in Sinnoh. You can see its current location flashing on your Marking Map in the lower screen.
- Mesprit's movements are random, so you may have to go back and forth many times until you're both in the same spot.
7
Use a Repel once you and Mesprit are in the same location. Once you've changed locations and Mesprit is in the same location you are, use a Repel so that you don't encounter any other Pokemon. If you encounter another Pokémon or start a battle with a trainer, Mesprit will move and you'll have to start over.
8
Save your game. Save before attempting to encounter Mesprit so you can quickly try again if you accidentally mess up.
9
Run through the tall grass or surf until you encounter Mesprit. Since you're using a Repel, you won't encounter any Pokémon lower than your first Pokemon's level. This will prevent you from encountering any of the wild Pokémon in these two areas. If your first Pokémon is over level 50, the Repel will prevent you from encountering Mesprit.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Catching Mesprit

1
Inflict a status ailment on the first move. Your first order of business is making sure Mesprit is affected by Freeze, Paralyze, or Sleep. This will make it easier to catch. Mesprit will escape immediately after, but the status ailment will still be present when you encounter it next.
- You can use your Master Ball to catch Mesprit instantly, but you may want to save it for other elusive rare Pokémon later.
2
Walk between Route 205 and Windworks until Mesprit appears again. After Mesprit runs away from your first encounter, you can walk back and forth between Route 205 and Valley Windworks until it appears again. Remember to use another Repel once you're in the same location, then enter the tall grass or surf to encounter it.
3
Hit Mesprit with a Bug, Ghost, or Dark attack. This will take a big chunk of its health down. You'll hopefully get it down to yellow health, or even red if you're lucky. Mesprit will run, but the damage you've done will stay when you encounter it again.
- If you accidentally knock Mesprit out, you'll need to load your save and try again.
4
Make Mesprit appear again. Mesprit will always run after your first action, so do the back-and-forth again until it appears. You'll be getting very familiar with the entrances to these two areas! Remember to use a Repel once you're in the same location.
5
Whittle Mesprit's health down to red. You can use regular attacks that aren't very effective, or use False Swipe to lower it to 1 HP. The goal is to get the health bar into the red zone. Every time Mesprit runs, you'll need to walk between the two locations until it appears again.
- Make sure you don't knock it out! If you knock out Mesprit, you'll need to load your saved game and try again.
6
Throw a Quick Ball as soon as its health is red. The first time you encounter Mesprit when it has red health, throw a Quick Ball as your first move. If you're lucky, you'll catch Mesprit on the first try. Chances are it will break free and run, though.
7
Continue making Mesprit appear and throw a Quick Ball each time. Mesprit will run after your first move each time. This means you'll only get one Quick Ball throw in per encounter. It may take 20-30 tries, but you should eventually catch Mesprit this way.^{[2]
X
Research source}

Community Q&A

Question

Do Repels affect Mesprit?

Community Answer

As long as the first Pokemon in your party is Level 50 or lower, you'll still be able to encounter Mesprit with a Repel active. If your first Pokemon is over Level 50, a Repel will prevent you from encountering Mesprit.
Question

Is Giratina good against Mespirit (Uxie and Azelf) too?

Community Answer

Yes, as it is a ghost/dragon type Pokemon so it should work. Some quick balls maybe needed, though.
Question

How do I catch Mesprit?

Community Answer

Catch Palkia or Dialga, then go where you got attacked by Starly. Surf to the cave then chase Mesprit.