Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Rescue Team DX: How to Beat the Zapdos Boss Fight
We explain how to defeat Zapdos, the legendary lightning bird Pokemon.
The first legendary Pokemon you come across in Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Rescue Team DX, the legendary Zapdos is a powerful enemy who takes Shiftry prisoner on Mt. Thunder. We'll show you how to beat Zapdos and rescue Shiftry here.
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How to Beat Zapdos
As you might've guessed from your brief encounter at the Silent Chasm, Zapdos is a cut above any of the bosses you've fought so far. An Electric/Flying type with around 500 health and a variety of powerful moves, we can't recommend normally trading blows with this powerhouse, especially if you have Water, Grass, Flying or Fighting types in your party. Instead, you'll have to out think them. Try following some of these basic rules to gain an advantage.
Zapdos Weaknesses and Tips
Your best strategy for Zapdos is to delay and hobble him as much as possible, using status effects and manipulations to keep him weak or helpless while you wear down his health bar. Otherwise he might hit you with one of his high-power Flying or Electric moves. Keep the following in mind when battling him:
- You should be at least level 20 going into this fight, otherwise there's a good chance he might be able to one-shot you. Don't be afraid to grind up some levels before trying to ascend Mt. Thunder.
- Zapdos' huge three tile-wide size means he can hit anything in the three tiles in front. He's not limited to single targets, so either spread out around him or fight from a distance.
- Zapdos is weak only to Rock and Ice attacks. Use these if you have them, but don't use Fighting, Flying, Bug, Steel, Grass and especially Ground attacks - he's resistant to these.
- Zapdos, like all legendary birds, has the "Pressure" ability, meaning that all enemy attacks use double PP when fighting him. Swallow down some Max Ethers or Elixirs before going into the fight to make sure you have the resources to last.
- His "Sky Attack" move is especially powerful, with a high crit chance and the possibility of making Pokemon flinch. However, it takes a turn to charge up, so if he doesn't attack, move everybody out from in front of him instantly to stop them getting taken out.
- Go into the battle with an inventory full of Wands, Sleep Seeds or Status-Impacting moves like Hypnosis or Supersonic. Zapdos does too much damage to let him keep attacking freely whenever he wants, so you'll need to hamper him from the start. Being a boss, he's able to recover from these effects fast, but it can still give you an advantage and could easily be what makes the difference.
Rewards for Beating Zapdos
Shiftry isn't the most gracious of Pokemon and won't give you anything more than a begrudging thanks as the battle finishes. Instead, your main reward is information, as Alakazam and Team ACT show up to finish the fight and provide a possible next step in solving the mystery of your transformation.
For more on Mystery Dungeon, you can see Joel's review of the game here. Or why not check out Hirun's story on the game's reveal?