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Anthony Yates
As an avid PS1 & PS2 Games collector, Anthony is a ferociously competitive gamer and always looks for ways to compete, even in single-player games and has a special place in his heart for Pokemon games (from known titles to fan-made games) and is here to help other masters take on all the games in the Pokemon universe.
Latest posts by Anthony Yates (see all)
- Best Nature for Gardevoir in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet - January 3, 2024
- Best Dragonite Nature in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet - January 3, 2024
- The Best Nature for Charizard in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet - December 20, 2023
Table of Contents
- Story Synopsis
- Key Features
- What Is an Innate Ability?
- Craft Your Perfect Pokemon Adventure
- Randomizer
- Nuzlocke
- Handicap
- Challenges
- Game Mechanics
- Welcome to Hoenn
- Route 101
- Route 101
- Oldale Town
- Route 103
- Rival
- Petalburg City
- Petalburg Woods
- Rustboro City
- Rustboro City Gym
- Gym Leader Roxanne
- Rusturf Tunnel
- Rival
- Dewford Town
- Dewford City Gym
- Leader Brawly
- Granite Cave
- Slateport City
- Slateport Museum
- Team Aqua Grunt
- Route 110
- Rival
- Mauville City
- Wally
- Mauville City Gym
- Gym Leader Wattson
- Mauville Game Corner
- Get the Rock Smash HM
- Verdanturf Town
- Route 111
- Visit Trainer Hill
- Fallarbor Town
- Showdown with Jesse and James
- Mt. Chimney
- Magma Leader Maxie
- Lavaridge Town
- Lavaridge Gym
- Gym Leader Flannery
- Petalburg City Gym
- Speed Room
- Confusion Room (Doubles)
- Accuracy Room
- Defence Room
- One-Hit KO Room
- Gym Leader Norman
- Southern Island
- Where Do I Go Next?
- Weather Institute
- Aqua Admin Shelly
- Rival
- Foretree City
- Foretree City Gym
- Leader Winona
- Lilycove City
- Rival
- Mt. Pyre
- Team Magma Hideout
- Magma Leader Maxie
- Team Aqua Hideout
- Aqua Admin Matt
- May and Brendan
- Mossdeep City
- Mossdeep City Gym
- Gym Leaders Liza and Tate
- Space Station
- Aqua Admin Shelly
- Aqua Leader Archie
- Sootopolis City
- Pacifidlog Town
- Sky Pillar
- Sootopolis Gym
- Leader Wallace
- Victory Road
- Wally
- The Pokemon League
- Elite Four Sidney
- Elite Four Phoebe
- Elite Four Glacia
- Elite Four Drake
- Trainer Steven
- The Post Game
- Meteor Falls Revisited
- Steven
- Pokemon Exceeded Guide: FAQs
- Question: Is EXP Share in Pokemon Exceed?
- Question: Why am I Getting Beaten by Pokemon much Lower Level than My Own?
- Question: Where are All the Zygarde Cells?
- Useful Resources
Pokemon Romhacks take many different forms, but the most common is enhancing old titles rather than completely overhauling them.
With these games, the modder changes a few features so the end product aligns with their creative vision. Pokemon Exceeded fits these criteria but adds so much new content it stands entirely on its own merit.
If you’ve played the original Pokemon Emerald, the direction through the game is similar, as are many of the story beats. Still, there’s so much crammed into this package it’s hard not to be impressed.
If you enjoy the familiarity of low-impact mods but want to see Emerald fleshed out in ways you’ve never seen before, Pokemon Exceeded may be right up your alley.
Story Synopsis
Pokemon Exceeded closely follows the story of Pokemon Emerald, Ruby and Sapphire, but if you’re new to the title, here’s what’s happening.
You arrive in the region of Hoenn with dreams of becoming a Pokemon Trainer. Outside of town, you rescue a professor from a wild Pokemon attack and are rewarded with your first Pokemon.
The Professor notes your potential, and before you know it, you’re on a quest to conquer the gyms around the region and become a mighty Pokemon Trainer.
If only everything were so simple. On your journey, you fall into the middle of a conflict between Team Aqua and Team Magma.
Both Teams want to change the planet’s balance to ‘save’ Pokemon with the power of Legendary beasts. If that’s not a big enough problem, Team Rocket is on the prowl with a much more nefarious agenda.
Is a young, inexperienced Trainer strong enough to become a Pokémon Master and save the planet at the same time? Well, that part is on you.
Key Features
- Expansive pregame options allow you to tailor the game to your liking
- Built-in optional Nuzlocke rule set
- Pokemon followers visible on the world map
- No HM Slaves
- Innate ability system
- Secret Bases
- Battle Tents for combat specialists
- A Zygarde Collectathon
- Enormous Pokemon Roster spanning multiple generations.
What Is an Innate Ability?
One of the biggest changes to the standard Pokemon Formula in Exceeded is Innate abilities.
Every Pokemon has them, and they learn more as they level up. These Innates act similarly to regular abilities like Sturdy and Levitate, but Pokemon can know up to three of them, and they can chain together.

For example, this Skwovet knows Cheek Pouch, which restores HP upon eating a Berry. It doesn’t matter what Berry Skwovet eats; it gains the Berry effect on top of the HP.
Gluttony means this effect happens much earlier in the fight than usual. Finally, Sugar Rush grants Skwovert a Speed stat increase when a Berry is eaten. All of these buffs occur because one Berry was consumed; pretty cool, right?
This system is fantastic, but it also has a few issues. Some Innate combinations are absolutely broken. You’ll see this in full force in the Normal Type Gym.
Specific setups can severely skew damage numbers in the background, making some battles seem unfair. The good outweighs the bad, and it’s something I’d love to see implemented in more Romhacks.
Craft Your Perfect Pokemon Adventure
Pokemon Exceeded’s pre-game options are second to none, and just about every aspect of the game can be changed across five pages of settings.
Here’s a quick tour of what you can do. If you’re following the guide, the only option I changed was the amount of EXP I received in battle from 1.0x to 1.5x.
Randomizer

Turning this option on allows you to randomize every aspect of the game, from the items you receive to the Pokemon you’ll find in the wild.
Turning on Chaos Mode isn’t recommended, but it turns every aspect of the game upside down. The only thing that remains consistent is Key Item locations, so you can’t sequence-break the game.
Nuzlocke

This menu turns the popular ‘self-imposed’ ruleset into a feature. With Nuzlocke enabled, you can only catch one Pokemon per route, and if any of your team are KO’d, you can’t use them again.
If you turn on ‘Hard Mode,’ you lose your save data if you lose a battle! I don’t recommend a Nuzlocke run on your first go, but they offer a unique blend of punishment and reward you won’t find in any other game.
Handicap

Pokemon Exceeded is much harder than standard Pokemon Emerald. In this menu, you can make the game easier or crushingly difficult. There are a few presets (I used Normal), but you can make the AI more intelligent, limit party sizes and impose level caps, so every battle is a challenge.
Challenges

This menu is full of game-altering rulesets that completely change how you approach a run. You can limit Evolutions or restrict your party to a single type.
The most bizarre is the ‘Player AI’ mode, where you control where to go, but the AI takes over during battles, even down to catching wild Pokemon. If you’re a Streamer, this could be a hilarious way to play with your chat.
Game Mechanics

In this final menu, you can disable certain aspects of the game and curate your Starter Pokemon.
If you don’t like the Innate system, you can turn it off, and you can make every battle in the game into a Doubles format. You can even turn on a Sandbox mode that gives access to a full-blown cheat menu.
Welcome to Hoenn

Your Pokemon adventure starts like any other; you’ve just moved into your new house in Littleroot Town, so take in the sights, check out the homes around you, and head north into Route 101.
In this guide, I’ll point out where to find key items and where to go if you get stuck, but it’s still a good idea to interact with every NPC you find. Many give you things just for talking to them or teaching your squad powerful attacks.
Route 101
Even though you don’t have any Pokemon, leave the village and pick your starter from Professor Birch’s bag. This choice is random to a point, as I’ve started twice and got two completely different selections.
Your selection can be curated in the Options Menu before you start too. These are the choices I had on my first try, but your mileage may vary.
- Rowlet (Grass/Flying)
- Charmander (Fire)
- Totodile (Water)
If you’re looking for advice, the first Gym Leader uses Rock/Ground Pokemon, so the Fire starter will struggle. That Gym Leader’s Pokemon also knows Rock Throw, which wrecks Flying Pokemon.
Out of my selection above, Rowlet is also a bad choice. Ultimately, go with your favorites, as there are plenty of opportunities to build a fantastic squad in Pokemon Exceeded.
Before you leave town, you can visit Professor Birch’s house and grab the Work Up TM from the kid’s room. It’s absolutely stealing, but hey!
Route 101
After you’ve returned to the Professor’s lab, you can leave Littleroot Town for real this time. Travel through Route 101; you can always sleep at home to heal your Pokemon if needed.
Oldale Town

You’ll start a game-wide collectathon for Zygarde pieces in Oldale Town. Many are inaccessible until you have TM’s, so I recommend saving this part of the game until you’ve beaten the story.
Route 103
This is a tiny area, but you will have your first Rival battle when you reach the top.
Rival
• Starter LV5
As is customary in most Pokemon games, your Rival will have a Starter Pokemon that directly counters yours. You should make finding a counter to that your top priority.
After your battle, return to Oldale and then back to Littleroot and speak to the Professor. He will give you a Pokedex, and you’ll finally get a few Pokeballs. Head back to Oldale. Route 103 is a dead end, but now, you can exit Oldale Town via the west exit toward Petalburg City.
Petalburg City
There’s a Gym in this City, but you can’t challenge the leader just yet. Still, head inside, and a tutorial on how to catch Pokemon will trigger. You’ll see Wally catch his first Pokemon, and you’ll be directed to head to Rustboro.
Petalburg Woods
You’ll see a Pichu when you enter the woods. If you want one, keep interacting with it whenever you see it, and you’ll eventually be able to battle and catch it.
Rustboro City

There’s a Gym you can challenge in Rustboro, but most importantly, you can get the Cut HM as well! Grab it from the house pictured above. Cut is super effective against Grass Types in Pokemon Exceeded and always lands critical hits. It’s a powerful attack, especially in the early game.
Rustboro City Gym
I hope you’ve been training up until this point because this is a brutal first Gym. Fight your way to the leader and make sure you’re fully healed before you start.
Gym Leader Roxanne
- Sudowoodo (Rock) LV12
- Nosepass (Rock) LV15
- Shuckle (Bug/Rock) LV12
This fight tells you precisely what dirty games Pokemon Exceed wants to play. Nosepass knows Shockwave, an electric move, to shut down Water Types, and Shuckle knows Withdraw, which raises Def and SP. Def. While you’re dealing with Shuckle’s impenetrable defense, it’ll wear you down with Sandstorm and Wrap.
You get the Stone badge and Rock Tomb TM for winning. You can also use Cut outside of battle.
When you leave the Gym, you’ll see Team Aqua running away from the Devon Corp building. Head north and then east into Route 116 and Rusturf Tunnel to give chase.
Rusturf Tunnel
The tunnel has collapsed for now, but you still need to go inside to advance the story and defeat the Team Aqua Grunt inside.
After you’ve battled the Grunt, walk back to Rustboro City. Your next destination is Mr Briney’s house on the south side of Petalburg Woods. On your way out of Rustboro, you’ll be challenged by your Rival:
Rival
- Pidgey (Flying) LV13
- Starter LV15
- Panpour (Water) LV13
After the fight, head to Mr Briney’s house and take the ferry to Dewford.

Dewford Town
You’re here to deliver a letter, but as the Gym is open to challenge, why not head there first?
Dewford City Gym
If you’ve still got PTSD from the Rustboro Gym, relax; Dewford is much easier.
Leader Brawly

- Meditite (Psychic/Fighting) LV16
- Heracross (Bug/Fighting) LV16
- Makuhita (Fighting) LV19
This fight is bizarre because the AI is frankly stupid compared to Roxanne in the first Gym. There are no tricky strategies to beat, or well-designed move sets to worry about. You should be fine if you don’t bring a Normal type into the fight.
You get the Knuckle Badge and Bulk Up TM for winning. You still need to deliver your letter, so head north into Route 106 and enter Granite Cave.
Granite Cave
The cave is easy to navigate, so head through and battle the Team Galactic Grunt. When he retreats, there’s an Everstone on the raised platform he stands next to. Follow the path around, and you’ll eventually reach Steven.
He’ll give you the Steel Wing TM before leaving. Mr Briney can take you to Slateport City now, so head there when you’re ready.
Slateport City
There’s a ton to do in Slateport, which sells the vibe of a bustling Seaside town. Although there’s no Gym, there’s a fight with Team Aqua and plenty of optional Trainer battles. The Name Rater and Pokemon Fan Club also have houses here.
Slateport Museum
You’ll find Stern upstairs in the Slateport Museum. Give him the Devon parts, and you’ll be challenged to a battle by Team Aqua.
Team Aqua Grunt
- Wishiwashi (Water) LV15
- Team Aqua Grunt
- Arrowkuda (Water) LV15
- Carvanha (Water/Dark) LV15
- Wishiwashi (Water) LV20
After your battle in the Museum, you can leave the City. Head into Route 110 to the north when you’re ready.
Route 110
This area is taxing to navigate as the game doesn’t really explain where to go next. Head north until you reach a house under the bridge; then follow the road east. You’ll bump into your Rival, so make sure your Pokemon are fully healed before you reach this point:
Rival
- Pidgey (Flying) LV18
- Starter LV20
- Panpour (Water) LV18
- Togepi (Fairy) LV15
You get an Itemfinder for winning. It’s a long walk, but if you keep heading north, you’ll end up in Mauville City.
Mauville City
Mauville is a large, sprawling City with plenty to explore, including the Game Corner. There’s a Gym you can challenge here, but before you do, you’ll need to fight Wally, who’s waiting outside.
Wally
- Swablu (Flying/Normal) LV18
- Nidorino (Poison) LV16
- Kirlia (Psychic/Fairy) LV22
With Wally out of the way, you can now challenge the Gym.
Mauville City Gym
This is a nasty Gym if you don’t have an Electric counter. Fortunately, if you don’t have one, you can get a Trapinch in the Game Corner that learns Bulldoze.
Gym Leader Wattson

- Voltorb (Electric) LV20
- Magnemite (Electric/Steel) LV21
- Manectric (Electric) LV24
- Electabuzz (Electric) LV22
The biggest problem in this Gym is the battle is Doubles format. Wattson’s Pokemon hit very hard, but there’s no real strategy to worry about beyond surviving the attacks.
Electabuzz knows Electric Terrain, which buffs Electric attacks, but you should be OK with an Electric Counter. As mentioned above, Trapinch absolutely shuts down Wattson’s team, even at a level deficit.
You earn the Dynamo Badge and Shockwave TM for winning.
Mauville Game Corner
In Pokemon Exceeded, the Game Corner is much more in-depth than the mainline titles. There are more ways to earn coins, and the rewards list is enormous. You can get the following Pokemon provided you win big:
- Trapinch
- Horsea
- Panpour
- Pansage
- Pansear
- Heracross
- Sobble
- Grookey
- Scorbunny
- Jangmo-o
- Meltan
Get the Rock Smash HM

If you visit this house next to the Pokemart, you’ll be given HM06 Rock Smash. This HM is essential, so make sure to grab it. When you’re ready, head west through Route 117 and into Vedanturf Town.
Verdanturf Town
Although there’s not much to do here, you can break through the rocks in the cave to open the route between Verdanturf and Rustboro. You also get an Aggronite for your troubles. When ready, return to Mauville and then north into Route 111.
Route 111
Route 111 is home to the infamous Winstrate Family. They challenge you to a series of battles; note that if you challenge them, you can’t heal between fights. The family has Pokemon between LV16-LV18, and you get the Macho Brace if you beat everyone.
Visit Trainer Hill

Another new addition to Pokemon Exceeded is Trainer Hill, immediately east of the Winstrate House. Return here after you’ve beaten the story to test your mettle against the hottest Trainers in Hoenn.
If you keep traveling north, you’ll reach a crossroads where you can take a Cable Car or head into Fiery Path. There are a ton of trainers if you choose the latter, but you’ll end up in Fallarbor Town.
Fallarbor Town
This area is overrun by Team Rocket, and they will challenge you to battles if you interact with them. There’s not much to do here, but the Egg Move Tutor and Move Relearner live here.
You can find them both in a house to the west of town. Leave the village via the west exit and into Route 114 and then Meteor Falls.
Showdown with Jesse and James

Yes! The original villains from the TV show make an appearance here and challenge you to a duos battle:
- Weezing (Poison) LV28
- Arbok (Poison) LV28
- Meowth (Normal) LV30
- Wobbuffet (Psychic) LV25
Make sure you save after the battle, as you’ll be thrown into a battle against Deoxys immediately after. If you want to catch it, having a backup save is a good idea. Deoxys is only LV30 but is obnoxiously tricky to catch. You’ll only have Great Balls available now, so good luck!
When you’re ready, head back the way you came and ride on the Cable Car to Mt. Chimney.
Mt. Chimney
Most routes are blocked in this area for now. The only one you can traverse is littered with Team Magma grunts. Fortunately, they are pretty easy, but their leader, Maxie, may cause you problems.
Magma Leader Maxie
- Torkoal (Fire) LV24
- Turtonator (Fire/Dragon) LV25
- Arcanine (Fire) LV24
This fight is brutal because of a few clever strategies Maxie uses. His Torkoal knows Curse. Usually, this move gives a few buffs in exchange for some stat reductions. Torkoal knows White Mist which negates those debuffs.
Still, a decent Water type should finish the job, and once you’re done, grab the Meteor Shard off the pedestal. The road to the south is now open, so enter Jagged Pass and then Lavaridge Town.
Lavaridge Town
It’s been a long time since you’ve flexed your skills in a Gym, but you can do that in Lavaridge Town. On top of that, there’s a Herbal Medicine Shop and an Egg with an Elekid inside up for grabs by the Hot Springs.
Lavaridge Gym
This Gym has one of the more obnoxious puzzles to solve if you want to reach the leader. There are portals all over the Gym that lead to different places. There’s only one route through, so let me show you room by room:






If you ask me, Flannery should give you the badge after that, but since you still need to battle, here’s what you’re up against:
Gym Leader Flannery

- Quilava (Fire) LV26
- Slugma (Fire) LV24
- Camerupt (Fire/Ground) LV26
- Numel (Fire/Ground) LV24
- Torkoal (Fire) LV29
Oddly enough, Torkoal knows Solar Beam, a deadly Grass attack that crushes Water types. Other than that, Flannery should go down quickly. You earn the Heat Badge and Overheat TM for winning.
Your next destination is right near the start of the game in Petalburg City. No matter which way you go, it’s a long walk, so stock up on Repels before you leave.
Petalburg City Gym
Don’t let the levels of the Pokemon listed for this Gym fool you. Every Pokemon in the later rooms of this Gym hits so much harder than they should be able to at their levels. You may lose even with a team of LV50s, so go for good matchups when you can. You don’t have to fight in every room I’ve listed, but here are the teams:
Speed Room
- Swellow (Flying/Normal) LV26
- Dodrio (Flying/Normal) LV26
Confusion Room (Doubles)
- Spinda (Normal) LV26
- Kangaskhan (Normal) LV26
- Spinda (Normal) LV26
- Kangaskhan (Normal) LV26
Accuracy Room
- Watchog (Normal) LV26
- Watchog (Normal) LV26
Defence Room
- Bouffalant (Normal) LV26
- Blissey (Normal) LV26
Avoid this room unless you have direct counters to these Pokemon, as they both have move sets designed to stall the fight for as long as possible.
One-Hit KO Room
- Persian (Normal) LV26
- Ambipom (Normal) LV26
Gym Leader Norman

- Snorlax (Normal) LV27
- Slaking (Normal) LV31
- Lickylicky (Normal) LV27
- Greedent (Normal) LV29
There’s a lot to unpack in this fight, but I strongly recommend saving before the battle and having a Pokemon that knows Screech or a similar move to decrease defense. Snorlax is your typical bulky Normal type, and you can use its sleeping to your advantage and strike with your best attacks when it can’t retaliate.
Slaking and Lickylicky are easier as they don’t boast the absurd health pool of Snorlax. The big problem here is Greedent. Do you remember the annoying Skowvet that could chain their abilities together from the beginning of the game?
Well, Greedent can do that too, and if you can’t kill it in a single hit, it’ll chain Innates together until it has full health.
Greedent also knows Bullet Seed. This attack can usually hit five times. For reasons unknown, it can hit 9+ times in a row in this battle. My best advice is to use a Pokemon that knows Screech and ensure you land that three times.
Screech gives Greedent such a massive Defense debuff that it should die to any of your strong attacks, even without a type advantage.
This is one of the most obnoxious battles I’ve fought in a Pokemon Romhack and one where it feels like the computer outright cheats.
I’m unsure if that was intended, but this fight demonstrates how broken the Innate system can be. Take your time, abuse save states if needed, and try again later if you get frustrated.
After the fight, you can use Surf outside of battle. If you return to your house and speak to Mom, she will give you an Amulet Coin. From there, return to Mauville City and head east across the sea. Steven will be waiting for you just beyond the shoreline and takes you to Southern Island.
Southern Island

Southern Island is strange, but it’s well worth the trip! Follow the path through the area, and when the story concludes, you can choose to take either Latias or Latios for your team.
Where Do I Go Next?
Follow the route until you reach a fork in the road, where you can either head north or further east.
At the crossroads, you can head east to the Berry Master’s House, but the intended route is north. Once you reach the Weather Institute, head inside and prepare to battle.
Weather Institute
There’s a bed on the ground floor you can use as a makeshift Pokemon Centre. Make your way to the next floor, battle the Grunts, and tackle Shelly.
Aqua Admin Shelly
- Wailord (Water) LV28
- Sharpedo (Dark/Water) LV31 (Mega)
Sharpedo is a nasty opponent, thanks to its Mega Evolution. It knows Ice Fang and constantly receives speed buffs. Plan accordingly and expect to go second against its superior speed.
Once you’ve defeated Shelly, the bridge outside is free to cross. Don’t be too hasty, your Rival will challenge you when you reach the other side.
Rival
- Pidgeotto (Flying) LV29
- Dratini (Dragon) LV29
- Starter LV31
- Panpour (Water) LV29
- Togepi (Fairy) LV29
Your Rival gives you the Fly HM, although you can’t use it until you’ve beaten the Foretree Gym. Follow the path through Route 119 and into Foretree City.
Foretree City
Like in Emerald, ‘invisible objects’ all over the place block your progress. Walk straight through the town and take the east exit to get the Devon Scope from Steven. You can use this to open the path to the Gym.
Foretree City Gym
The odds are stacked against you in this Gym because of the fog. In Pokemon Exceeded, birds soar high over the fog that envelopes the battlefield. In practice, this means any Pokemon that isn’t Flying gets an accuracy penalty, so expect many of your attacks to miss.
Leader Winona

- Mandibuzz (Dark/Flying) LV29
- Altaria (Flying/Dragon) LV33 (Mega)
- Staraptor (Flying/Normal) LV31
- Talonflame (Flying/Fire) LV32
- Toucannon (Flying/Normal) LV31
The accuracy penalty hurts in this battle. Still, Winona isn’t as brutal as Norman, and if you’ve got some good Electric attacks, you should be alright. Mega Altaria is a pain as it’s a Dragon and hits extremely hard, but the heat is off once you take it down.
I wouldn’t usually recommend such a specific Pokemon, but as it works so well, an Ampharos is incredible in this battle. Ampharos learns Discharge to deal with Flying Types and can also learn Twister to deal with Mega Altaria.
You get the Feather Badge and Aerial Ace for winning and can use Fly outside of battle. When ready, you can walk east and then south through Route 120, Route 121, and into Lilycove City.
Lilycove City
Lilycove is vast and vital to the story, but there’s no Gym. Your Rival challenges you to another battle outside the Department Store.
Rival
- Pidgeotto (Flying) LV31
- Milotic (Water) LV32
- Dragonair (Dragon) LV32
- Starter LV38
- Togetic (Flying/Fairy) LV32
- Simipour (Water) LV32
Once you’ve spoken with the Team Aqua members, head back onto Route 121 to the platform facing Mt. Pyre. The Jetty is dead opposite the Safari Zone. Surf south until you hit the mountain, then travel around it until you reach the shore on the south side.
Mt. Pyre

When you head inside, you can take the exit on the first floor and start scaling the mountain. When you reach the top, you arrive just in time to see Team Magma steal the Blue Orb. From here, you must Fly to Mt.
Chimney, just south of the Cable Car near Verdanturf Town. When you arrive, head south, and you’ll trigger a secret entrance to Team Magma’s base.
Team Magma Hideout
As you may expect, there are a ton of Team Magma grunts to fight in here. Still, there’s only one way through, so follow the route until you reach Maxie and Groudon.
Magma Leader Maxie

- Torkoal (Fire) LV37
- Arcanine (Fire) LV38
- Turtonator (Fire/Dragon) LV38
- Coalossal (Rock/Fire) LV39
Considering everything in the squad is weak to Water, this should be another easy fight. After the battle, head to Slate Port City and northeast to Slate Port Harbor, where Team Aqua steals a submarine.
Interact with them, then Fly to Lilycove City and walk as far as possible to the east. From this beach, Team Aqua’s Hideout is immediately north and is a short Surf away.
Team Aqua Hideout
Much like the Magma Hideout, this is another battle-intensive location but with mostly Water Pokemon. You’ll eventually reach Aqua Admin Matt, and he’s the toughest opponent you’ve had in a while.
Aqua Admin Matt
- Gyarados (Water/Dark) LV34 (Mega)
As with all Mega-Evolved Pokemon, Gyarados hits extremely hard and fast. This Pokemon also knows Earthquake, which will kill most Electric Pokemon in a single hit, even if you have a level advantage.
After the battle, Go outside, and now you can head east to where Team Aqua was training their Pokemon earlier. Head to Mossdeep City, where you’ll be approached by May and Brendan. They challenge you to a doubles battle.
May and Brendan
- Blaziken (Fighting/Fire) LV42
- Swampert (Water/Ground) LV42
- Frostmoth (Bug/Ice) LV38
- Breloom (Fighting/Grass)LV38
- Vikavolt (Bug/Electric) LV38
- Tropius (Grass/Flying) LV38
After the battle, head to Mossdeep City.
Mossdeep City
Mossdeep is home to the Space Station and, most importantly, a Psychic Gym to challenge with a unique twist.
Mossdeep City Gym
This Psychic Gym is easy to navigate, but there’s a bizarre mechanic with the Pokemon here. Whenever you beat a Pokemon, it devolves instead of leaving the battle. This unique quirk means you’ll need to defeat your opponents multiple times.
Gym Leaders Liza and Tate
- Claydol (Psychic/Ground) LV41
- Medicham (Psychic/Flying) LV41
- Lunatone (Psychic/Rock) LV42
- Bronzong (Psychic/Steel) LV41
- Gardevoir (Psychic/Fairy) LV41 (Mega)
- Solrock (Psychic/Rock) LV42
The devolving mechanic really sets this Gym apart from the others, but the battle itself isn’t nearly as tricky as many you’ve already faced. You earn the Mind Badge for winning and a powerful TM in Calm Mind.
After your battle, if you head to the southeast of the town, you’ll see Team Magma up to no good. When you’re ready, follow them.
Space Station

It’s all kicking off in the Space Station! There’s a ton of Team Magma Grunts to fight, and once you reach the 2nd floor, you’ll see Steven in the southwest corner. Speak with him; he will become your partner in a doubles battle against Team Magma. He’s got incredibly powerful Pokemon, so you’re in good hands.
After the battle, Team Magma suddenly changes heart and leaves the scene. Steven asks you to visit him, so let’s head there next.

Steven lives in an unmarked house to the west of Mossdeep City. Head inside, and he will give you the Dive HM. Before you leave, you’re told to dive between Mossdeep and Sootopolis to track down a Submarine.
Dive next to the Submarine, and you’ll end up in Seafloor Cavern. A tricky fight is coming up, so have your best Water counter ready.
Aqua Admin Shelly
- Wailord (Water) LV39
- Sharpedo (Dark/Water) LV38 (Mega)
This fight is noteworthy because of Shelly’s Mega Sharpedo. This Pokemon is fast and knows Psychic Fangs on top of the usual Water moves. If you rely on an Electric Pokemon, ensure it has enough health to survive a hit, as Sharpedo will almost definitely go first.
In the following chamber, interact with Kyogre, and Team Aqua’s Leader will confront you. At this point, he’s open about ‘ending’ a young Trainer’s life, so let’s ensure he doesn’t get the chance.
Aqua Leader Archie

- Kingler (Water) LV41
- Kingdra (Water/Dragon) LV41
- Sharpedo (Water/Dark) LV43
Despite his big talk, Shelly is arguably a more dangerous adversary than Archie. After the battle, Kyogre is awakened and, unsurprisingly, flees the scene. With Hoenn in utter turmoil, your next destination is Sootopolis.
Sootopolis City
Kyogre and Groudon are duking it out in the water near the Gym. Talk to everyone, and you’ll be given your next destination; Pacifidlog. Fortunately, it’s not too hard to get there. Surf southwest from Mossdeep or Sootopolis, and watch your map.
Pacifidlog Town

You can chat with the inhabitants for clues to the whereabouts of the Sky Pillar if you wish, but it’s a short Surf east and then north through a small clearing in the rocks (pictured above).
Sky Pillar
Head into the Sky Pillar, and once you’ve walked up a few floors, you’ll face the legendary Rayquaza. Just like Kyogre and Groudon, it flees before you can get close. Fly back to Sootopolis City.
You’ll arrive just in time to see Rayquaza stop Kyogre and Groundon’s battle. Speak to Steven, Wallace, and the Team members.
The Team members return to Mt Pyre (Surf south from the platform near Lilycove). If you follow them, you’ll get the following items:
- Sharpedonite
- Cameruptite
- Blue Orb
- Red Orb
Without the world’s fate at stake, you can finally challenge the Gym.
Sootopolis Gym
This Gym is full of ice puzzles, and the goal is to step on every tile once with no repeats. If you fail them, you’ll have to fight Trainers hidden under the platform. It’s not a bad idea to do this for the experience, but here are the solutions:



Leader Wallace

- Whiscash (Ground/Water) LV41
- Wailord (Water) LV43
- Blastoise (Water) LV44 (Mega)
- Milotic (Water) LV46
- Octillery (Water) LV43
- Mantine (Flying/Water) LV43
Wallace has some tricks up his sleeve but shouldn’t pose too much of a problem. Whiscash is annoying because it’s resistant to Electric attacks and knows Muddy Water, which has good coverage.
Wailord is tanky and knows Ice Beam, but the star of the show is Mega Blastoise. Ensure you immediately swap to a strong Water counter when this is brought out.
You earn the Rain Badge, Water Pulse TM, and the Waterfall HM can be used outside of battle. You can head to Evergrande City and take on the league now. The easiest way to get there is to Surf southeast from Mossdeep City.
Victory Road
Shortly after stepping inside, you’ll be challenged by Wally. He’s grown much stronger since you last fought; this is his team.
Wally

- Altaria (Flying/Dragon) LV41
- Conkeldurr (Fighting) LV43
- Nidoking (Poison) LV44
- Magnezone (Steel/Electric) LV41
- Roserade (Grass/Poison) LV44
- Gallade (Psychic/Fighting) LV45 (Mega)
This iteration of Victory Road isn’t too difficult to navigate, but it’s long, and the Trainers will wear you down. Bring as many healing items as you can afford, and I recommend taking an Escape Rope just in case.
Max Repels are essential, as wild Pokemon will chew away at your precious PP. Once you’ve battled through Victory Road, you’re on the final stretch of Pokemon Exceeded.
The Pokemon League
You’ve made it to the league and toppled Hoenn’s most formidable opponents. It’s time to finish strong. Stock up on supplies and face the Elite Four.
Elite Four Sidney

- Bisharp (Dark/Steel) LV48
- Absol (Dark) LV49 (Mega)
- Mandibuzz (Dark/Flying) LV46
- Craudaunt (Dark/Water) LV48
- Zoroark (Dark) LV46
For a member of the Elite Four, Sidney doesn’t pose much of a threat. Your mileage may vary based on your squad, but there are no particular strategies to worry about.
Elite Four Phoebe

- Dusknoir (Ghost) LV51
- Mimikyu (Ghost/Fairy) LV49
- Gengar (Poison/Ghost) LV49
- Sableye (Dark/Ghost) LV50
- Mismagius (Ghost) LV48
Phoebe has no unique strategies, so they should be a fairly easy opponent. Gengar knows Destiny Bond, so it will take one of your Pokemon with it when defeated, but it’s more of an annoyance than a problem.
Elite Four Glacia

- Abomasnow (Ice/Grass) LV50
- Mamoswine (Ice/Ground) LV53
- Glalie (Ice) LV52
- Darmanitan (Ice/Fire) LV50
- Walrein (Ice/Water) LV53
Your leisurely cruise through the Pokemon League will likely end here. Abomasnow knows Earthquake and gets healed by Hailstorm while it chips away at your team’s health. Mamoswine is a bulky menace and knows a move called Arctic Glide.
This attack hurts and damages any Pokemon that swap into the fight as they slip on Ice. Finally, Earthquake is an ever-present threat in the battle, as multiple Pokemon in Glacia’s team know it.
Elite Four Drake

- Garchomp (Ground/Dragon) LV52
- Altaria (Flying/Dragon) LV54
- Salamance (Flying/Dragon) LV55
- Hydreigon (Dark/Dragon) LV53
- Flygon (Ground/Dragon) LV53
- Dragonite (Flying/Dragon) LV53
Plenty of Drakes Pokemon know Earthquake, and they all know brutally powerful Dragon attacks like Draco Meteor. I hope you have access to Ice or Dragon attacks; otherwise, this battle is an uphill struggle.
Trainer Steven

- Tyranitar (Dark/Rock) LV56
- Claydol (Psychic/Ground) LV55
- Lucario (Fighting/Steel) LV56
- Metagross (Psychic/Steel) LV58 (Mega)
- Aggron (Steel/Rock) LV56
- Heatran (Fire/Steel) LV55
As you may expect, Steven is a monster Trainer with a devastating team. You’ll need to rely on type advantages whenever you can and be ready for Mega Metagross to enter the battle.
As it’s Mega, all of Metagross’s attacks are deadly, and Meteor Mash, in particular, will kill Pokemon of a much higher level in a single hit. Heatran may be a Legendary Pokemon, but once Metagross has been defeated, you’re on the home straight.

The Post Game
You join your mom and the residents of Oldale Town in accepting their inevitable fate as a meteor falls toward to planet. Just before the impact, Celebi teleports you back to the Pokemon League like nothing happened. Return to Oldale and speak to the Professor. You’re told to visit Meteor Falls.
Meteor Falls Revisited
Steven
- Tyranitar (Dark/Rock) LV56
- Claydol (Psychic/Ground) LV55
- Lucario (Fighting/Steel) LV56
- Metagross (Steel/Psychic) LV58 (Mega)
- Aggron (Steel/Rock) LV55
- Heatran (Fire/Steel) LV55

To continue the Draconid storyline, you must capture Rayquaza at the Sky Pillar. If you kill it by accident, you can soft-lock the game in its current state. Once you have Rayquaza, return to Meteor Falls and travel to this Waterfall (pictured above).
You can enter it from the side, and the arrow won’t appear until you’re standing where I am.
There’s a hidden village behind the Waterfall where Pokemon Exceed’s story content concludes.
Pokemon Exceeded Guide: FAQs
Answer: Yes, it is, and you get it very early too. Before your first Gym battle, you’ll be given EXP Share in Petalburg Woods. EXP Share splits between your entire team in this game instead of being a Hold Item for a single Pokemon.
Question: Why am I Getting Beaten by Pokemon much Lower Level than My Own?
Answer: Pokemon Exceeded has some strange damage calculations in the background. I’ve had LV20 Pokemon beaten by LV5s, which would never happen in other fan-made games or the mainline entries. My best advice is to ignore the level and go for broke in every battle.
Question: Where are All the Zygarde Cells?
Answer: At the time of writing, there is no list of Zygarde Cell locations online, even on the Pokemon Exceeded Discord. I found 20 on my first playthrough and thought I was being vigilant, but to my understanding, there are at least 75 in the game!
Some Cells are so well hidden that they are impossible to see (behind ledges, for example), and others require the Itemfinder.
Useful Resources
It’s rare that any developer gives us a peek behind the curtain quite like the creator of Pokemon Exceeded. The following documentation is a little tricky to navigate, but it’s as in-depth as you could possibly want and is invaluable for true Pokemaniacs.