I like to think that Eevee and its eight evolutions are the perfect Pokemon for the French-themed streets of Lumiose City, the setting for Pokemon Legends: Z-A. Each one has a unique look, type and evolution method. Luckily, the game doesn’t make it too difficult to obtain each one of them. So, whether you’re trying to complete the Pokedex or just want your favorite Eeveelution on your team, here’s how to go about it.
How to catch Eevee early in Pokemon Legends: Z-A
Unlike previous games, Pokemon Legends Z-A doesn’t take the guardrails off quickly. Before you can freely roam the streets of Lumiose to look for an Eevee of your own, you’ll need to meet Emma, a detective, at the Looker Bureau — this happens during Main Mission 5 — and unlock side missions.
Then find your way to Vert Sector 9 during the day to capture an Eevee; because it’s a fixed spawn location, you’re guaranteed to find one here.
The easiest way to get to Vert Sector 9 is by heading to Vernal Pokemon Center. It’s located on Vernal Avenue, directly south of the Centrico Plaza travel spot. Once you’re at the Pokemon Center, enter the alley right before the hair salon and follow the path until you see an arched gateway. It’s opposite a battle court. There may be boulders blocking your path ahead, so bring a Pokemon with fighting-type moves (preferably Rock Smash or Brick Break) to get past. Then head down to the park area and you’ll find yourself an Eevee.
This Eevee will be around Level 16. It isn’t skittish, so it won’t disappear once it spots you, but it does have a lower catch rate. Stock up on Poke Balls and consider bringing a Pokemon that can paralyse Eevee or make it drowsy to increase your chances of capturing it.
There are a few other spots where you can capture Eevee, but this is an easy one to find. I also prefer it because of its proximity to the Vernal Pokemon Center, a fast travel spot.
Read more: How to Redeem Every Pokemon Legends: Z-A Mystery Gift Code and Reward
Which Eevolutions are best?
Because there’s so much variety to choose from, picking Eeveelutions for your team of six can be tricky. However, to hold an advantage in Pokemon Legends: Z-A’s real-time battles, you’ll want your Pokemon to have a high Speed stat. It’ll shorten the cooldown period between attacks and increase your chances of winning battles.
Jolteon matches this description perfectly, and the fact that its Special Attack stat is also high (great for moves like Thunderbolt and Discharge) will mean you have a strong attacking Electric-type on your team. There are a few other strong Electric types in the game, but Jolteon will definitely come in handy for the first part of the storyline and is easy to get, as you’ll read ahead.
Looking beyond Jolteon, Espeon, a psychic type, and Sylveon, a fairy type, are also options to consider. Espeon has a balanced distribution across its Special Attack, Special Defense and Speed stats. And Sylveon makes itself reliable with a focus on attacking (high Special Attack) and endurance (high Special Defense and moderate HP) stats, which can offset its slow speed.
How to get every Eeveelution in Pokemon Legends: Z-A
Once you’ve got yourself an Eevee (or eight of them to get one of each evolution), refer to the list below to understand how to evolve it.
- Vaporeon: Use a Water Stone on Eevee.
- Jolteon: Use a Thunder Stone on Eevee.
- Flareon: Use a Fire Stone on Eevee.
- Espeon: Increase Friendship Level and choose Evolve during daytime (with no Fairy-type moves).
- Umbreon: Increase Friendship Level and choose Evolve during nighttime (with no Fairy-type moves).
- Leafeon: Use a Leaf Stone on Eevee.
- Glaceon: Use an Ice Stone on Eevee.
- Sylveon: Increase Friendship Level and choose Evolve while Eevee knows a Fairy-type move.
How to get Evolution Stones for Eevee in Pokemon Legends: Z-A
Pokemon Legends: Z-A doesn’t make it too hard to find Evolution Stones, the items you’ll need to evolve certain pokemon. You can find them as floor items throughout Lumiose City, receive them as rewards for completing side missions or buy them from the Stone Emporium store for 3,000 Pokemon Dollars.
Fire, Water, Thunder and Leaf Stones are available to purchase at Stone Emporium from the beginning. However, Ice Stones (required for Glaceon) only become available there after you’ve beaten the main storyline.
In case you’d like to use a Glaceon during the main storyline, you can find an Ice Stone in Rouge Sector 4. We’ve added a map screenshot below to show where you can find it. You can also find one in Lumiose Sewers (accessible during Main Mission 19) or receive it as a reward for completing Side Mission 102.
Note that Side Mission 102 can be started by interacting with a trainer NPC in Wild Zone 12. This trainer NPC appears after you’ve visited Lysandre Labs in Main Mission 35.
How to increase Eevee’s Friendship Level for Espeon, Umbreon and Sylveon
Unlike the five Eeveelutions that require evolution stones, to get the other three — Espeon, Umbreon or Sylveon — you need to have a high friendship level with your Eevee.
To tackle this, call Eevee out of its Poke Ball and visit any café for four cups of coffee. You’ll have to go through the in-game screens four different times — and spend 1,000 Pokemon Dollars — but you’ll leave with an Eevee that’s ready to evolve.
To get Espeon and Umbreon, make sure it’s the right time of day and that your Eevee doesn’t know any fairy-type moves before selecting the Evolve option. And to get Sylveon, make sure your Eevee has learned a fairy-type move.
How to catch alpha Eeveelutions in Wild Zone 20
One last thing: If you’d like to add some alpha Eeveelutions to your collection, Pokemon Legends: Z-A makes that possible. Once you’ve completed the main storyline, visit Wild Zone 20 to find alpha variants of Vaporeon, Jolteon, Flareon, Leafon, Glaceon and Sylveon under Prism Tower. You’ll have to reset the spawns multiple times before you find one, but as we said in our catching Gengar guide, the wait might feel long, but it will be worth it because you will start with amazing stats without having to do any kind of special training.
