Are you finding life rough in the Fiore region? Not sure where to head next on your Pokémon Ranger quest? Well, you’ve come to the right place! We’ve compiled a bunch of strategies together for the brilliant Pokémon Ranger, all of them from letters Professor Yew has received. See if they can help you!

Q. I’m finding it very tricky to pick up all the parts of the Aquamole in the Olive Jungle, do you have any help you could give me? Sarah, Nottingham

A. Oh yes, that pesky Mechanic doesn’t like bugs at all, does he? He must accompany you to pick up the parts of the Aquamole, but if he sees a bug he will run for his life! The best strategy here is to forget about capturing Pokémon in the main, just concentrate on getting past them and finding the parts. You will find them at the end of the Olive Jungle. It’s better to wait until the Pokémon are as far away from you as they get, then run past them. Once you exit this section they will stop chasing you.

Q. What is the best way of dealing with the Camerupt found in Mission Five: Clear The Rockfalls? It’s a bit tough for me! Simon, Colchester

A. Well, by this time you will be a five rank Pokémon Ranger, so you should know all the basics of the game really well, unless you’ve got through on luck alone! The objective of this mission is to clear Krokka Tunnel so that the residents of Fiore can safely pass through. On encountering Tiffany from the Go-Rock Quads though, you will be faced with the Camerupt, as this is her idea of a tough challenge for you! What you need to defeat this Pokémon is a Water Pokémon. If you don’t have any with you, do you remember coming though a cavern full of Poliwhirl and Zubats? Well, head back there and grab yourself a Poliwhirl. This Pokémon will have a Bubble PokéAssist that you can use against the Camerupt – it turns the Pokémon to steam, solving your problem.

Q. Do I need to collect all the Pokémon I encounter on each mission to properly complete the game? David, Somerset

A. No, not really. Unlike other Pokémon games, Pokémon Ranger is more about completing the missions laid out before you than actually ‘catching ’em all’, but you can treat collecting all the Pokémon as an interesting side mission if you like! If you want to complete your Ranger Pokédex, the thing to do is ensure you capture each Pokémon as you come across them in the game – give everything you’ve got to tick them off your list. If you don’t, chances are you won’t come across them again for a long time. The choice is yours – catch ’em all or stick to the missions. If we know our Pokémon-mad readers, though, you’ll all be wanting to find every Pokémon out there!

Q. Do you have a complete list of the special missions hidden in Pokémon Ranger? Henry, Dublin

A. Yes, there are lots of special missions in the Ranger Net section, opened up once you have completed the main Story Mode. You access them like this…

MISSION 1: GAIN DEOXYS’S TRUST?!
This first mission is instantly available once you have unlocked the Ranger Net mode by completing the game.

MISSION 2: RESCUE CELEBI!
You have to complete the Deoxys mission above before the Celebi mission is selectable.

MISSION 3: FIND MEW, THE MIRAGE!
In a similar vein – you must complete the Celebi mission to unlock the Mew mission.

PASSWORD ENTRY
Now comes some Pokémon trickery! On the main Ranger Net screen press R, X and Left on the D-pad together and you should unlock the Password Entry mode.

MISSION 4: RESCUE THE PRECIOUS EGG!
A-ha! This is where the Password Entry mode comes into play. Enter the password for the Manaphy Egg (P8M2–9D6F–43H7) to get started on this very special mission.

WATCH/TRANSFER MANAPHY
Once the Manaphy Egg Mission has been completed, you can watch Manaphy in action and transfer the little Pokémon to Pokémon Diamond and Pearl – once they’ve been released!

Q. Have you been to the Fiore Temple and defeated the Go-Rock Boss? It’s a really hard battle. What is the best way of beating the three Legendary Pokémon? Nick, Ludlow

A. Ah yes, Entei, Raikou and Suicune together do make a formidable team to defeat. It’s all about the preparation for battles like this. Don’t even enter this battle without a Golem, Vaporeon, Grovyle, Raichu and Donphan in your party. You must type-match the Pokémon in order to win.

RAIKOU
This tricky monster will come at you with a bunch of haphazard attacks that look like they have no pattern. Hit it with a Ground Poké Assist and then watch carefully – its movements will slow down, giving you the chance you need.

SUICUNE
Just to confuse you, Suicune will create an optical illusion and split into three versions of itself. Only one is the real Pokémon though, so battling the others is a waste of time and energy. Take Grovyle and use a Grass PokéAssist to cut Suicune down to size.

ENTEI
This fiery Pokémon makes the most of its type by spewing out fire and making the battle area hazardous. Try a Water PokéAssist to put out its fires and follow up with a Discharge to stun it and a Ground PokéAssist. This should sort him out!

Q. How do I know when I need to use a Field Move and have you any tips for using them? Noah, London

A. When a Field Move is the way forward, tapping on an object nearby will make it appear in the top screen. The info box will tell you which Field Move you will need to use out of the nine. In the early stages of the game, the Pokémon you will need to help you is bound to be nearby, so have a scout around. Later on as things toughen up you will have to search further afield. Here they all are…

TACKLE
If something needs to be shaken or budged, this is the move you need.
It can knock Pokémon out of trees
with this.

BURN
Getting past logs and hay bales will require a Burn Field Move, and most of the Fire Pokémon can perform this.

GUST
Some of the rarest Field Moves are the Gust ones, using it will knock over plants to reveal unseen Pokémon. When you’ve got a Pokémon with gust, it’s best to keep hold of it!

RECHARGE
All Electric Pokémon can perform
this useful move – it recharges your Capture Styler by the same amount of move icons that Pokémon has – one, two or three.

CROSS
Certain places in the game will need a Cross Field Move, but not many Pokémon have this one in their arsenal. Try Ivysaur or Bulbasaur, they’re your best bet.

CRUSH
You can tell a boulder, wall or rock that can be crushed, it will be made up of a certain pattern. The best Pokémon to use here are Machoke or Hariyama.

SOAK
Fires can be put out and lava patches cooled with a good soaking. You can also use this to revive dried out vines, then you can climb them to access previously inaccessible areas.

FLASH
This is a Field Move unique to
one Pokémon – Staryu. When it performs the move it will light up entirely dark areas.

CUT
Slicing with their claws, some Pokémon can perform the Cut Field Move. It’s useful for hacking up fences or cutting up shrubs.

Q. Can you please explain about the different types of Pokémon and how they will help me in a battle? Stacey, Brighton

A. When you call a Pokémon into battle, you do so to use their abilities to help defeat the boss you’re battling or capture the Pokémon you’re after. Here are the more useful ones…

BUG
Using this Battle Ability will trap your opponent inside the lines you’ve created with your Capture Styler.

DARK
Using this ability will increase the length of your Capture Styler line.

FIGHTING
With this ability active, each time you create a
fully closed line, it will take two HP points instead of one from your opponent.

FIRE
A great one this – when you’ve created a complete line around your opponent, explosions are set off making it hard for them to retaliate.

FLYING
This ability will create gusts of air that will lift an opponent off the ground for a short time.

GHOST
Spooky stuff! On completing a line around your opponent, ghosts come along and stun everything that is inside the circle.

GRASS
Predictably, using this Battle Ability will create a line of grass around your opponent. Useful if they are particularly affected by grass!

GROUND
Want to keep an opponent from crossing the battle screen? Ground will smash up the ground and stop them in their tracks.

ICE
Similar to ground, but this time patches of ice are created, freezing the opponent if it touches them. A chilly foe is easier to kill!