How to recruit team members in Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Red Rescue Team
![Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Red Rescue Team Charmander and Chikorita.](https://www.dexerto.com/cdn-image/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/09/How-to-recruit-team-members-in-Pokemon-Mystery-Dungeon-Red-Rescue-Team.jpg?width=3840&quality=60&format=auto)
Building the perfect team is the best way to ensure a successful mission in Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Red Rescue Team.
As you progress throughout the game, you’ll unlock the ability to recruit new members for your Rescue Team from various Dungeons and story encounters, including some fan-favorite starters and powerful Legendary Pokemon.
Here’s a complete guide to unlocking Friend Areas, recruiting Rescue Team members, and recruiting Legendary Pokemon in Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Red Rescue Team.
How to unlock Friend Areas
Unlocking Friend Areas in Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Red Rescue Team requires you to progress with the main story up until you rescue Diglett and speak with Wigglytuff.
![Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Red Rescue Team Caterpie waaa.](https://www.dexerto.com/cdn-image/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/09/caterpie.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
You won’t have access to Friend Areas until you’ve made significant progress in the early stages of Red Rescue Team.
After the initial Caterpie rescue, you’ll get tasked with rescuing two Magnemites from Thunderwave Cave on B6F. This Dungeon is a little trickier than the Tiny Woods Dungeon, so make sure to heal up and make use of items like Orbs as you go.
Once Magnemite has been successfully rescued, your Rescue Team will head home to sleep. The next day, you’ll need to pick up some basic missions from the Pelipper Post Office to make progress with your team.
Your partner Pokemon will also give you a brief tour of Pokemon Square, featuring an empty Wigglytuff stall. This is where you can unlock Friend Areas, but it won’t be available to you just yet.
![Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Red Rescue Team empty stall.](https://www.dexerto.com/cdn-image/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/09/empty.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Finish up a mission in Tiny Woods or Thunderwave Cave to wrap the day up, and make sure to keep an eye out for handy items as you go.
Your Rescue Team will head home to sleep afterward, prompting a dream during the night about a very realistic earthquake. Your character will be woken up and prompted to take a mission from Dugtrio, who says Diglett has been kidnapped and taken to Mt. Steel.
At the summit of Mt. Steel, you’ll run into your first boss battle with Skarmory, who insists the earthquakes are because of Diglett and Dugtrio. A handful of Gravelrocks will make quick work of this fight, even if you’re at a low level.
After the fight, the Magnemite duo will reappear to help rescue Diglett and safely return the group home. Your partner will ask them to join the team – Magnemite will be excited, then have to turn down the offer due to the lack of housing.
The next day, you’ll be able to visit Wigglytuff in Pokemon Square and unlock Friend Areas, finally presenting you with the ability to recruit Pokemon.
![Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Red Rescue Team Wigglytuff.](https://www.dexerto.com/cdn-image/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/09/wigglytuff-1.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Wigglytuff will initially give your Rescue Team access to two Friend Areas for free, before Magnemite shows up and asks for their Friend Area to be given as a freebie, too. Wigglytuff will agree, allowing you to recruit Magnemite, nickname them, and send them to their new home.
How to get Rescue Team members
Aside from story recruits like Magnemite, recruiting members requires you to defeat them in combat during a Dungeon. Pokemon will randomly ask to join you if you have their Friend Area unlocked.
![Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Red Rescue Team recruitment list.](https://www.dexerto.com/cdn-image/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/09/potential-recruits.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
To recruit a Pokemon during a Dungeon mission, you’ll need to make sure that you have unlocked the relevant Friend Area for that Pokemon.
If you’re unsure whether a Pokemon in the Dungeon is eligible for recruitment, you can check by hitting B and opening the menu, selecting ‘Others’, and reviewing ‘Potential recruits’.
If the Pokemon’s name is on the list, you’re in luck. The next step is to find the target Pokemon by running around the Dungeon or waiting for enemies to approach you.
You’ll need to defeat the target Pokemon in combat to have a chance of recruiting them. There is no guarantee that the Pokemon will ask to join you, so you may need to battle a few Pokemon before one requests a spot on the team.
![Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Red Rescue Team recruit.](https://www.dexerto.com/cdn-image/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/09/successful-recruit.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
When a Pokemon does ask to join, you’ll get the chance to accept or decline before nicknaming them if you agree to take them on. Then, you’ll need to keep them alive until you leave the Dungeon. If they faint, they will instantly leave the team.
How to recruit Legendary Pokemon for your Rescue Team
Every Legendary Pokemon in Mystery Dungeon Red Rescue Team has different unlock rules but generally, you’ll need to defeat them, have the right Friend Area, and complete the main story.
![Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Red Rescue Team Skarmory fight.](https://www.dexerto.com/cdn-image/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/09/skarmory.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
To recruit Legendary Pokemon in Rescue Team Red, you’ll need to make sure that you have plenty of space on your team.
Most Legendary ‘mons take up double the space of a regular Pokemon in a party, so trying to recruit them with a full team won’t work. Try to tackle them with just your main Partner, as most will take up 4 out of 6 party slots.
Additionally, when recruiting Legendaries, it is essential to make sure that your Pokemon is directly in front of the target and dealing the final blow.
Some Legendary Pokemon require you to have their Friend Area already unlocked before joining you, along with other tasks. The requirements for each Legendary can be found below – if it does not say “have access to…” then the Pokemon will give you the Friend Area.
Pokemon | Location | Friend Area | Additional Requirements |
---|---|---|---|
Pokemon | Location | Friend Area | Additional Requirements |
Articuno | Frosty Forest Grotto (5F) | Legendary Island | Complete the main story |
Celebi | Purity Forest (99F) | Healing Forest | N/A |
Deoxys | Meteor Cave (20F) | Enclosed Island | N/A |
Entei | Fiery Field (30F) | Sacred Field | Must have defeated Entei already in a previous run and have access to the Sacred Field Friend Area |
Groudon | Magma Cavern Pit (3F) | Volcanic Pit | Complete the main story |
Ho-Oh | Mt. Faraway (40F) | Rainbow Peak | Have access to Rainbow Peak |
Jirachi | Wish Cave (99F) | Mt. Moonview | Have access to Mt. Moonview |
Kyogre | Stormy Sea (40F) | Seafloor Cave | N/A |
Latias | Pokemon Square | Southern Island | Clear both Northern Range and Pitfall Valley, and unlock the Southern Island Friend Area |
Latios | Pokemon Square | Southern Island | Clear both Northern Range and Pitfall Valley, and unlock the Southern Island Friend Area |
Lugia | Silver Trench (30F) | Deepsea Current | N/A |
Mew | Buried Relic (Anywhere from 36F and onwards) | Final Island | Have the Final Island Friend Area and the Music Box item in your Toolbox |
Mewtwo | Western Cave (99F) | Cryptic Cave | Have the Cryptic Cave Friend Area |
Moltres | Mt. Blaze Peak (3F) | Legendary Island | Complete the main story |
Raikou | Lightning Field (30F) | Sacred Field | Must have defeated Raikou already in a previous run and have access to the Sacred Field Friend Area |
Rayquaza | Sky Tower Summit (9F) | Stratos Lookout | Complete the main story |
Regice | Buried Relic (25F) | Ancient Relic | Have access to Ancient Relic |
Regirock | Buried Relic (15F) | Ancient Relic | Have access to Ancient Relic |
Registeel | Buried Relic (35F) | Ancient Relic | Have access to Ancient Relic |
Suicune | Northwind Field (30F) | Sacred Field | Must have defeated Suicune already in a previous run and have access to the Sacred Field Friend Area |
Zapdos | Mt. Thunder Peak (3F) | Legendary Island | Complete the main story |
It’s important to note that, just like regular Pokemon, Legendaries are not guaranteed recruits. RNG can differ between the ‘mons, so prepare to take them on several times before adding them to your team.
The majority of the Legendary ‘mons won’t be available until you’ve progressed past Sky Tower, both in terms of them being unlocked and being feasible to defeat. They’re well worth chasing down, though, as they can make playing Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Red Rescue Team a lot more fun.