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Struggling in Pokemon Legends: Z-A? Here’s How to Catch Strong Dragon Pokemon Early

Dragon-types are extremely powerful in this Pokemon game. Here’s how to catch them early and strengthen your team.

The latest Pokemon game, Pokemon Legends: Z-A, has a revamped battle system compared to earlier games in the series, swapping out slow turn-based combat for real-time fights. Having strong Pokemon with hard-hitting moves on your team is one of the best ways to make quick work of its storyline battles as well as compete online in Z-A Battle Club. Picking powerful Pokemon is key.

If you’re new to this roleplaying series, dragon-type Pokemon are some of the strongest you can find. Many of them are colloquially called pseudo-legendaries by players because their impressive stats are second only to those of legendary Pokemon. Consequently, their base forms — the first versions you can find that grow into supremely powerful evolutions — are typically difficult to find, hard to capture and extremely time-consuming to level up.

We’ll leave you to do the training for your party of six, but here’s a simple guide with locations and tips to find and capture strong dragon-types to add to your squad in Pokemon Legends Z-A.

Read more: How to Get Gengar in Pokemon Legends Z-A: Evolving Haunter, Catching and More

Get Dratini by scaling rooftops in Vert Sector 6

The first of the powerful dragon types we’ll help you track down hails from the original (Gen 1) Pokemon games. Dratini is the base form of Dragonite, a dragon- and flying-type pseudo-legendary, and is the easiest to find on this list. To capture one, fast-travel or find your way to Restaurant Le Nah in Vert Sector 6. Once you’re there, face the restaurant, turn right and climb the ladder attached to the building next to it. Once you’re on the roof of this building, you’ll want to turn left and then roll onto the roof of the restaurant. That’s where you’ll find Dratini waiting for you.

Now, Dratini is skittish. It’ll run away the moment it spots you, so you’ll want to be prepared. Save your game before approaching it and ready a Pokemon that can either knock it out with one attack or stock up on Quick Balls and Dusk Balls. I’ve had a lot of success with Dusk Balls in this game,  so I recommend trying to catch Dratini at night.

Dratini evolves into Dragonair at Level 30 and then Dragonite at Level 55, gaining the flying-type with its final evolution. With this dual-typing, Dragonite is strong against dragon, grass, fighting and bug-type Pokemon. However, its strength isn’t limited to type advantages; it also learns hard-hitting moves like Hurricane and Outrage that can get you out of a pickle. It has wide-coverage attacks, like Earthquake, in its move pool to damage multiple Pokemon in one go. You can also Mega Evolve Dragonite in Pokemon Legends: Z-A, although its Mega Stone becomes available after you complete Main Mission 32.

Note: You can also find Dratini or Dragonair on a rooftop in Bleu Sector 9 and Dragonite in Wild Zone 20 after you’ve completed the main storyline.

Capture Gible in Wild Zone 8

If you’ve already got a flying-type Pokemon on your team and want to widen the type matchups you cover, capturing Gible and evolving it into its final evolution, Garchomp, is one of the best things you can do.

You can find Gible in one of Wild Zone 8’s many holes — keep an eye out for its blue fin popping out to show that it has spawned. Depending on your luck, you might find one right away, or it’ll take a few bench resets to spot one among the many Drilbur of this Wild Zone. So, once you’ve spotted the blue fin, save your game and head right into the battle.

Gible isn’t skittish and won’t run away, but Wild Zone 8 can quickly become a fighting fest that’s difficult to manage. Bring a Pokemon that’s fast or can use moves that deal damage over a wide area — think water-type Pokemon. Also bring Great Balls, Ultra Balls, and Dusk Balls; these will be your best bet for capturing Gible, since it has a low capture rate like Dratini.

Gible will evolve into Gabite at Level 24, and then Gabite evolves into Garchomp at Level 48, so be prepared for a long leveling grind to get this top dragon. However, the effort is well worth it because adding the dragon and ground type Garchomp to your team lets you effectively use moves like Earthquake — more so than Dragonite — dealing damage quickly over wide areas, while defending against similarly strong attacks, thanks to its well-distributed stat total. You can also Mega Evolve Garchomp early in the game because its Mega Stone — Garchompite — is easy to get. You can buy it for 70,000 Pokemon Dollars from the Stone Emporium after completing Main Mission 10.

Find Goomy in Vert Sector 9 while it’s raining

Goomy is the third powerful dragon-type Pokemon that you can find early in Pokemon Legends: Z-A. To catch one, you will need to wait for rain in Lumiose City — it only comes out in wet weather.

The weather doesn’t have a fixed pattern in this game, so sitting on a bench to change the time of day is how you’ll get it to start pouring. Once it’s raining, Goomy is easy to find but a little tough to capture.

Goomy spawns in Vert Sector 9. The easiest way to get there is to fast-travel to Vernal Pokemon Center. Once you’re there, enter the alley right before the nearby hair salon and follow the path until you see an arched gateway. The gateway is opposite a battle court and may have boulders blocking your passage. Once you’re past it, take a quick look towards the bridge down below and you’ll see a Goomy waiting for you. This area is also a fixed spawn location for Eevee, if you’re trying to get every Eevee evolution in your playthrough.

Now, Goomy evolves into Sliggoo at Level 40. However, to evolve Sliggoo into Goodra, you’ll need to first train it to Level 50 and then wait yet again for rain in Lumiose City. You’ll only be able to evolve Sliggoo in wet weather — try to time leveling up to 50 or beyond while it’s pouring.

Unlike Dragonite and Garchomp, Goodra is a pure dragon-type and doesn’t have a Mega Evolution, but its extremely high Special Defense stat makes it a great Pokemon to have. Also, if you have the Mega Dimension DLC, then you can also find Hisuian Goodra in five-star hyperspace zones. It’s similar to a traditional Goodra in many ways, but has an added steel-type, giving it an edge in some battles.

Read more: How to Redeem Every Pokemon Legends: Z-A Mystery Gift Code and Reward

More pseudo-legendary dragon-types in Pokemon Legends: Z-A

Apart from Dratini, Gible and Goomy, Pokemon Legends: Z-A features two other pseudo-legendary dragon-type Pokemon: Bagon and Frigibax. Unfortunately, getting them early isn’t possible and for the latter, you need to buy and complete the storyline of the Mega Dimension DLC.

But if you want to add them to your party, Bagon can be found in Wild Zone 18, which unlocks after completing Main Mission 30. You can also catch an Alpha Salamence (Bagon’s final form) right in front of where Bagon spawns, a small test that allows you to start using Salamence right away.

For Frigibax, you’ll need to collect 25,000 Hyperspace Survey Points, activate a special scan by talking to Philippe in Rust Syndicate’s office building and then hope to roll a five-star hyperspace zone which spawns Frigibax. This five-star zone is likely to have its entire evolutionary line, too, so you can also capture Arctibax and Baxcalibur.

Both Salamence and Baxcalibur can also Mega Evolve. To get a Salamencite, collect 360 Mega Shards and head to Quasartico Inc. headquarters to trade for it. And Baxcalibrite was first offered as a reward for reaching Rank S in Pokemon Z-A Ranked Battles Season 4. However, at the time of writing, Ranked Battles Season 6 also offers it as a reward for reaching Rank V.

Other pseudo-legendaries in Pokemon Legends: Z-A

Before we leave you, if you’ve got your fill of dragon-type Pokemon but still have a spot in your party, there are two other pseudo-legendaries worth capturing in Pokemon Legends: Z-A; Larvitar and Beldum.

Larvitar can be caught early in the game, but it requires some precise movement control. I recommend waiting until you’ve started Main Mission 16 and unlocked Roto Glide to catch Larvitar. As for Beldum, you will need to wait until Main Mission 35.

For Larvitar, head to the point marked in the screenshot below; it’s located in Vert Sector 2. Once you’re there, climb up the nearest ladder, turn left and walk along the rooftop. Once you’re at the end with the boxes, use Roto Glide to cross the gap and you’ll find Larvitar waiting to be captured.

Capturing Beldum is much simpler, but you’ll need to complete over half the main storyline before you get a chance to capture one. Beldum always spawns on floor B1F in Lysandre Labs. After you unlock the location, head to the room marked in the screenshot to find one. Beldum tends to spawn in pairs.

Occasionally, you’ll also find a Metang in the same Lysandre Labs basement. This one is even harder to capture, so make sure to have Dusk Balls handy and a Pokemon that can afflict status conditions like sleep or paralysis. You should also try to perform a manual save right after you knock out Beldum or Metang in battle so that you can soft reset and get another shot at capturing it.

You’re now set to power up your team in Pokemon Legends: Z-A with strong dragon-types and other pseudo-legendaries that are available. So head out there and capture these Pokemon to tackle the brand-new battle mechanics and online players.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Tuesday, Feb. 24

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Feb. 24.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.


Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? I thought 5-Down was very tricky, and not really representative of the clue, either. Read on for all the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Goosebumps-inducing
Answer: SCARY

6A clue: Buddy, informally
Answer: HOMIE

7A clue: Rub off, as pencil markings
Answer: ERASE

8A clue: Enjoys a quiet weekend morning, perhaps
Answer: LAZES

9A clue: David Szalay novel that won the 2025 Booker Prize
Answer: FLESH

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Section of a bookcase
Answer: SHELF

2D clue: Color similar to salmon that’s also named for a sea creature
Answer: CORAL

3D clue: Leave speechless
Answer: AMAZE

4D clue: Gets out of bed
Answer: RISES

5D clue: «Uff-da!»
Answer: YEESH

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Technologies

This AI Tool Doesn’t Help With Homework. It Does It for You

Einstein is a new AI tool that can watch lecture videos, read essays, write papers, complete quizzes and basically take your class for you.

A new AI tool called Einstein is pushing the boundaries of what automation in education looks like. Created by the startup Companion, Einstein does more than generate answers to homework questions. It logs directly into a student’s Canvas account and completes coursework on the student’s behalf.

According to its creators, Einstein operates through its own virtual computer. It can open a browser, navigate class pages, watch lecture videos, read PDFs and essays, write papers, complete quizzes and post replies in discussion boards. Once connected to a student’s account, the system can monitor deadlines and automatically submit assignments.

Unlike chatbots that respond when prompted, Einstein functions more like a digital stand-in for a human student. After setup, it can run in the background with little ongoing input.

«Students are already using AI. We’re just giving them a better version of it,» Companion CEO Advait Paliwal said in a statement. 

Read more: ‘Machines Can’t Think for You.’ How Learning Is Changing in the Age of AI

How Einstein works

Einstein connects to Canvas, a widely used learning-management system in colleges and high schools. From there, it reviews course materials and identifies assigned tasks. The AI can analyze lecture recordings, summarize readings and generate written work that matches the assignment requirements.

The company says the system produces original essays with citations and context-aware discussion posts. It can also track new announcements and upcoming deadlines. In practice, this means a student could enroll in an online course and let Einstein handle much — if not all — of the required work.

The technology builds on advances in generative AI, browser automation and so-called autonomous agents that can take multistep actions on behalf of their human counterpart. While many students already use AI tools to brainstorm ideas or check grammar, Einstein moves beyond assistance into complete automation.

«Our companions aren’t simple chatbots,» Paliwal said. «Each one has access to an entire virtual computer with a persistent file system and internet access, so they can actually do things on your behalf. This makes ChatGPT look like a toy.»

A crossroads for academic integrity?

The release of Einstein comes at a time when schools are still adapting to widespread AI use. Since the arrival of powerful language models, educators have debated how to distinguish legitimate support from academic dishonesty. Most policies focus on whether students are using AI to help draft or edit their work, or do it entirely for them. 

Einstein complicates that conversation. 

If an AI logs in as a student and completes assignments independently, the question shifts from assistance to substitution. Is the tool essentially taking the student’s place? 

Not all in education are sounding the alarm, though. 

«I think the Canvas method of teaching already has a proclivity for cheating. This change, I think, will ultimately be good because it will force educators to redesign classes to not rely on virtual assignments,» said Nicholas DiMaggio, a PhD student at The University of Chicago Booth School of Business and teaching assistant for a course in consumer behavior this quarter. 

DiMaggio said that this may prompt institutions to emphasize in-person work, oral exams or project-based learning instead. Beyond this one tool, schools will have to decide whether to ban such tools outright, integrate them under strict guidelines or rethink how learning is measured in the age of AI.

Read more: How to Use AI to Get Better Grades — Without Cheating

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Technologies

Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for Feb. 24 #723

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle for Feb. 24, No. 723.

Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.


Today’s NYT Strands puzzle is a fun one, and there are only four answers, though some of them are quite long. Some of the answers are difficult to unscramble, so if you need hints and answers, read on.

I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story. 

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strands theme is: Just for reference.

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: Like Wikipedia.

Clue words to unlock in-game hints

Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:

  • CLOP, TREAT, SHARD, PATE, PATES, DOOR, ROOD, ROOT, DIRECT

Answers for today’s Strands puzzle

These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers:

  • DICTIONARY, THESAURUS, ENCYCLOPEDIA, DIRECTORY

Today’s Strands spangram

Today’s Strands spangram is LOOKITUP. To find it, start with the L that’s the last letter on the farthest vertical row to the left, and wind up.

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.


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