Completing a Living Dex With All Generation 3 and 4 Games (Pokémon Platinum)
A "living dex" is a fan designation for when a player completes the Pokédex and has one of each species in the PC or the party at the same time.
It's often considered to be much more difficult and time-consuming than a regular Pokédex because it often involves, for instance, playing the same game multiple
times to get multiple copies of a Legendary Pokémon.
The method by which you can get a completed Pokédex on Platinum is described here. This page will focus more on requirements
specific to a living dex.
You will need access to at minimum three separate Diamond, Pearl, or Platinum save files in order to obtain all Sinnoh starters.
You will also need access to at minimum three separate HeartGold, SoulSilver, FireRed, or LeafGreen save files in order to obtain all Kanto starters. If HeartGold and/or SoulSilver are used, each files will need to progress as far as defeating Red to obtain the starters.
You will also need access to at minimum three separate save files of Emerald, HeartGold, or SoulSilver, or one save file of Colosseum or XD, to obtain the Johto starters. If Emerald is used, each file will need to complete the entire Hoenn Pokédex to obtain the starters.
You will also need access to at minimum three separate Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, HeartGold, or SoulSilver save files in order to obtain all Hoenn starters. If HeartGold and/or SoulSilver are used, each file will need to progress as far as defeating Red to obtain the Hoenn starters.
Completing a Living Dex in All Five Gen 4 Games Simultaneously
If you intend to complete the living dex in Diamond, Pearl, Platinum, HeartGold, and SoulSilver simultaneously, you will need the following:
- At least five save files of one of Ruby, Sapphire, or Emerald, to get five each of Regirock, Regice, and Registeel
- At least six save files of Diamond, Pearl, or Platinum. While most legendaries can be obtained with only five files, Dialga and Palkia are version-exclusive. If the player has one Diamond save file, one Pearl save file, and four Platinum save files, this would be sufficient to get five Dialga and five Palkia, since Platinum has both
- To get five each of Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres, the player needs to use some combination of five files of FireRed, LeafGreen, Platinum, HeartGold, and SoulSilver
- To get five each of Mewtwo, the player needs to use some combination of five files of FireRed, LeafGreen, HeartGold, and SoulSilver
- To get five each of Raikou, Entei, and Suicune, the player needs to use some combination of five files of Colosseum, HeartGold, and SoulSilver, or fifteen files of FireRed and LeafGreen
- To get five each of Ho-Oh, the player needs to use some combination of five files of Colosseum, HeartGold, and SoulSilver
- To get five each of Lugia, the player needs to use some combination of five files of XD: Gale of Darkness, HeartGold, and SoulSilver
- To get five each of Groudon, Kyogre, and Rayquaza, the player would either need to use five save files of Emerald, five each of Ruby and Sapphire, or five each of HeartGold and SoulSilver, because Groudon and Kyogre are version-exclusives in Ruby, Sapphire, HeartGold, and SoulSilver
- To get five each of Latios and Latias, the player would either need to use ten save files of Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald (with the appropriate number of save files for each of Latios and Latias), or five files each of HeartGold and SoulSilver, because Latios and Latias are version-exclusives
Additionally, an appropriate number of Clamperl must either be evolved in Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald and sent to Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum, or the player will need to obtain three DeepSeaTooths from wild Carvanha or Sharpedo and three DeepSeaScales from wild Chinchou, Lanturn, and Relicanth.