Overworld Roaming Encounters

Worked examples for manipulating Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres in any weather condition.

The roaming Galarian bird trio, Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres can be found in their respective Wild Areas after starting the Crown Tundra DLC - Legendary Quest 3 and releasing them from Dyna Tree Hill in the Crown Tundra. You must have at least 8 badges or else they will be too strong for you to capture. These Pokémon are generated upon entering a loading zone and all of their data remain unchanged until the area is reloaded.

Using fly RNG manipulation, we can precisely respawn the bird on a specific frame to generate it with the desired IVs, Nature, and Marks. Once the bird respawns, we can chase it down at our leisure and initiate the encounter.

Important - From here, we assume that you are familiar with key concepts described on the main page. If you are unsure about seed monitoring, advancement methods, or NPC calibration, please review the relevant sections before continuing.

Figure 1 - RNG Tool Setup

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Getting Started (Tool Setup)
  1. Enter the IP address of your console in the main window and click Connect. This will automatically read your current seed and save file details.
  2. Select Static in the Encounter Settings section and select the following Area: based on your desired bird:
    • For Articuno-Galar, select Giant's Bed.
    • For Zapdos-Galar, select East Lake Axewell.
    • For Moltres-Galar, select Challenge Road.
    • After you have selected a location, set your target Pokémon accordingly.

  3. Select the weather you plan to use for the RNG manipulation. Keep in mind that weather can change if the system time reaches midnight (00:00) since weather is date-specific.
  4. Under Advanced Settings, click the Fly? checkbox. This is where we can configure the necessary values for fly RNG manipulation. Leave the Area Load & Fly NPCs at 0 for now.
  5. Adjust your search range using the + field in Encounter Settings, then configure additional search filters such as Marks, IVs, or Height.

Figure 2 - Game Setup

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Game Setup
  1. You will need to unlock the fly points shown in Figure 2 if you have not already done so. The fly points for Articuno and Moltres require DLC story progression.
    • For Articuno-Galar, unlock the fly point to the east of Giant's Bed by interacting with the Regi cave close by.
    • For Zapdos-Galar, unlock the fly point below Motostoke, this fly point should be active already through main story progression.
    • For Moltres-Galar, unlock the fly point at the Tower of Darkness. You will need to complete climbing either tower. Visit the Tower of Darkness afterwards if you picked the Tower of Waters.

  2. Remove all the Pokémon in your party except for one. This is a crucial step as the RNG tool assumes you have a single Pokémon in your party.
    • You can use any Pokémon you want to fill this role as long as it has a "fondly" memory.
    • Remember that after the bird is generated, all of its details are fully decided, so you can freely change your party afterwards using the PC Box Link.

  3. Visit the Memory Check NPC found in any PokéCenter and repeatedly rename your remaining Pokémon until it has a memory intensity of "fondly remembers".
    • Do not use a Pokémon with a map memory! This will cause your RNG manipulation attempt to fail. The map memory text looks similar to "Urshifu checked a destination with Billo using the Town Map in a town in the mountains."
    • The simplest way to achieve a "fondly" intensity memory is by renaming your Pokémon multiple times. Confirm the memory intensity by speaking to the NPC.
    • Pokémon that have been in your boxes for a few days naturally end up with box memories, which start at an intensity of "definitely remembers". This is one step away from "fondly remembers". For a quick and convenient solution, use a Pokémon with a box memory until it upgrades to "fondly remembers." If the memory is overwritten by a nickname memory, you can use another Pokémon or reset.
    • The simplest way to achieve a "fondly" intensity memory is by renaming your Pokémon multiple times. Confirm the memory intensity by speaking to the NPC.

  4. Your follower Pokémon adds aditional RNG calls, which are not predicted by owoow. You MUST remove your follower Pokémon before manipulating Articuno or Moltres. There are two separate NPCs to disable the follower feature. One is in the Isle of Armor and the other is in the Crown Tundra. Visit the NPC corresponding to your target bird.
    • For Articuno, speak to the NPC in Freezington.
    • For Moltres, speak to the NPC inside the Dojo.

Important - For Articuno, you must not be at a point in Sonia's footprint sidequest where Virizion spawns in the overworld. Either wait to talk to Sonia to activate Virizion or capture it to clear it from the field. When Virizion is actively spawning in the overworld, this causes additional RNG calls that are not accounted for by owoow. (Virizion can be RNG manipulated using the Overworld Static RNG Manipulation guide!)

Figure 3 - Fondly Memory Demonstration

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Advanced Settings

The necessary values to enter into Advanced Settings based on your desired bird.

This section provides information about the values required for the Advanced Settings fields. These values will vary based on the bird you are manipulating and whether the current weather is Rain/Thunderstorm. Select your desired weather condition in the drop-down menu below to see the relevant table for each bird.

Rain/Thunderstorm are considered "advanced" and may be challenging for beginners. If this is your first time attempting this type of RNG manipulation, we recommended you start with a different weather condition to familiarize yourself with the general process.

Articuno - East Giant's Bed
Area Load # Menu NPC # Total Fly NPC #
46 0 0

Note - As mentioned above, you must Virizion caught or must not have progressed the footprint story quest enough to spawn Virizion in the otherworld. Having Virizion spawned will produce results not found inside the table.

Zapdos - East Lake Axewell
Area Load # Menu NPC # Total Fly NPC #
14 2 4
14 3 4
14 4 6
14 5 8

Note - The values for Zapdos are for initially flying into the East Lake Axewell fly point on a fresh day. Date skip if you have done anything in the base Wild Area.

Important - If you encounter any NPC counts that are not on the appropriate table, please back up your save file and contact Billo on Discord (b.illo) so we can verify and add it to this guide!

Moltres - Challenge Road (Tower of Waters picked - Sword)
Area Load # Menu NPC # Total Fly NPC #
11-12 10 11
11-12 11 13
11-12 12 14
11-12 13 17
Moltres - Challenge Road (Tower of Waters picked - Shield)
Area Load # Menu NPC # Total Fly NPC #
11-12 10 10
11-12 11 12
11-12 12 14
11-12 13 15
11-12 14 17
Moltres - Challenge Road (Tower of Darkness picked - Sword/Shield)
Area Load # Menu NPC # Total Fly NPC #
11-12 8 8
11-12 9 8
11-12 10 10
11-12 11 12
11-12 12 13

Note - Your Area Load value for MOLTRES depends on if Wailord is active. Use 11 if Wailord has been defeated and 12 if Wailord is present on the map.

Important - If you encounter any NPC counts that are not on the appropriate table, please back up your save file and contact Billo on Discord (b.illo) so we can verify and add it to this guide!

Articuno - East Giant's Bed
Area Load Rain Ticks Thunder Ticks Menu NPCs NPC 0 (Before Ticks) NPC 1 (After Ticks)
46 7/8 14/16 3 0 0

Note - As mentioned above, you must Virizion caught or must not have progressed the footprint story quest enough to spawn Virizion in the otherworld. Having Virizion spawned will produce results not found inside the table.

Zapdos - East Lake Axewell
Area Load Rain Ticks Thunder Ticks Menu NPCs NPC 0 (Before Ticks) NPC 1 (After Ticks)
14 7/8 14/16 2 2 2
14 7/8 14/16 3 2 2
14 7/8 14/16 4 3 3
14 7/8 14/16 5 4 4

Note - The values for Zapdos are for initially flying into the East Lake Axewell fly point on a fresh day. Date skip if you have done anything in the base Wild Area.

Important - If you encounter any NPC counts that are not on the appropriate table, please back up your save file and contact Billo on Discord (b.illo) so we can verify and add it to this guide!

Moltres - Challenge Road (Tower of Waters picked - Sword)
Area Load Rain Ticks Thunder Ticks Menu NPCs NPC 0 (Before Ticks) NPC 1 (After Ticks)
11/12 7/8 14/16 10 2 9
11/12 7/8 14/16 11 3 10
11/12 7/8 14/16 12 3 11
11/12 7/8 14/16 13 5 12
Moltres - Challenge Road (Tower of Waters picked - Shield)
Area Load Rain Ticks Thunder Ticks Menu NPCs NPC 0 (Before Ticks) NPC 1 (After Ticks)
11/12 7/8 14/16 10 1 9
11/12 7/8 14/16 11 2 10
11/12 7/8 14/16 12 3 11
11/12 7/8 14/16 13 3 12
11/12 7/8 14/16 14 4 13
Moltres - Challenge Road (Tower of Darkness picked - Sword/Shield)
Area Load Rain Ticks Thunder Ticks Menu NPCs NPC 0 (Before Ticks) NPC 1 (After Ticks)
11/12 7/8 14/16 8 0 8
11/12 7/8 14/16 9 0 8
11/12 7/8 14/16 10 1 9
11/12 7/8 14/16 11 2 10
11/12 7/8 14/16 12 2 11

Note - Your Area Load value for MOLTRES depends on if Wailord is active. Use 11 if Wailord has been defeated and 12 if Wailord is present on the map.

Important - If you encounter any NPC counts that are not on the appropriate table, please back up your save file and contact Billo on Discord (b.illo) so we can verify and add it to this guide!


Advancing Towards a Target

Step-by-step instructions for hitting a target frame can be found here.

Figure 4 - Relevant Calibration

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Settings Toggles
  1. Ensure you are on a freshly-advanced day. If you have touched anything on the map today or are not sure, perform a date advance. This refreshes the overworld state.
  2. Fly to the required location for your target bird: East Giant's Bed (Articuno), East Lake Axewell (Zapdos), or Challenge Road (Moltres).
  3. Confirm that you have a single Pokémon in your party. This should be the same Pokémon that was given a "fondly" intensity memory earlier.
  4. Set the current weather condition to anything that is NOT Rain/Thunderstorm both in-game and on owoow. Save the game after doing so.
  5. Calibrate your current menu close NPC count, then close the MenuCloseTimeline sub-window. Note down your current menu close NPC count.
  6. Set your current menu close NPC countto 0 for now, but ensure that the Consider Menu Close? checkbox remains checked.
  7. Refer to the correct table above based on your chosen weather, target bird, and game version/progression (Moltres).
    • Set your Area Load value in the Advanced Settings on owoow. This will be the same regardless of weather condition.
    • If you are NOT in Rain/Thunderstorm, enter the Total Fly NPC value into the Fly NPC field in Advanced Settings.
    • If you are in Rain/Thunderstorm, enter the NPC 0 value into the menu close NPC field, then enter the NPC 1 value into the Fly NPC field in Advanced Settings.
    • Enter the Rain Tick value depending on if you are in Rain or Thunderstorm. If this is your first time calibrating, pick the lowest possible value (7 for Rain, 14 for Thunderstorm).

The calibration values (Consider Menu Close? / Menu Close NPCs Area Load / Fly NPCs / Rain Ticks) will account for the advances consumed when exiting from the party list -> main pause menu -> opening map -> flying into the area that contains your bird.

After correctly setting your calibration values, you can begin searching for targets.


Forgot how to calibrate NPC count? Click here for a refresher

Figure 5 - Target Bird Found

owrng-roaming-5

Advancing to the Target

In this example, a 6IV Zapdos with a Weather Mark appears in a cluster from advances 15,757-15,760. The relevant calibration values we need were set earlier. No direction should be held when flying into the area.

Step-by-Step
  1. Advance toward your target using either wet weather, NPC activation, or date skipping.
    • Note that date skipping and flying into the area can change the menu close NPC count, making your previous calibrations inaccurate. If you choose this method, you will need to recalibrate your menu close NPC count and update the calibration fields before attempting the RNG manipulation.
    • Consider using wet weather if you wish to maintain an accurate calibration without moving.

  2. Stop advancing once you are a few thousand advances before your target.
  3. Fly back to the designated fly point for your desired bird if you have moved.
    • If you used date skipping to advance earlier, you MUST recalibrate your menu close NPC count and update all of the calibration values accordingly before proceeding.

  4. Ensure that the Consider Menu Close? checkbox is checked in the main window, and confirm that your calibration checkboxes are filled in correctly.
  5. Use any of the medium-speed advancement methods such as bike hopping and menu close to get to about 200-500 advances from your target.
  6. Pause the game by opening the X menu, then use attack animations to advance the RNG state until you are approximately 100 advances away from your target.
  7. You should be on the Pokémon party list, not a Pokémon summary page! Click Update Seeds and search for your target again, then use attack animations to reach your exact target frame.
  8. You are ready to perform the fly RNG manipulation. Back out to the main pause menu, open the map, and then fly to the required location for your desired bird.
  9. Once you load into the area, the bird has already been fully generated. As long as you do not exit the map or fly into it again, you can take this time to:

    • Save the game for multiple attempts to catch it.
    • Change out your party with the PC Box Link if you need to bring in catchers or a Synchronize lead.
    • Change the console date to the current date or to one with more convenient weather/terrain for catching.

  10. Chase down the bird and encounter it to verify that your result matches what is expected. If your bird does NOT match, refer to the troubleshooting section below.
Troubleshooting

Enter the IVs of the bird you hit into the search filters of owoow, and remove any Mark/Height filters that are currently in place. The goal is to find the bird you hit by adjusting the calibration values.

  • If your target is in Rain or Thunderstorm, change the Rain Tick value to whichever value you did not use (e.g, if you used 14 in Thunderstorm, try 16).
  • If your target is Moltres:
    • Confirm whether Wailord is active/inactive. Make sure your Area Load calibration is properly set (11 for inactive, 12 for active).
    • Confirm that you are using the correct table to calibrate your values. The game version and tower that you picked are important.

  • If you still cannot find the bird you hit, recheck your menu close NPC count to be sure it is correct. Remember that date skipping can change this value.
  • If you are certain everything is correct but your bird is not predicted, you can try tweaking the values inside the Menu Close/Fly NPCs fields until you find a match. After finding your bird, retry and confirm that your new calibration values are correct. Report any new NPC values to me (Billo) on Discord (linked below).

Figure 6 - Flying Into Area

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Exiting the Pokémon Party list on the required target frame, opening the map, then flying into East Lake Axewell to spawn our desired Galarian Zapdos.

Figure 7 - Result Found

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That's all there is to RNG manipulating roaming Legendary Bird encounters (CFW)!

Credits - Huge credit to Anubis for providing significant research contributions, refining methods used to achieve results, and co-writing this guide. Accurate roaming bird prediction would not be possible without their contributions.
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