Poke Balls sit at the center of Pokemon Legends: Z-A’s real-time catching system. The game keeps the familiar red-and-white basics, then layers on specialty balls, late-game Apriballs, and a few one-off rewards tied to research ranks and ranked seasons.
Everything revolves around three pillars: standard Poke Balls from Pokemon Centers, specialty balls from the Poke Ball Boutique, and rare balls from Infinite Z-A Royale, side missions, and ranked rewards.
All Poke Ball types and effects in Pokemon Legends: Z-A
The table below pulls every Poke Ball currently available in Legends: Z-A, what it does, and how it’s obtained.
| Poke Ball | Primary effect | How to get it |
|---|---|---|
| Poke Ball | Standard ball with the lowest base catch rate. | Buy at Pokemon Centers; rewards from some side missions; found as overworld Poke Balls around Lumiose City and in Wild Zones. |
| Great Ball | Higher catch rate than a Poke Ball. | Buy at Pokemon Centers as the story progresses; found as overworld Poke Balls in Lumiose City. |
| Ultra Ball | Higher catch rate than a Great Ball; main high-end standard option. | Buy at Pokemon Centers later in the story; rewards from specific side missions; found in Lumiose City. |
| Master Ball | Guaranteed capture on any wild Pokemon. | Primary story reward from Mable’s Research at Rank 49; also available from Reward Battles in Infinite Z-A Royale. |
| Premier Ball | Same catch rate tier as a Poke Ball, but treated as a “commemorative” ball. | Granted when you buy 10 balls of the same type in a Poke Ball Boutique; can also be bought in the Boutique for ₽200. |
| Heal Ball | Fully heals HP and removes status on the Pokemon you catch. | Buy at the Poke Ball Boutique for ₽300; occasionally found in Lumiose City. |
| Net Ball | Better catch rate against Water- and Bug-type Pokemon. | Rewards from certain side missions; sold at the Poke Ball Boutique for ₽1000; found in Lumiose City. |
| Nest Ball | More effective against low-level wild Pokemon. | Rewards from some side missions; sold at the Poke Ball Boutique for ₽1000; found in Lumiose City. |
| Dive Ball | Improved catch chance on Pokemon in or on the water. | Rewards from side missions; sold at the Poke Ball Boutique for ₽1000; found in Lumiose City. |
| Dusk Ball | Higher catch rate at night and in dark areas. | Rewards from side missions; sold at the Poke Ball Boutique for ₽1000; found in Lumiose City. |
| Timer Ball | Becomes stronger as more actions are taken in the battle. | Rewards from side missions; sold at the Poke Ball Boutique for ₽1000; found in Lumiose City. |
| Quick Ball | Much more effective if used before the Pokemon notices you (“turn 0”). | Rewards from side missions; sold at the Poke Ball Boutique for ₽1000; found in Lumiose City. |
| Repeat Ball | Higher catch rate on species already registered as caught. | Rewards from side missions; sold at the Poke Ball Boutique for ₽1000; found in Lumiose City. |
| Luxury Ball | Boosts how quickly a caught Pokemon’s Friendship increases. | Rewards from side missions; sold at the Poke Ball Boutique for ₽3000; found in Lumiose City. |
| Fast Ball | Specialty “Apriball” tuned for Pokemon that flee quickly / tend to run. | Included in a pre-order bonus set; repeat copies earned from Reward Battles in Infinite Z-A Royale. |
| Lure Ball | Apriball with improved catch rates on Pokemon in or on water. | Pre-order bonus; more copies from Infinite Z-A Royale Reward Battles. |
| Level Ball | Gets stronger the lower the target’s level is compared to your active Pokemon. | Pre-order bonus; more copies from Infinite Z-A Royale Reward Battles. |
| Heavy Ball | More effective the heavier the target Pokemon is. | Pre-order bonus; additional copies from Infinite Z-A Royale Reward Battles. |
| Love Ball | Higher catch rate when the target is the opposite gender of your active Pokemon. | Earned from Infinite Z-A Royale Reward Battles. |
| Friend Ball | Starts a caught Pokemon at a higher Friendship level. | Earned from Infinite Z-A Royale Reward Battles. |
| Moon Ball | Better against Pokemon that evolve with a Moon Stone. | Earned from Infinite Z-A Royale Reward Battles. |
| Sport Ball | Special ball associated with Johto’s Bug-Catching Contest; purely aesthetic here. | Ranked Battle seasonal reward (Season 1). |
| Dream Ball | Higher catch rate on Pokemon that are asleep. | Ranked Battle seasonal reward (Season 2). |
Where to buy basic and specialty Poke Balls
For most of the story, you’ll live out of two shops in Lumiose City: Pokemon Centers and the Poke Ball Boutique.
Pokemon Centers
Every Pokemon Center sells the core catching tools:
- Poke Ball
- Great Ball
- Ultra Ball (after progressing the story)
Stock improves as you clear main missions. It’s worth checking the shop each time you unlock a new rank or region, since the Ultra Ball is the best generic choice for stubborn captures when you don’t want to think about conditions.
Pokemon Centers also host the Return Poke Ball NPC in a blue suit, who hands back balls that missed and were recovered. That makes it less punishing to throw expensive options like Ultra Balls and Luxury Balls as long as you don’t completely drain your inventory.
Poke Ball Boutique in Rogue Sector 3
The Poke Ball Boutique is the one-stop shop for specialty balls. It sits on a main road in Rogue Sector 3; once you’ve unlocked that part of the city, it’s hard to miss.
Inside, you can buy almost every non-Apriball specialty ball in the game, at higher prices than the basic stock in Pokemon Centers. The typical inventory looks like this:
| Item | Typical price | Use case |
|---|---|---|
| Heal Ball | ≈ ₽300 | Early-game convenience so caught Pokemon can battle immediately. |
| Net Ball | ≈ ₽1000 | Water and Bug targets, especially in early Wild Zones. |
| Nest Ball | ≈ ₽1000 | Catching many low-level duplicates for research. |
| Dive Ball | ≈ ₽1000 | Anything encountered in water routes or pools. |
| Dusk Ball | ≈ ₽1000 | Night hunting and underground routes. |
| Timer Ball | ≈ ₽1000 | Long battles against tanky or Legendary Pokemon. |
| Quick Ball | ≈ ₽1000 | Openers against Pokemon you can hit before they notice you. |
| Repeat Ball | ≈ ₽1000 | Speed-running catches of species you already have. |
| Luxury Ball | ≈ ₽3000 | Friendship-based evolutions and long-term team members. |
| Premier Ball | ≈ ₽200 | Aesthetic alternative to Poke Balls with similar power. |
On top of direct purchases, the Boutique is also how Premier Balls usually enter your inventory: buying 10 balls of the same type in one transaction grants a Premier Ball “bonus” and also unlocks direct Premier Ball purchases.
Story, side mission, and exploration rewards
Even without touching post-game content, Legends: Z-A hands out a steady stream of balls for free.
- Side missions regularly award Ultra Balls, Net Balls, Nest Balls, Dive Balls, Dusk Balls, Timer Balls, Quick Balls, Repeat Balls, and Luxury Balls. These are one-off rewards but add up over a full playthrough.
- Overworld Poke Balls scattered around Lumiose City and the Wild Zones can contain almost any standard or specialty Boutique ball, including Heal Balls, Great Balls, and occasionally Ultra Balls.
- Mable’s Research progression is the key to the guaranteed Master Ball at Rank 49. That’s the one truly “fixed” ball you can plan around for catching a roaming Legendary or a Shiny that’s easy to lose.
Infinite Z-A Royale and Apriballs
Post-game, the whole ball ecosystem opens up through Infinite Z-A Royale. Once you clear the main story and unlock the endless version of the Z-A Royale mode, special Reward Battles start handing out Apricorn-style balls alongside Master Balls and other high-end items.
The Apriball pool from Infinite Z-A Royale includes:
- Fast Ball
- Lure Ball
- Level Ball
- Heavy Ball
- Love Ball
- Friend Ball
- Moon Ball
These are not sold anywhere; they’re gated behind either the pre-order bonus pack or Royale rewards. That makes each one functionally limited, so most players reserve them for signature Pokemon: starters, favorite Shalpha catches, or key shiny hunts.
Ranked Battles and limited cosmetic balls
Ranked Battle seasons add their own layer of scarcity. Two balls are tied directly to online ladder play:
- Sport Ball – reward from Ranked Battles Season 1.
- Dream Ball – reward from Ranked Battles Season 2.
Neither ball changes core gameplay in typical encounters. They’re largely about aesthetics and signaling that you engaged with those seasons. Because they’re bound to ranked rewards rather than shops or PvE modes, they also tend to be the least-used balls in casual teams and the most prized among collectors.
How catching works with ZL and ZR
Legends: Z-A keeps the Legends: Arceus-style real-time catching flow with a simple control scheme:
- Hold ZL to bring up a targeting reticle and lock onto a Pokemon.
- Press ZR to throw the currently selected Poke Ball.
The game strongly rewards context-aware throws:
- Weaken the target first: bringing HP low or temporarily knocking the Pokemon out significantly raises catch odds for every ball type.
- Use status when possible: putting a Pokemon to sleep synergizes especially well with Dream Ball, but benefits everything.
- Sneak throws count as “turn 0”: if you hit a Pokemon before it spots you, Quick Ball’s early-turn bonus applies.
When a Pokemon is temporarily knocked out (HP reduced to zero but still catchable for a short time), catch rates spike. That window is brief, but it’s the moment where Timer Balls, Repeat Balls, and even standard Ultra Balls feel far more reliable.
Choosing the right Poke Ball for the situation
The last piece is matching the ball to the job. The systems in Legends: Z-A make ball choice more than cosmetic, especially in the late game.
| Scenario | Recommended balls | Why they work |
|---|---|---|
| Opening on unaware wild Pokemon | Quick Ball, Ultra Ball | Quick Ball takes advantage of “before they spot you”; Ultra Ball backs you up if the first attempt fails. |
| Nighttime hunts / caves and sewers | Dusk Ball, Ultra Ball | Dusk Ball’s conditional bonus is very strong in darkness; Ultra Ball covers day encounters. |
| Tanky, high-level targets that drag fights out | Timer Ball, Ultra Ball, Master Ball (once) | Timer Ball catches up and often surpasses Ultra Ball odds as actions accumulate; Master Ball is a last resort. |
| Flee-prone or fast Pokemon | Fast Ball, Quick Ball | Fast Ball is built for runners; Quick Ball lets you capitalize on surprise openings. |
| Repeating the same species for research | Repeat Ball, Nest Ball | Repeat Ball scales off your Pokédex; Nest Ball shines if those repeats are low-level. |
| Water routes, rivers, harbors | Dive Ball, Lure Ball, Net Ball | Both Dive and Lure Ball benefit from water conditions; Net Ball adds a bonus vs. Water-types themselves. |
| Friendship evolutions and long-term teammates | Luxury Ball, Friend Ball, Heal Ball | Luxury and Friend Ball directly accelerate Friendship; Heal Ball helps if you intend to battle right away. |
| Shiny and showcase catches | Apriballs (Love/Friend/Moon/Level/Heavy/Fast/Lure), Premier Ball | These are rare or visually striking, so they’re often reserved for shinies and signature team members. |
Underneath the stylistic choices, one detail matters most: almost every ball in Legends: Z-A is a finite resource at any given time. The game throws plenty of standard and Boutique balls at you, but Apriballs, ranked rewards, and Master Balls are limited and tied to specific activities. Planning where to spend those is part of the late-game strategy just as much as building the right team.
