How to Recruit Team Members in Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Red Rescue Team

Creating the ultimate team is crucial for accomplishing a triumphant mission in Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Red Rescue Team.

As you advance in the game, you will gain the ability to add new members to your Rescue Team by encountering them in different Dungeons and story events. This includes popular starter Pokemon and formidable Legendary Pokemon.

This guide provides comprehensive instructions for unlocking Friend Areas, recruiting members for your Rescue Team, and recruiting Legendary Pokemon in Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Red Rescue Team.

How to unlock Friend Areas

To unlock Friend Areas in Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Red Rescue Team, you must continue with the main storyline until you rescue Diglett and have a conversation with Wigglytuff.

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Red Rescue Team Caterpie waaa. — Spike Chunsoft

Caterpie being rescued in Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Red Rescue Team.

Access to Friend Areas will not be granted until you have made considerable progress in the initial stages of Red Rescue Team.

Following the successful rescue of Caterpie, your next mission will be to save two Magnemites from Thunderwave Cave on B6F. This dungeon is slightly more challenging than Tiny Woods, so be sure to heal yourself and utilize items such as Orbs during your journey.

After successfully rescuing Magnemite, your Rescue Team will return home to rest. The following day, you will need to visit the Pelipper Post Office to obtain basic missions and continue advancing your team.

Your partner Pokemon will also provide you with a short tour of Pokemon Square, highlighting an unoccupied Wigglytuff stall. This is the spot where you can access Friend Areas, although it will not be accessible to you at this time.

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Red Rescue Team empty stall. — Spike Chunsoft

Charmander and Chikorita in Pokemon Square.

Be sure to complete a mission in either Tiny Woods or Thunderwave Cave to end the day, and be on the lookout for useful items along the way.

After returning home, the Rescue Team members will go to sleep and have a dream about a realistic earthquake during the night. The character will be awakened and receive a mission from Dugtrio, who informs them that Diglett has been abducted and taken to Mt. Steel.

During your journey to the top of Mt. Steel, you will encounter Skarmory, your first boss opponent. Skarmory claims that the earthquakes are caused by Diglett and Dugtrio. However, with just a few Gravelrocks, you can easily defeat Skarmory in this battle, even if your level is low.

Following the battle, the Magnemite pair will once again appear to assist in the rescue of Diglett and ensure the group’s safe return home. Your companion will extend an invitation for them to join the team, but unfortunately, the Magnemite will have to decline due to the lack of available housing.

The following day, you will have the opportunity to visit Wigglytuff in Pokemon Square and access Friend Areas, allowing you to recruit new Pokemon into your team.

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Red Rescue Team Wigglytuff. — Spike Chunsoft

Wigglytuff, Charmander, and Chikorita at Pokemon Square.

Wigglytuff will provide your Rescue Team with two Friend Areas at no cost initially. However, Magnemite will then appear and request to have their Friend Area given for free as well. Wigglytuff will oblige, giving you the opportunity to recruit Magnemite, give them a nickname, and send them to their new residence.

How to Get Rescue Team Members

In addition to story recruits such as Magnemite, recruiting members in a Dungeon involves defeating them in combat. Pokemon may also ask to join you randomly if you have their Friend Area unlocked.

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Red Rescue Team recruitment list. — Spike Chunsoft

Potential recruits in a Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Thunderwave Cave run.

In order to enlist a Pokemon while on a Dungeon expedition, it is essential to have the appropriate Friend Area unlocked for that particular Pokemon.

To confirm if a Pokemon in the Dungeon can be recruited, simply press B to open the menu, select ‘Others’, and then go to ‘Potential recruits’.

If the Pokemon’s name is listed, then you are fortunate. The subsequent step is to locate the desired Pokemon by either exploring the Dungeon or allowing enemies to come to you.

To have a chance of recruiting a Pokemon, you must defeat it in battle. However, there is no assurance that the Pokemon will ask to join your team, so you may have to engage in multiple battles before one expresses interest in joining you.

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Red Rescue Team recruit. — Spike Chunsoft

Rattata joining the Pokemon Rescue Team.

Upon a Pokemon’s request to join your team, you will have the option to accept or decline before giving them a nickname. If you choose to accept them, it will be your responsibility to keep them safe throughout your time in the Dungeon. However, if they faint, they will automatically leave your team.

How to Recruit Legendary Pokemon for Your Rescue Team

Each Legendary Pokemon in Mystery Dungeon Red Rescue Team has its own unique set of unlock requirements, but in general, players must defeat them, possess the appropriate Friend Area, and finish the main storyline.

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Red Rescue Team Skarmory fight. — Spike Chunsoft

Chikorita and Charmander after defeating Skarmory.

To successfully recruit Legendary Pokemon in Rescue Team Red, it is crucial to have ample space available on your team.

Legendary Pokemon typically take up twice as much space as a regular Pokemon in a party, making it impossible to recruit them with a full team. To increase your chances of success, try facing them with only your main Partner, as they often occupy 4 out of the 6 available party slots.

In addition, it is crucial to ensure that your Pokemon is positioned directly in front of the target and successfully lands the final attack when attempting to recruit Legendaries.

To recruit certain Legendary Pokemon, you must first unlock their corresponding Friend Area and complete additional tasks. The specific requirements for each Legendary can be found below. If the requirements do not include “have access to…,”the Pokemon will provide you with their Friend Area upon joining your team.

Pokemon	Location	Friend Area	Additional Requirements
Pokemon	Location	Friend Area	Additional Requirements
Articuno	Frosty Forest Grotto (5F)	Legendary Island	Complete the main story
celebrities	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 aprevious 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
Broads	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 (Anywherefrom 36F and onwards)	Final Island	Have the Final Island Friend Area and theMusic 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 aprevious run and have access to the SacredField Friend Area
Rayquaza	Sky Tower Summit (9F)	Stratos Lookout	Complete the main story
Royal	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 SacredField Friend Area
Zapdos	Mt. Thunder Peak (3F)	Legendary Island	Complete the main story

It is worth mentioning that, similar to regular Pokemon, Legendaries are not assured to join your team. The randomness of the game can vary among these special creatures, so be prepared to encounter them multiple times before successfully recruiting them.

The majority of the Legendary ‘mons will only become available once you have advanced beyond Sky Tower. This is both in terms of unlocking them and being able to defeat them. However, it is highly recommended to pursue these legendary Pokemon as they can greatly enhance your experience of playing Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Red Rescue Team.