Since no one has mentioned about this thing yet, I did this post about it. Anyway...
Apparently an exploit involving Jirachi’s Challenge Letter has been discovered, which can be manipulated to unlock almost any dungeon in the game by using Wonder Mail Generator. This includes dungeons that player wouldn’t normally get access from crossroads like the dungeons after midpoint, unused/demo dungeons and ”first visit only” -dungeons.
Why Jirachi’s Challenge Letter?
Jirachi’s Challenge Letter is the only one, that unlocks a new dungeon (Star Cave) when accepted from Job List and can also be re-generated with Wonder Mail Generator multiple times. What game developers didn’t take account, that players could manipulate the mission by changing dungeon location from Star Cave to other dungeons in the game and thus unlocking them.
What are the requirements?
Before you can do manipulation with Jirachi’s Challenge Letter, you must
Obtain the Secret Rank
Complete Special Episode 1: ”Bidoof’s Wish”
How this is beneficial?
With this exploit you can unlock dungeons faster from Spinda’s Cafe/Recycle Shop saving your time from Gummi grinding and recycling. You could get access to normally inaccessible dungeons, that may have recruitable Pokémon with better spawn rates than in their usual locations. Very useful for ReA speedruns. Most notable dungeons are:
Forest Path: Swinub, Houndour and Kricketot (16,67% for each). There’s also Linoone (16,66%), but you can easily recruit Zigzagoon from Foggy Forest and evolve it after few level ups.
Little Plains (demo dungeon): Pichu has 25% spawn rate here. Way better than in Amp Plains.
Mt Clear (demo dungeon): Diglett, Skarmory and Kricketot (25% for each).
Challenge River (demo dungeon): Magikarp, Vaporeon and Azurill (20% for each).
Trial Forest (demo dungeon): Snorlax and Togekiss both have 25% spawn rate here.
Guiding Sea (demo dungeon): Wailmer with 25% spawn rate.
Hidden Shopkeeper Village (demo dungeon): Cleffa and Igglybuff both have 50% spawn rate here. Way better than in Marine Resort.
Skipping and reversing post-game story progress
There’s been some testing to see, if doing story skips in post-game actually benefits in speedruns. From what I have seen, I could say that story progression could get really messed up, if you skipped story dungeons and visit them later by doing them in reversal order to get recruits. If you reverse your story progress, you may have to unlock dungeons again with WM and some entries from Bidoof's and Sunflora's diaries may also disappear.
Surrounded Sea seems to be completely safe to skip. You don't have to get Blue Gummies for Manaphy, as you could still unlock Miracle Sea with WM and progress with the story normally. If you later visit SS and pick the Wonder Egg, Manaphy's story won't trigger and the Wonder Egg is still in your inventory. You can even sell the egg to Kecleon or recycle it. Messing the story progress with other dungeons seems risky though, as it could ruin your save file.
If you do story skip and then reverse the story progress after defeating Darkrai at Dark Crater, following events are no longer possible to trigger, since you can't retrigger Darkrai boss fight at Dark Crater:
Recruiting Cresselia in Sharpedo Bluff
Cutscene of Manaphy returning and joining your team
Cutscene of unlocking Marine Resort, which is also required to enable Secret Slab/Mystery Part legendaries such Zapdos to spawn in dungeons
Unlocking the ability to evolve player/partner
Other notes
Not all dungeons seem to work with the manipulation and some WM codes may even crash the game. There’s also unused ”Dummy” dungeon(s), which seem to be glitchy and can also cause game to crash. Use this on your own risk!
My thoughts
I was surprised how this "glitch" wasn’t discovered until recently. This reminds me of the event dungeons from RRT/BRT, which you had to unlock with Wonder Mail codes.
What do you think about this?
Missing Image!
Please help the Pokémon Wiki by adding one.
Star Cave is the first and only dungeon in the first special episode. It can also be unlocked in the main game through the following wonder mail code or a challenge request from Spinda's Café.
H&Y&T 93QXMHF Q8XXK
+-CNH FMQ6-Q+ 1S@R2
During Bidoof's visit with Snover, Snover's Snow Warning ability causes Hail weather.
Star Cave is located west of Mt. Horn on the Wonder Map.
Contents
- 1 Plot
- 2 Pokémon
- 2.1 Star Cave
- 2.2 Deep Star Cave
- 2.3 Boss
- 2.4 Star Cave Depth
- 2.5 Boss
- 3 Note
Plot
Main Article: Bidoof's Wish
Pokémon
Star Cave
Pokémon | ||||
Pokémon | Floors | Lv. | Recr. Rate | |
Poliwag | B1-7 | 9 | Urecruitable | |
Anorith | B1-7 | 3 | Unrecruitable | |
Kricketot | B1-7 | 8 | Unrecruitable | |
Chingling | B1-7 | 4 | Unrecruitable | |
Lotad | B4-7 | 10 | Unrecruitable | |
Bonsly | B5-7 | 10 | Unrecruitable | |
Pokémon |
Deep Star Cave
Pokémon | ||||
Pokémon | Floors | Lv. | Recr. Rate | |
Kricketot | B1-2 | 8 | Unrecruitable | |
Bonsly | B1-3 | 10 | Unrecruitable | |
Psyduck | B1-4 | 10 | Unrecruitable | |
Lotad | B1-4 | 10 | Unrecruitable | |
Gulpin | B1-4 | 11 | Unrecruitable | |
Lunatone | B4 | 9 | Unrecruitable | |
Bronzong | B4 | 6 | Unrecruitable | |
Pokémon |
Boss
Pokémon | ||||
Pokémon | Floors | Lv. | Recr. Rate | |
Snover | Deep Star Cave | 22 | Unrecruitable | |
Bagon | Deep Star Cave | 8 | Unrecruitable | |
Gligar | Deep Star Cave | 8 | Unrecruitable | |
Pokémon |
Star Cave Depth
Pokémon | ||||
Pokémon | Floors | Lv. | Recr. Rate | |
Gulpin | B1-2 | 11 | Unrecruitable | |
Psyduck | B1-4 | 10 | Unrecruitable | |
Lunatone | B1-4 | 9 | Unrecruitable | |
Bronzong | B1-4 | 6 | Unrecruitable | |
Pokémon |
Boss
Pokémon | ||||
Pokémon | Floors | Lv. | Recr. Rate | |
Jirachi | Pit | 32 | Unrecruitable | |
Pokémon |
Note
This dungeon can be unlocked in the main story as well. The player must complete the first special episode and accept Jirachi's Challenge Letter where they can battle and recruit Jirachi.
Treasure Town · Wigglytuff's Guild · Hot Spring · Fogbound Lake · Sharpedo Bluff · The Future · Luminous Spring · Shaymin Village* |
Story Dungeons |
Beach Cave · Drenched Bluff · Mt. Bristle · Waterfall Cave · Apple Woods · Side Path · Craggy Coast · Rock Path · Mt. Horn · Forest Path · Foggy Forest · Steam Cave · Amp Plains · Northern Desert · Quicksand Cave · Crystal Cave · Crystal Crossing · Chasm Cave · Dark Hill · Sealed Ruin · Dusk Forest · Deep Dusk Forest · Treeshroud Forest · Brine Cave · Hidden Land · Temporal Tower |
Epilogue Dungeons |
Mystifying Forest · Sky Peak* · Blizzard Island · Crevice Cave · Surrounded Sea · Miracle Sea · Aegis Cave · Mt. Travail · The Nightmare · Spacial Rift · Dark Crater |
Special Episode Dungeons* |
Star Cave · Murky Forest · Eastern Cave · Fortune Ravine · Spring Cave · Southern Jungle · Boulder Quarry · Left Cave Path · Right Cave Path · Limestone Cavern · Barren Valley · Dark Wasteland · Temporal Tower · Dusk Forest · Spacial Cliffs · Dark Ice Mountain · Icicle Forest · Vast Ice Mountain |
Extra Dungeons |
Concealed Ruins · Marine Resort · Serenity River · Landslide Cave · Lush Prairie · Tiny Meadow · Labyrinth Cave · Oran Forest · Lake Afar · Happy Outlook · Shimmer Hill · Lost Wilderness · Midnight Forest · Zero Isle North · Zero Isle East · Zero Isle South · Zero Isle West · Zero Isle Center* · Final Maze · Destiny Tower* · Oblivion Forest* · Treacherous Waters* · Southeastern Islands* · Inferno Cave* · Star Cave* |
Seven Treasures Dungeons |
Bottomless Sea · Shimmer Desert · Mt. Avalanche · Giant Volcano · World Abyss · Sky Stairway · Mystery Jungle |
*Only in Explorers of Sky See also: Dungeons in Red and Blue Rescue Team and Rescue Team DX · Dungeons in Adventure Squads · Dungeons in Gates to Infinity · Dungeons in Super Mystery Dungeon |