So, you’re back in Kanto. It feels familiar, right? The music hits, the grass rustles, and suddenly you’re staring at a digital encyclopedia that feels both nostalgic and incredibly frustrating. Completing the Pokemon Lets Go pokedex isn't just about throwing Poke Balls anymore. It’s a weird, hybrid challenge that bridges the gap between the classic 1998 Game Boy experience and the modern mobile craze of Pokemon GO. Honestly, if you think you can just breeze through to entry #151 without a plan, you’re going to hit a wall faster than a Snorlax blocking Route 12.
The game simplifies things, but that simplicity is a trap.
The 151 Problem and the Meltan Curveball
Most people assume the Pokemon Lets Go pokedex ends at Mewtwo. It doesn't. While the core "completion" for the diploma involves the original 151 Kanto monsters, there are two massive outliers: Meltan and Melmetal. This is where the integration with the mobile app becomes mandatory. You can't find these hexagonal-headed steel types in the tall grass of Viridian Forest. You have to link your Nintendo Switch to a Pokemon GO account, transfer a creature, and open a Mystery Box on your phone. It’s a bit of a chore.
Getting Melmetal is even worse. You need 400 candies in the mobile app to evolve it. You can't just use a Rare Candy in Let's Go to get the job done. This mechanical gatekeeping is why many players have a "completed" dex that still shows those annoying blank spots at the very end.
Version Exclusives are Still a Headache
Remember the old days of trading cables? They’re gone, but the frustration remains. If you're playing Let's Go, Pikachu!, you’ll never see a Vulpix or a Meowth in the wild. Conversely, Let's Go, Eevee! players are locked out of Growlithe, Scyther, and Mankey.
I’ve seen players spend hours hunting for a Pinsir in the Pikachu version, not realizing it’s literally impossible to find. You need a friend, or a second Switch, or a very active Discord community to swap these exclusives. It’s a social tax on a single-player journey.
Catch Combos: The Secret Sauce for Rares
Catching is different here. No battling wild Pokemon. Just aim and throw. But the real depth of the Pokemon Lets Go pokedex lies in the "Catch Combo" system. If you catch the same species repeatedly, your odds for everything go up. Rare spawns appear. Shiny chances skyrocket. IVs get better.
Take Lapras, for example. Or Porygon. These aren't just "rare"; they are ghost-like. If you want a wild Hitmonlee or Hitmonchan to show up in Victory Road, you need a combo of at least 10 or 11 of any Pokemon. Most experts suggest chaining something easy, like Caterpie, just to force the rare spawns to trigger. It’s a grind, but it’s the only way to fill those difficult slots without relying on NPCs to hand them over.
Legendary Encounters and the "No Run" Rule
The birds—Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres—are standard fair, but Mewtwo is the real test. Unlike wild encounters, these are actual boss fights where you have to deplete their HP before you can even attempt a catch. And here is the kicker: they can't run away during the battle, but once the timer hits zero or you run out of Poke Balls, that’s it. Save your game. Seriously. Save right in front of them.
The Myth of Mew
Let's talk about the pink elephant in the room. Mew. You cannot catch Mew in the wild. You cannot transfer Mew from Pokemon GO (unless it's a very specific, limited-time event version, and even then, it's finicky). For the longest time, the only official way to get Mew into the Pokemon Lets Go pokedex was to buy the Poke Ball Plus controller.
That’s a $50 physical peripheral for one digital entry.
Is it fair? Not really. Does it matter for the Shiny Charm? Thankfully, no. Game Freak realized that locking the Shiny Charm—the holy grail for collectors—behind a hardware purchase was a step too far. You only need the first 150 (Mew, Meltan, and Melmetal are excluded from the requirement).
Speedrunning the Dex with Pokemon GO
If you’re a long-time mobile player, you can basically "cheat" the system. Once you reach Fuchsia City, you gain access to the GO Park. You can dump dozens of high-level Dragonites, Gyarados, and even those pesky version exclusives directly into your game.
However, there is a catch.
Once a Pokemon moves from your phone to the Switch, it can never go back. Also, you still have to catch them again in the park. They don't just automatically register. If you transfer a high-level Charizard, be prepared for a fight in the park's catching interface. Use Golden Razz Berries. They are your best friend here.
Navigation and Evolutionary Stones
Evolution in this game is mostly traditional, but the stones are easier to find than in the original Red and Blue. You can actually buy most of them at the Celadon Department Store. No more scouring the floor of Mt. Moon for a single Moon Stone and hoping you don't waste it.
- Moon Stones: Hidden in the craters of Mt. Moon (they respawn daily).
- Water/Fire/Leaf/Thunder: Available for purchase.
- Trade Evolutions: Alakazam, Machamp, Golem, and Gengar still require a trade. No way around it.
The Master Trainer Challenge
Filling the Pokemon Lets Go pokedex is just the beginning. Once you register a species, "Master Trainers" appear across the map. These are NPCs who specialize in one specific Pokemon. To beat them, you usually have to use that same Pokemon in a 1v1 mirror match. It adds a layer of "post-game" that requires you to actually train the things you caught, rather than just letting them sit in the box. It’s a test of knowledge, not just collection.
Real-World Strategy for Completion
If you are starting today, do not try to catch everything as you go. It’s a waste of resources.
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- Rush to the 3rd Gym. Get the ability to use the Judge tool so you can see stats.
- Focus on the GO Park. Use your phone to fill the holes in your roster for the difficult Stage 2 evolutions (Nidoqueen, Victreebel, etc.).
- Abuse the Fortune Teller. In the Celadon City Pokemon Center, you can pay a lady to set the Nature of all wild Pokemon you encounter for the rest of the day. This is vital if you want your Pokedex entries to actually be useful in battle.
- Chain Chanseys. If you need levels to evolve things like Dratini into Dragonite (level 55 is a long haul), go to Cerulean Cave and chain Chanseys. The XP multiplier is absurd. You can go from level 1 to 60 in minutes.
The Pokemon Lets Go pokedex is a bridge between two eras. It rewards players who have spent years on their phones and those who remember every turn of the Rock Tunnel from 1998. It’s a more relaxed experience than the mainline games, but the 100% completion mark still demands a level of social coordination and grinding that keeps the spirit of the franchise alive.
Go talk to the Celadon Game Director once you’ve got those 150 entries. He’ll give you the Shiny Charm. From there, the real game—hunting those alternate color palettes—truly begins. Get your Ultra Balls ready and watch the ring color. Green means go, red means you're about to lose your combo. Good luck.