Unlock the Secrets of Evolving Inkay in Pokemon Legends Z-A!

Inkay is one of the most sought-after species in Pokemon Legends: Z-A, thanks to the addition of Mega Malamar as one of the new Mega Evolutions added with the game. It is also one of the most tricky Pokemon to evolve, as it requires some tinkering with the Nintendo Switch, and in Legends Z-A, with the new evolution system, this becomes really hard to accomplish if players don’t know the trick.

Here, players will learn how to find and catch Inkay, and if the trick to evolve Inkay is not working, then this guide might shed some light on why this is happening, and how to fix this issue to evolve Inkay into Malamar. Players will also find information on how to turn their Malamar into Mega Malamar, the Dark/Psychic-type Pokemon that is breaking the game with its powerful combination of attacks.

How to Get Inkay in Pokemon Legends Z-A

To get Inkay in Pokemon Legends Z-A, players need to travel to Wild Zone 11, located in the lower right part of Lumiose City. Wild Zone 11 becomes unlocked once players have defeated the first three Rogue Mega evolved Pokemon (Camerupt, Victreebel, Slowbro). Once players unlock this area, they will find Inkay roaming around the water ponds only at night, so take a break from the A-Z Royale and go catch some squids.

When going to Wild Area 11 to catch Inkay, be careful with the Alpha Clawitzerprowling around, as it becomes increasingly hard to deal with all the swarming Clauncherit summons once the battle starts.

Once players have secured an Inkay (which will be around level 30), they can go ahead and try to evolve it. Some players might remember that the trick to evolve it is by turning around their console, but, there’s a catch. This doesn’t seem to work anymore, and not even the evolution arrow appears in their thumbnail. Next, we will dive into why this happens and how to fix it.

How to Evolve Inkay into Malamar

If players want to evolve Inkay into Malamar, they will need to have it at level 30 (minimum) and before they flip around their console, they should follow these steps:

Open the menu (X), then hover over Inkay.
Select Inkay to open its Pokemon tab.
Now, flip the Console upside down and the Evolve option will appear.
Press Evolve to turn Inkay into Malamar.

It is extremely important that players open Inkay’s menu before fliping the console, otherwise, the trick will not work. By doing this, players will get Malamar in their team, and now they will be ready to Mega Evolve it into Mega Malamar.

How To Unlock Mega Malamar in Pokemon Legends Z-A

To Evolve Malamar into Mega Malamar, in Pokemon Legends Z-A, players need Malamarite, which can be bought at Quasartico Headquarters located in the Magenta District of Lumiose. Players need to invest 240 Mega Shards to purchase the Malamarite, and this Mega Stone becomes available later during the adventure, so prepare to beat a few tough Rogue Mega Pokemon (like Beedrill, Banette, and Hawlucha) first.

Once players have Malamarite, they should make Malamar hold it, and then gather enough Mega Energy during combat and tap (L). This will evolve it temporarily into Mega Malamar, increasing Malamar Base Stats by a total of 100 (from 482 to 582) which is defintely a step up. Sadly, its increase is focused on SpDef, which in a game where players can move around their Pokemon at will to dodge attacks, doesn’t convince trainers too much. Still, its other boosted stats (Atk, SpA, Spe) are a thing to consider, since Malamar has access to moves like Psyshock and Night Slash.

But perhaps, its most powerful move is Topsy-Turvy, a special debuff move that used to be unique to Malamar, which does something incredible: Turns all stat buffs into debuffs (and vice versa). This means that if the opponent maxed out SpA and Atk using Work Up, Malamar can turn it into 6 Stage Dual Debuff, which is absolutely nuts. With this move, Malamar/Mega Malamar becomes quite a fearsome foe to counter buffers.