Catch rate: Difference between revisions

Each {{OBP|Pokémon|species|species of Pokémon}} has a '''catch rate''' that applies to all its members. Higher catch rates mean that the Pokémon is easier to catch, up to a maximum of 255. When a [[Poké Ball]] is thrown at a wild Pokémon, the game uses that Pokémon's catch rate in a formula to determine the chances of catching that Pokémon. The formula also takes into account the following factors:

The rarity of the Pokémon (i.e. how often it appears in the wild) is independent of its catch rate after it is encountered. Even rare Pokémon may have high catch rates, making them relatively easy to catch in battle, such as {{p|Nosepass}}, who has a catch rate of 255.

==Capture method (Generation I)==

#* It is asleep or frozen and ''N'' is less than 25.

#* It is paralyzed, burned, or poisoned and ''N'' is less than 12.

# If not, generate a random value, ''M'', between 0 and 255.

# Calculate ''f'':

* The effect of reducing HP diminishes with lower catch rates, and the effect of inflicting status diminishes with higher catch rates. Regardless of catch rate, reducing the HP does not increase chances of capture at less than ½ HP with Great Balls, and ⅓ HP with other balls.

* Inflicting a status ailment gives the player a flat additional chance (from 4.6% to 16.6%) to catch the Pokémon regardless of all other factors, making certain Pokémon easier to catch in Generation I than they are in later generations: A sleeping {{p|Mewtwo}} with full HP may, on average, be caught in about six Ultra Balls in Generation I, but from Generation II onwards exactly the same circumstances would require an average of about 64 Ultra Balls— over ten times as many.

===Approximated probability===

Using a simulation of the capture algorithm, a general formula for the probability of catching a Pokémon was found.

* HP_max is the number of hit points the Pokémon has at full health,

* HP_current is the number of hit points the Pokémon has at the moment,

* bonus_ball is the multiplier for the Poké Ball used, and

* bonus_status is the multiplier for any [[status condition]] the Pokémon has (2 for sleep and freeze, 1.5 for paralyze, poison, or burn, and 1 otherwise).

==Critical capture==

Since [[Generation V]], when a Poké Ball is thrown, a special type of capture that is much more likely to catch a Pokémon, called a '''critical capture''' (Japanese: '''捕獲クリティカル''' ''critical capture''), may occur. When a critical capture occurs, the Poké Ball will make a high-pitched whistling sound as it is thrown, then pause in mid-air, and shudder before it drops down to the ground, shaking only once on the ground before the Pokémon escapes or is caught.

==Poké Ball effectiveness rates==

|-

! Ball

! Rate

! Notes

2× if the player's Pokémon is at a higher level than the wild Pokémon but less than double it<br>

4× if the player's Pokémon is more than double but less than four times the level of the wild Pokémon<br>

8× if the player's Pokémon is of a level four times or more than that of the wild Pokémon

|-

|}{{-}}

! style="background: #{{Poké Balls color light}}" | Generation IV

! style="background: #{{Poké Balls color light}}" | Generation V

! style="background: #{{Poké Balls color light}}" | {{tt|0|In Generation I, the Poké Ball misses Pokémon instead}}

| You missed the <sc>Pok</sc>é<sc>mon</sc>!

| Oh, no! The <sc>Pok</sc>é<sc>mon</sc> broke free!

| colspan="2" | Oh, no! The Pokémon broke free!

! style="background: #{{Poké Balls color light}}" | 1

| Darn! The <sc>Pok</sc>é<sc>mon</sc> broke free!

! style="background: #{{Poké Balls color light}}" | 2

| Aww! It appeared to be caught!

| colspan="3" | Aargh! Almost had it!

! style="background: #{{Poké Balls color light}}" | 3

| colspan="2" | Shoot! It was so close too!

| colspan="2" | Shoot! It was so close, too!

| Aargh! Almost had it!

! style="background: #{{Poké Balls color light}}" | Caught

| All right! <Pokémon> was caught!

|}