Pokémon Sun and Moon give you 10 Ultra Beast catches on one save, spread over five Looker missions after you become Champion. To start, leave your house after the credits. Take the Enigmatic Card, then go to the motel on Route 8. Wicke gives you 10 Beast Balls before the first mission. The quotas are 1 Nihilego, 2 Buzzwole (Sun) or 4 Pheromosa (Moon), 2 Xurkitree, 4 Kartana (Sun) or 2 Celesteela (Moon), and 1 Guzzlord. Every one is shiny-locked. Necrozma is not an Ultra Beast. It appears at Ten Carat Hill once the final mission’s wrap-up scenes are over.
This page covers retail Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon on 3DS. Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon have no Looker missions. There, the seven Ultra Beasts on this page come through Ultra Wormholes and can be caught again. The new ones work differently: Poipole is a gift, and Stakataka and Blacephalon are limited catches at Poni Grove. See Sun vs Ultra Sun.
Ultra Beast mission tracker
The tracker above shows your version's five missions in order. Tick each catch, and use the calculator to check your odds before you throw. Your progress is saved in this browser only. The table below has the same data.
| Mission | Ultra Beast | Version | Catch | Level | Where |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nihilego (UB-01 Symbiont) | Both | 1 | 55 | Diglett’s Tunnel or Wela Volcano Park (Akala) |
| 2 | Buzzwole (UB-02 Absorption) | Sun | 2 | 65 | Melemele Meadow |
| 2 | Pheromosa (UB-02 Beauty) | Moon | 4 | 60 | Verdant Cavern (Trial Site) |
| 3 | Xurkitree (UB-03 Lighting) | Both | 2 | 65 | Lush Jungle or Memorial Hill (Akala) |
| 4 | Kartana (UB-04 Blade) | Sun | 4 | 60 | Route 17 or Malie Garden (Ula’ula) |
| 4 | Celesteela (UB-04 Blaster) | Moon | 2 | 65 | Haina Desert or Malie Garden (Ula’ula) |
| 5 | Guzzlord (UB-05 Glutton) | Both | 1 | 70 | Resolution Cave, lowest floor (Poni) |
Both versions get 10 catches in total. Where two places are listed, the Ultra Beast can appear in either one. Two places do not mean you get two of it. The Nihilego you fight at Aether Paradise during the story (Lv. 27) cannot be caught.
How to start the Ultra Beast missions
- Beat the Pokémon League and watch the credits.
- Leave your house in Hau’oli Outskirts on Route 1. A man waiting outside gives you the Enigmatic Card.
- Go to the motel on Route 8 and enter the guest room. Battle Anabel.
- Go to Aether Paradise. Wicke gives you 10 Beast Balls.
- Return to the Route 8 motel and talk to Anabel and Looker. They tell you where the first Ultra Beast was seen.
- After each quota, report back. The meeting place moves as the missions go on: motels on Route 2 and Route 13, and the restaurant in Seafolk Village.
While a mission Ultra Beast is still in the area, the background music changes. If the music is normal, you are in the wrong place or the quota is already done.
Beast Balls and catch rates
A Beast Ball multiplies the catch rate by 5 on an Ultra Beast. Every other ball except the Master Ball is cut to 410/4096, about 0.1×, so Ultra Balls and Quick Balls do not help here. A Master Ball always works. On a Pokémon that is not an Ultra Beast, a Beast Ball is also only 0.1×.
| Pokémon | Base catch rate (Sun/Moon) | Beast Ball, full HP | Beast Ball, 1 HP + asleep | Ultra Ball, 1 HP + asleep |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nihilego | 45 | about 40% | always | about 10% |
| Buzzwole | 25 | about 26% | always | about 6% |
| Pheromosa | 255 | always | always | about 35% |
| Xurkitree | 30 | about 30% | always | about 7% |
| Celesteela | 25 | about 26% | always | about 6% |
| Kartana | 255 | always | always | about 35% |
| Guzzlord | 15 | about 18% | about 79% | about 4% |
Catch rates come from the Sun/Moon species data. The odds are estimates from the Gen 7 capture formula. They leave out the game's rounding and critical captures. Critical captures can only raise your chances. If you run out of Beast Balls during a mission, talk to Looker with none in your Bag and he gives you more. Sun and Moon never sell Beast Balls.
If the Ultra Beast does not appear
- No Looker at the Route 8 motel: before the first mission, you have not finished the League or have not walked out of your house since the credits. Once the missions have started, the team meets somewhere else: try the motels on Route 2 and Route 13 and the Seafolk Village restaurant. On Ultra Sun or Ultra Moon there is no Looker mission at all.
- You knocked it out or ran away: it comes back. Walk around the area or leave and re-enter.
- Guzzlord is missing: it is on the lowest floor of Resolution Cave, not the entrance.
- A Beast Ball barely shakes: check what you are fighting. Necrozma is a Legendary, so a Beast Ball is 0.1× on it.
After the last mission: Necrozma
Catching Guzzlord is not enough. First report back at the Seafolk Village restaurant and finish the closing scenes, which include a last visit to Aether Paradise. After that, Necrozma (Lv. 75) waits in the grass of Ten Carat Hill’s Farthest Hollow. It is a Legendary, not an Ultra Beast, and its catch rate is 3. Use Ultra Balls, Timer Balls or a Quick Ball on the first turn. If you knock it out, it comes back. You can catch only one.
Quick answers
- Are Ultra Beasts shiny-locked in Sun and Moon? Yes, all seven. Shiny Ultra Beasts need Ultra Sun or Ultra Moon. See the shiny guide.
- Can I catch them again after the missions? No. Sun and Moon give one set per save.
- How do I get the other version's two? Trade locally with someone who has the other version. GTS closed in April 2024.
- Do they call for help (SOS)? No. They appear as random encounters in their mission area, and each battle is one-on-one with no allies.