When you partner up with Peony at his Freezington lodge during the Pokemon Sword & Shield Crown Tundra storyline he’ll hand you a stack of papers. The TV-loving adventurer has been devouring Discovery Channel documentaries on Legendary Pokemon, and he wants you to go and catch them. One of these stacks of paper is Legendary Clue 3, which relates to Galarian Articuno, Moltres, and Zapdos – the regional variants of the franchise’s first legendary trio. Here’s how to find them, find them again, and finally catch them.
How to Complete Legendary Clue 3
The twisted roads and elevation of the Crown Tundra can make progressing Legendary Clue 3 a little tricky right from the start. Read it from your Key Items bag and it’ll say “When the sun reaches its zenith, it shines directly down upon a great tree with leaves that seem to burn. It is there that the legendary wings come to roost.” The tree in the crudely drawn picture is one of the largest, most stand-out features against the Crown Tundra’s blinding white snow, but getting to it can be a bit difficult.
How to Reach the Dyna Tree
All it takes is a quick look at the map to get on the right path. You should be able to see Dyna Tree from Freezington, so use it as your anchor point. Just follow the zone’s pathways toward the tree and you should easily come across Dyna Tree Hill, with Dyna Tree itself rooted firmly on the center island. To get at it, just follow the surrounding moat and you should find your way up. Once there, you’ll be interrupted by a fight between the three legendary birds. When they spot you, they take off, beginning the great hunt.
You’d expect each of the three birds to stay within the Crown Tundra, but a quick phone call from Peony, who’s watching TV again, will let you know that a news report has pinpointed the trio in three different locations.
Where to Find Articuno in the Crown Tundra DLC
Articuno, being acclimated to the icy mountains of the Crown Tundra, has stayed put, so you’ll want to catch this one first. The trick is to listen to the direction of Articuno’s signature sound. You’ll hear it periodically as you wander around, but you can force it by flying to a spot within the Crown Tundra. Follow the noise around until it sounds loud and nearby, then, with a stroll in that relative direction, you should happen upon it slowly flying around like any other Pokemon with wings.
Approach it and it’ll split into three mirages, tasking you to run into whichever you think it the real one. Even if you select the wrong one, the real one will charge into you and trigger a fight, giving you the chance to catch it. If you didn’t save after spotting the bird and manage to make it faint, it’s not gone for good. You’ll just have to go through the motions of finding it again.
Where to Find Zapdos in the Crown Tundra DLC
Zapdos has decided to call the Wild Area its home for the time being, forcing you back into the Pokemon Sword & Shield’s original content zone. The same trick for Articuno applies to finding Zapdos; just listen out and head in the direction of its cry. Unlike Articuno, however, Zapdos stays on the ground, deciding instead to sprint around the place like lightning.
You literally have to catch Zapdos to if you want to add it to your collection. Hop on your bike and use its boost feature to close in one the speedy chicken. After enough sprinting around, it should stop somewhere, giving you a chance to ram into it with your wheels. Save when it’s in sight if you think you’ll need a second shot, otherwise get ready to give chase again if you manage to knock it out.
Where to Find Moltres in the Crown Tundra DLC
Moltres has decided to go learn martial arts back at the Isle of Armor. To get there, either take the train from Wedgehurst Station or open up your map and push the cursor to the right, which should nudge it over to the relatively new island.
Once you’re there, the chase is on again. Listen out for Moltres’ signature cry and locate it through the power of stereo separation. It tends to do laps around the place, so once you spot it, you should be able to follow it around without too much trouble. Catch up to it and start the fight to get your final bird.
With all three birds tucked away in storage boxes, you can head back to the Crown Tundra to talk to Peony. Update him on the progress of each individual bird and he’ll mark the crude crayon drawings off with a big checkmark, signifying the successful completion of Legendary Clue 3.
