Complete 14-phase Unova walkthrough

Pokémon Black & White Walkthrough — Complete Unova Guide
A source-verified, completionist walkthrough for Pokémon Black and White covering every main-story and postgame area, exact version and season encounters, trainers, field items, phenomena, legendary events, and the Battle Subway.
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Pokemon Black and Pokemon White
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Main story
Phase 1: First steps and the Trio Badge
Choose a partner, meet Unova's rivals, hear Team Plasma's message, and earn the first badge.
Choose Snivy, Tepig, or Oshawott, battle Bianca and Cheren, and receive the Pokédex.
Learn the catching routine, collect Juniper's Poké Balls, and reach Accumula.
Visit the Pokémon Center, watch Ghetsis's speech, and face N.
Receive the Running Shoes, clear every trainer, and battle Bianca.
Collect the elemental monkey that covers the starter's weakness and prepare for the Gym.
Answer the type-curtain puzzle and defeat the leader whose ace is strong against the starter.
Phase 2: Basic Badge
Recover Munna's Dream Mist, unlock the C-Gear, pursue Team Plasma, and challenge Lenora.
Rescue Munna, obtain Dream Mist, and activate the C-Gear.
Visit the Day Care, battle Cheren, and chase Plasma toward Wellspring Cave.
Recover the stolen Pokémon and return to Route 3's south branch.
Tour the museum and prepare for Lenora's Normal-type team.
Solve the book clues, absorb Retaliate safely, and earn the Basic Badge.
Phase 3: Insect Badge
Pursue the Dragon Skull through Pinwheel Forest and cross into Castelia City.
Clear the outer road, Fighting trainers, and optional grass before entering.
Follow the western forest loop, defeat Plasma, and recover the Dragon Skull.
Cross Unova's first major bridge and collect its version-neutral pickups.
Tour every pier and street, clear Battle Company, and rescue Bianca's Munna.
Open the honey walls and defeat Burgh's Bug team.
Document the discontinued Liberty Pass route and Victini encounter without treating it as normal progression.
Phase 4: Bolt Badge
Cross the desert, choose a fossil, unlock Nimbasa's attractions, and defeat Elesa.
Battle Bianca and Cheren, sweep the sand pockets, and enter the desert.
Clear every trainer, collect the cover fossil choice, and reach Relic Castle.
Navigate the quicksand chambers and collect the first-visit items.
Unlock the Battle Subway, Musical, sports venues, and ferris-wheel battle.
Ride the coaster switches and counter Elesa's Volt Switch loop.
Phase 5: Quake Badge
Cross Driftveil Drawbridge, raid Cold Storage, and defeat Clay.
Meet Alder, clear the musician road, and handle the version-dependent Triple or Rotation battle.
Catch flying shadows for Ducklett or feathers while crossing.
Tour the market, mark the Move Tutor, and locate Team Plasma.
Sweep the icy warehouse and arrest Zinzolin's Plasma group.
Route the mine elevators and break Clay's Ground core.
Phase 6: Jet Badge
Explore Chargestone Cave, climb Celestial Tower, and challenge Skyla.
Collect seasonal grass encounters, visit the lab, and obtain HM03 Surf.
Mark the Surf-access cave and Cobalion chamber for the optional legendary route.
Push charged stones, clear Plasma, and battle N at the exit.
Inspect the airport and follow Skyla to Celestial Tower.
Use the balance beams, clear the tall grass, and reach Celestial Tower.
Climb every floor, ring the bell, and return to the Gym.
Use the cannons and ground Skyla's Flying team.
Phase 7: Freeze Badge
Cross Twist Mountain, explore seasonal Icirrus, and reach Dragonspiral Tower.
Use the season-sensitive exterior route, sweep every chamber, and reach Icirrus.
Tour the puddles or winter snowbanks and prepare for the Ice Gym.
Clear the optional wetlands and seasonal encounter tables.
Solve the ice-spinner paths and melt Brycen's team.
Break through Plasma and witness N awaken the version-opposite dragon.
Phase 8: Legend Badge
Return to Relic Castle, recover the Light or Dark Stone, and defeat Drayden or Iris.
Descend through the opened lower floors and confront Ghetsis.
Receive the Light Stone in Black or Dark Stone in White.
Cross puddles or winter ice and collect the Moor-side items.
Cross the weekday-sensitive bridge and meet Ghetsis.
Clear Shopping Mall Nine and the biker road.
Compare Black's futuristic city and White's historic city, then hear the dragon legend.
Route the dragon statues and earn the last badge from the version-exclusive leader.
Phase 9: Pokémon League and N's Castle
Cross the badge gates, clear Victory Road, defeat the Elite Four, and resolve Team Plasma's takeover.
Battle Cheren, collect the final route items, and pass all eight badge gates.
Clear every cave and cliff route without missing the exterior ledges.
Set the party, inventory, and save plan before the point of no return.
Defeat Shauntal, Grimsley, Caitlin, and Marshal in any order.
Explore the castle, catch Reshiram or Zekrom, defeat N, then stop Ghetsis.
Postgame and completion
Phase 10: Postgame east Unova
Open the eastern routes, seaside towns, Abyssal Ruins, and version-exclusive city.
Enter postgame Unova and clear the waterfall pockets.
Tour the bridge homes, musicians, and daily battles.
Sweep the seasonal grass and imported-species trainers.
Hear the Giant Chasm legend and collect town gifts.
Clear the cliffs, daily treasure hunter, and Cobalion-related access.
Explore the villas and challenge Cynthia in spring after the first battle.
Dive into all four ruin floors within the step limits.
Climb the waterfalls toward Abundant Shrine.
Bring both version roamers to reveal Landorus.
Clear the boulder paths, trade for Rotom, and document DS transfer requirements.
Catch shadow encounters, collect wings, and inspect the Magikarp seller.
Use the version-exclusive settlement, resident roster, and daily resources.
Phase 11: Postgame west and legendary cleanup
Finish the western sea routes, optional caves, weekly encounters, and remaining legends.
Clear the eastern gate route and document the transfer-only Zoroark event.
Surf through Routes 17-18 to the offshore Plasma lab.
Navigate currents, cliffs, the P2 spur, and the Larvesta Egg house.
Use Surf and Strength to reach Cobalion.
Clear the postgame-only cave and its veteran trainers.
Cross the crater, trigger the blizzard field, and catch Kyurem.
Open the basement, face the sages, and catch Friday Musharna.
Enter from the deepest desert shaft and catch Volcarona.
Complete Looker's sage hunt and recover the remaining TMs.
Complete the champion, Game Freak, and rival rematch circuits.
Phase 12: Seasons, time, and phenomena
Master the monthly calendar, daily clock, and Gen V's four overworld encounter phenomena.
Use exact monthly seasons and clock boundaries; wild slots are seasonal, not time-specific.
Understand rustling grass, dust clouds, rippling water, and bridge shadows.
Separate local wireless systems from discontinued online services.
Schedule repeatable battles, props, voyages, and season-dependent partners.
Audit one-time gifts, version trades, marts, and Gen V's reusable TM rules.
Phase 13: Battle Subway
Build legal teams, earn BP, and defeat Ingo and Emmet across normal and Super lines.
Learn line formats, clauses, seven-battle sets, streak storage, and BP payouts.
Defeat Ingo at battle 21 and Super Single battle 49.
Defeat Emmet at battle 21 and Super Double battle 49.
Defeat Ingo and Emmet together at battles 21 and 49.
Use the five-battle assessment and spend BP on high-impact competitive items.
Phase 14: Legendary, special, and event Pokémon
Finish every cartridge encounter and keep historical distributions visibly separate.
Track Reshiram, Zekrom, Tornadus, Thundurus, Landorus, and Kyurem.
Catch Cobalion first, then unlock Terrakion and Virizion.
Complete the Relic Castle, Friday Dreamyard, and RageCandyBar encounters.
Explain the Liberty Pass and transferred-event Pokémon gates.
List mythical Pokémon that never unlock through ordinary cartridge play.
Black and White differences
| Difference | ![]() | ![]() |
|---|---|---|
| Story dragon | Catch Reshiram; N uses Zekrom | Catch Zekrom; N uses Reshiram |
| Roamer | Tornadus | Thundurus |
| Version settlement | Black City: battle-focused residents and shops | White Forest: resident-dependent wild Pokémon and items |
| Opelucid | Futuristic appearance; Drayden leads the Gym | Historic appearance; Iris leads the Gym |
| Battle emphasis | Rotation Battles are more common in version-specific story placements | Triple Battles are more common in version-specific story placements |
| Wild tables | Every species, rate, level, method, and seasonal difference is retained as its own filterable version row. | |
| Fossil / starter / main gifts | Starter and Cover/Plume Fossil choices are player choices, not version exclusives. Story gifts remain the same unless a section explicitly shows a version badge. | |
Black-only encounter availability
Cottonee · Whimsicott · Huntail · Gothita · Reshiram · Gothorita · Gothitelle · Vullaby · Murkrow · Honchkrow · Mandibuzz · Kakuna · Beedrill · Tornadus
White-only encounter availability
Petilil · Lilligant · Gorebyss · Solosis · Zekrom · Duosion · Reuniclus · Rufflet · Misdreavus · Mismagius · Braviary · Metapod · Butterfree · Thundurus