Battle Frontier

Pokémon Emerald guide · Post-game journey to the island facility to take on the Frontier Brains

The Battle Frontier is a post-game island facility in Hoenn offering advanced competitive battle challenges across seven facilities run by Frontier Brains.

Region HoennLevels Level 50 or Open Level (minimum Level 60)Connects to S.S. Tidal Ferry Terminal · Artisan Cave

Getting there: Board the S.S. Tidal from Slateport City or Lilycove City using the S.S. Ticket.

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Before you leave

•1 missable here: what locks each one out is under it. See the checklist
•Registering for Double, Multi, or Link Multi formats prevents Frontier Brains from appearing.
•Using defensive setup moves in the Battle Arena will lower your Mind and Body scores with the judges.
•Fleeing from or knocking out the wiggling Sudowoodo causes it to be lost permanently.

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Route

5 steps

1
Arrival and Frontier Pass. Arrive via ferry, receive your Frontier Pass at Frontier Gate, and explore nearby services
Frontier Pass
2
Western Facilities. Challenge the Battle Factory and Battle Dome on the western edge of the island
Factory Head Noland (Knowledge Symbol - Silver & Gold)Dome Ace Tucker (Tactics Symbol - Silver)Dome Ace Tucker (Tactics Symbol - Gold)
⚠ Registering for Double, Multi, or Link Multi formats prevents Frontier Brains from appearing.
3
Central Island and Scott's House. Visit the central BP exchange corner, Scott's House, and the Battle Tower
Lansat Berry Starf Berry Silver Shield Gold Shield
4
Northern and Eastern Arenas. Tackle the Battle Pike, Battle Arena, Battle Palace, and Battle Pyramid
Pike Queen Lucy (Luck Symbol - Silver)Pike Queen Lucy (Luck Symbol - Gold)Arena Tycoon Greta (Guts Symbol - Silver)
⚠ Using defensive setup moves in the Battle Arena will lower your Mind and Body scores with the judges.
5
Waterfall Path and Artisan Cave. Encounter Sudowoodo by the waterfall path and explore Artisan Cave for items
Carbos HP Up Iron Zinc Protein Calcium Sudowoodo
⚠ Fleeing from or knocking out the wiggling Sudowoodo causes it to be lost permanently.

Choices here

Choice	Options and what happens	Most players pick
Facility Battle FormatWhen registering at applicable facilities	Single: Allows encounters with Frontier Brains to earn their SymbolsDouble, Multi, or Link Multi: Enters different team battle modes without any Frontier Brain encountersFrontier Brains and their Symbols cannot be challenged outside the Single format	Single
Wiggling Tree InteractionAlong the path southeast of the Battle Palace past the river	Water it with the Wailmer Pail and catch Sudowoodo: Adds the wild Sudowoodo to your team/box and clears the path to Artisan CaveFaint it or flee: Loses the wild Sudowoodo encounter permanentlySudowoodo is missable if knocked out or escaped from	Water it with the Wailmer Pail and catch Sudowoodo
In-Game Pokémon TradeWhen speaking to Isis on the island	Trade a Skitty: Permanently trades away Skitty and adds Isis's Meowth to your collectionRefuse: Retains your Skitty without obtaining MeowthThis trade is the only native in-game method to get Meowth in Emerald without an external transfer	Trade a Skitty

Key fights

Fight	Watch for	Rewards
Factory Head Noland (Knowledge Symbol - Silver & Gold)Randomized rental teams	Unpredictable team compositions pulled from facility rental poolsTactics: Listen to the guide's hint before the match describing Noland's style and pick balanced counters accordingly.	Knowledge Symbol (Silver at Battle 21, Gold at Battle 42), 10 BP bonus
Dome Ace Tucker (Tactics Symbol - Silver)2 of: Swampert, Salamence, Charizard	Heavy mixed sweepersTactics: Bring bulky water/ice or levitating ground types to dictate type matchups after scouting his chosen two.	Silver Tactics Symbol (Tournament 5 / Battle 20), 10 BP bonus
Dome Ace Tucker (Tactics Symbol - Gold)2 of: Swampert, Metagross, Latias	Heavy mixed sweepersTactics: Bring bulky water/ice or levitating ground types to dictate type matchups after scouting his chosen two.	Gold Tactics Symbol (Tournament 10 / Battle 40), 10 BP bonus
Pike Queen Lucy (Luck Symbol - Silver)Seviper, Shuckle, Milotic	Shuckle toxic/protect/rest stall and Milotic's bulk/Mirror CoatTactics: Lead with a fast Ground or Psychic type to instantly OHKO Seviper. Use Taunt to neutralize Shuckle, and physical sweepers to bypass Milotic’s Mirror Coat.	Silver Luck Symbol (Room 28 / Streak 2), 10 BP bonus
Pike Queen Lucy (Luck Symbol - Gold)Seviper, Steelix, Gyarados	Physical threats and bulkTactics: Lead with a fast Ground or Psychic type to instantly OHKO Seviper. Exploit Gyarados's 4x Electric weakness and Steelix's elemental weaknesses.	Gold Luck Symbol (Room 140 / Streak 10), 10 BP bonus
Arena Tycoon Greta (Guts Symbol - Silver)Heracross, Umbreon, Shedinja	Shedinja's Wonder Guard forces defeat without super-effective coverage/status/weather; Umbreon stalls out judge scoring on Body and MindTactics: Avoid defensive setup moves to prevent losing judge scoring. Ensure coverage includes Flying and super-effective hits or status for Shedinja.	Silver Guts Symbol (Battle 28), 10 BP bonus

The full walkthrough text

The Battle Frontier is a post-game island facility in Hoenn offering advanced competitive battle challenges across seven facilities run by Frontier Brains.

1. Arrival and Frontier Pass

Board the S.S. Tidal from Slateport City or Lilycove City with your S.S. Ticket to reach the S.S. Tidal Ferry Terminal. Step inside the Frontier Gate and speak with the attendant in the main gate hall to receive your Frontier Pass, which registers your facilities and symbols. Just outside to the north, you can visit the Move Tutors' House, consult the IV Judge, check in with the Gambler / Betting Man, or trade a Skitty to Isis to obtain her Meowth.

Tip: Trading your Skitty to Isis is the only legitimate way to get Meowth in Emerald without trading from an external game.

2. Western Facilities

Head to the westernmost edge of the island to enter the Battle Factory, where you draft three rental Pokémon from a pool of six and optionally swap a rental after each win until facing Factory Head Noland. Just north of the Move Tutors' House sits the Battle Dome, where you register for tournament brackets and can confront Dome Ace Tucker in the finals. To challenge Frontier Brains in either arena, make sure to register under the standard Single battle format rather than Double, Multi, or Link Multi.

Tip: Before facing Noland, listen closely to the guide's pre-match hint about his battle style to choose the best rental counters.

3. Central Island and Scott's House

Walk into the central plaza south of the Battle Tower to visit the Battle Point Exchange Service Corner. Directly between the Battle Dome and the Battle Tower, step into Scott’s House to talk with Scott, who provides initial bonus BP based on how often you spoke to him across Hoenn, awards a Lansat Berry for all 7 Silver Symbols, and awards a Starf Berry for all 7 Gold Symbols. Long win streaks inside the Battle Tower north of the plaza will also prompt Scott to deliver a Silver Shield at 50 consecutive wins and a Gold Shield at 100 consecutive wins to your bedroom or Secret Base.

Tip: Collecting all seven Gold Symbols from the Frontier Brains permanently raises your Trainer Card color rank.

4. Northern and Eastern Arenas

Head to the north-central landmark to challenge the Battle Pike, picking one of three room doors at every junction while aiming to duel Pike Queen Lucy. To the east of the central plaza, enter the Battle Arena to run straight offensive knockouts before judges and challenge Arena Tycoon Greta. Further out, explore the far southeastern Battle Palace to battle under autonomous natures against Palace Maven Spenser, or scale the far northeastern golden Battle Pyramid to fight Pyramid King Brandon.

Tip: Lead with a fast Ground or Psychic attacker against Lucy to swiftly eliminate her Seviper, and ensure your team carries Flying moves along with super-effective hits or status to bypass Greta's Shedinja.

5. Waterfall Path and Artisan Cave

Take the path leading east and south of the Battle Palace, cross the small river, and approach the strange wiggling tree on the waterfall path. Spray the tree using your Wailmer Pail to trigger a wild battle against Sudowoodo. Slip past into the entrance of Artisan Cave, grabbing a Carbos on 1F along the east path from the Battle Tower exit, then head down to B1F to pick up an HP Up in the southeastern pit, a hidden Iron on the northern rock northeast of the entrance, a hidden Zinc in the pit north of the HP Up, a hidden Protein on the far northwest northern rock, and a hidden Calcium on the ledge rock northwest of the northeastern stairs.

Tip: Wild Smeargle have a 100% encounter rate on every floor of Artisan Cave, making it ideal for tracking them down.

The short version

What matters

Collecting all 7 Gold Symbols to upgrade your Trainer Card color rank and earn Scott's Starf Berry.
Catching the one-time wild Sudowoodo using the Wailmer Pail on the wiggling tree path.
Trading Skitty to Isis to obtain the only non-transferred Meowth in the game.

Common mistakes

Accidentally KOing or fleeing from the Sudowoodo tree, permanently forfeiting your only chance to capture it.
Selecting Open Level with under-leveled teammates, as opposing Pokémon are always scaled to at least Level 60.

What you can skip