The DexNav in Pokémon Unbound is an upgraded version of the Pokedex.
While the primary purpose of the key item is to make catching wild Pokémon easier, the process of doing that involves multiple features. From chaining to special encounters, this page will detail every feature of the DexNav and how to use it optimally.
Functionality
The DexNav is used to manipulate how you encounter wild Pokémon. The variety of features we’ll cover about the DexNav are:
- DexNav’s search function
- Chaining
- Search level
- Special Encounters
DexNav’s Basics
If you go into any wild area or Route and then open DexNav from the start menu, then you’ll see the device’s default view. This view displays your progress in catching Pokemon in the current location.
On this page, every possible obtainable Pokemon in the area will have one of three types of icons:
- A question mark means you haven’t encountered that Pokemon yet
- A black-and-white icon means you’ve encountered it but haven’t caught it
- A fully colored icon means you’ve obtained the Pokemon
Hovering over a Pokemon on this main DexNav screen will show the following information about the Pokemon:
- Type
- Search level
- Method
- Hidden ability (if the Pokemon is caught)
- Held items (If the DexNav is upgraded)
You can only see a Pokemon’s potential held item details using the DexNav if you’ve upgraded it by completing Mission #032: Hunter of the Swamp. The wild Pokémon’s held items will be divided into a 50% and 5% chance, though not every Pokemon has two potential items.
Each Pokémon’s capture method depends on whether it’s found on land or in the water.
Land Pokemon are always encounterable by walking through grass or caves.
For water Pokemon, the encounter method would be swimming or fishing. If it’s fishing, the game will name the rod that you can use to potentially get that Pokemon, listing the most basic one with a chance of encountering that specific Pokemon.
Additionally, only the registered type of Pokemon can be encountered through the DexNav. So if you search for a Winter-form Deerling then you won’t encounter an Autumn-form one and vice versa.
Using the DexNav
Hover and interact with a Pokemon in the DexNav to start searching.
Note that any question mark icons will bring up a text box saying “That Pokemon can’t be searched yet”. Similarly, interacting with a Pokemon that needs a fishing rod you don’t have yet will tell you to acquire that rod first.
If you can search for an encountered or caught Pokémon, the DexNav will give you two options. The first is “register,” while the second is “scan”.
Registering a Pokémon allows you to use the R button to search the screen for it. If the Pokémon isn’t nearby then you’ll get a textbox asking you to search in a different area.
Alternatively, you can also scan for a Pokémon a single time without registering. Moving far away from the area you used the DexNav at or pressing the B button will jam the signal.
You’ll know the scanned Pokémon is nearby through certain signs. These signs include:
- A rustling patch of grass
- A dust cloud in a cave
- Bubbles emerging from the water
Encountering a different Pokémon before reaching the scanned Pokémon will make the signal disappear, forcing you to scan again. So keep this in mind if you’re searching for a specific encounter.
Chaining
Catching or defeating a registered Pokémon builds a chain.
Chaining can help you encounter more of a certain Pokémon, or help you spawn a shiny form.
Note that if you have an active chain then fleeing from any battle against that Pokémon will break the chain. The chain also breaks if you find a Pokémon using the DexNav but don’t interact with it.
Chaining has multiple benefits.
The first is that the level of the scanned Pokémon increases by one every time the chain increases by 5. However, this level bonus resets to zero every 100 encounters, which means the maximum increased level is 19.
Additionally, there’s a 1% chance the encountered registered Pokémon will be shiny on the 50th and 100th chain encounters.
Search Level
Every Pokémon has a maximum of 255 search levels, which tracks how many times that Pokémon has been encountered.
So to increase search level you’ll just need to encounter that Pokémon many times over.
There are multiple benefits of increasing a Pokémon’s search level.
One benefit is pretty straightforward: the higher the search level, the more likely that Pokemon will appear when searched for via the DexNav.
But search level also increases the chances of the registered Pokemon having an Egg Move, with the maximum increased percentage being 80% at search level 100 or more.
Increasing a Pokémon’s search level also increases the chances of it having its Hidden Ability and at least one perfect IV. So this is a powerful feature worth keeping an eye on.
A Pokémon’s search level also unlocks new potential information from the DexNav.
- Search level 2 shows the first move of that Pokemon
- Search level 3 shows its ability. It also shows the Pokémon’s held item if the DexNav is upgraded
- Search level 5 shows potential IVs of the Pokemon
- Search level 10 unlocks the possibility of the Pokemon having hidden abilities
The number of yellow stars under the Pokémon’s heading indicates how many perfect IVs the DexNav forced. The search level specifically determines the forced number of perfect IVs.
Special Encounters
The DexNav can help you encounter special Generation VIII Pokemon in Pokemon Unbound.
To do this, first you must register a Pokemon numbered between #810 and #890 in the Pokedex to activate Generation VIII encounters. And while Hisui and regional Pokemon may be from that generation, they don’t count in this scenario.
Registering a valid caught Gen VIII Pokemon allows you to encounter all other Gen VIII Pokemon in the wild.
To do so, make sure the R button is registered to the DexNav from the in-game settings. Then go to an area where a Gen VIII Pokemon can spawn and walk or swim until the DexNav tells you it’s detecting an unusual Pokemon.
This indicates that a Generation 8 Pokemon has spawned in a valid nearby tile and can be encountered like any other DexNav Pokemon.
It’s recommended to use a repel and walk or swim in a viable area to force these encounters faster.
