Fossil Pokemon Guide

Overview

There are 22 fossil pieces scattered across every region in Pokemon Pokopia. Collecting and assembling them at the Museum in Rocky Ridges lets you recruit 9 prehistoric Pokemon, each with useful specialties. This guide walks through every step of the process: unlocking the tools you need, finding fossil pieces efficiently, and building each display habitat.

Step 1: Unlock the Dowsing Machine

Before you start hunting fossils, you need the Dowsing Machine. Without it, locating Buried Treasure blocks is slow and unreliable. The Dowsing Machine is obtained early in Withered Wasteland by completing Hitmonchan's request.

How to get it:

1. Place a Punching Bag next to the Resting Bench west of the Pokemon Center ruins in Withered Wasteland. This creates the Exercise resting spot habitat, which attracts Hitmonchan.

2. Give Hitmonchan 2 Stones to teach your Pokemon Rock Smash.

3. Talk to Hitmonchan again. He will point up a damaged path to the left side of the area and issue the request "Check What's Up There".

4. Climb the path using dirt blocks and use Rock Smash on the blocks surrounding the glowing Poke Ball at the summit.

5. Collect the Dowsing Machine. It is a permanent, reusable tool.

Step 2: Get a Search Specialty Pokemon

The Dowsing Machine only works when a Pokemon with the Search specialty is following you. Without one, the device will not activate. There are 27 Pokemon with the Search specialty in total. Here are some of the earliest and most accessible options:

Keep at least one Search Pokemon in your party at all times during fossil runs. Umbreon is the easiest early pickup since it lives in the starting area.

Step 3: Hunt Buried Treasure Blocks

Fossils come from Buried Treasure blocks, which appear as blocks with golden light shining out of them. These are the same blocks that also drop Lost Relics, Mystery Slates, CDs, and Dolls. To excavate one, walk up to it and use Rock Smash.

Using the Dowsing Machine:

1. Equip the Dowsing Machine from your inventory.

2. Make sure a Search specialty Pokemon is following you.

3. Press and hold A. A beeping noise will start playing.

4. Walk around the area. The beeping accelerates as you get closer to a buried item.

5. When the beeping is rapid, use Rock Smash on the glowing blocks nearby.

Buried Treasure blocks respawn every day at the daily reset time. Fossils are random drops, so you will sometimes receive Lost Relics or other items instead. Plan to visit each region once per day and work through every treasure block you can find.

Where to Find Fossils

Fossil pieces can drop from Buried Treasure blocks on all five islands: Withered Wasteland, Bleak Beach, Rocky Ridges, Sparkling Skylands, and Palette Town. Any fossil piece can drop from any island, but certain regions have higher drop rates for specific fossil types.

You do not need to go to a specific region to find a specific fossil. The weighting just means you will have slightly better odds in those areas. Focus your daily runs on the region whose fossil types you still need.

The Museum and Exhibition Stands

The Museum is a building inside Rocky Ridges, buried deep in the mountain near the train tracks. To reach it, follow the tracks into the mines from the Pokemon Center area and break rocks to the right (near where DJ Rotom is found). The building is thematically based on Pewter City's Museum from the classic games.

Inside the Museum, you will find pre-placed Exhibition Stands (also called Pedestals). Place fossil pieces directly onto these stands to start assembling display habitats. For multi-piece fossils, place the required number of stands adjacent to each other, then place each piece onto its stand.

If you need additional Exhibition Stands, you can craft them at any workbench:

Once a fossil display is fully assembled, leave the area and return later. The corresponding fossil Pokemon will spawn at the habitat and can be befriended like any other Pokemon.

All 9 Fossil Pokemon

The table below lists every fossil Pokemon, the pieces required, and the specialty each one provides. Four fossils require only a single piece, while the remaining five require 3 to 5 pieces each.

Most fossil Pokemon have the Crush specialty, which is useful for processing materials like crushing berries into paint or making Cement from Limestone. Aerodactyl is the exception, carrying the Fly specialty instead, which makes it one of the few Pokemon that can transport you across the map.

Tyrantrum and Aurorus also carry the Litter specialty alongside Crush, making them double-duty workers that can both process materials and clean up your settlement.

Habitat Dex Entries

Completing each fossil display fills a Habitat Dex entry. The 9 fossil habitats occupy entries #193 through #201. Each display also has a flavour description:

Gimmighoul and the Museum Shop

The Museum is operated by Gimmighoul (Chest Form), which is the only Pokemon in Pokopia with the Collect specialty. Gimmighoul handles the trading side of the Museum, separate from fossil assembly. It accepts appraised Lost Relics in exchange for furniture, and also accepts special feather items for exclusive rewards:

Daily Fossil Hunting Routine

Collecting all 22 fossil pieces takes multiple real-world days because of the random drop system. Here is an efficient daily routine to speed up the process:

1. Equip the Dowsing Machine and bring a Search Pokemon (Umbreon or similar).

2. Start in the region whose fossil types you still need most. Check the table above for regional weightings.

3. Sweep the region systematically, following the Dowsing Machine beeps to every Buried Treasure block.

4. Use Rock Smash on each glowing block. Collect whatever drops, whether fossil, Lost Relic, CD, Doll, or Mystery Slate.

5. Move to the next region and repeat. Cover as many regions as you can in one session.

6. Bring collected fossils to the Museum in Rocky Ridges and place them on Exhibition Stands.

7. Sell duplicate fossils at the Pokemon Center for approximately 1,000 points each.

Buried Treasure blocks refresh at the daily reset, so there is no benefit to searching the same region twice in one day. Spread your effort across all unlocked islands for maximum daily yield.

Tips

• Unlock Rock Smash first. You cannot interact with Buried Treasure blocks without it. Complete Hitmonchan's initial request in Withered Wasteland before attempting any fossil hunting.

• Prioritize the Dowsing Machine. Searching without it is extremely slow. Get it as early as possible by building Hitmonchan's habitat and completing his requests.

• Watch for detonating relics. Some Lost Relic spots may explode when excavated. Use Water Gun on suspicious spots before breaking them open to prevent the item from being destroyed.

• Fossil Pokemon are real recruitable Pokemon. They are not just static decorations. Once a habitat spawns its Pokemon, you can befriend it and use its specialty in your settlement.

• Aerodactyl is worth building early. It is one of the few Pokemon with the Fly specialty and requires 5 Wing Fossil parts, all of which have a higher drop rate in Rocky Ridges. If you want fast travel, prioritize Wing Fossil hunting.

• Exhibition Stands are cheap to craft. If you run out of pre-placed stands in the Museum, craft more at any workbench for just 1 Stone and 1 Lumber each.

• Expect duplicates. The random drop system means you will often receive fossil pieces you already have. Sell duplicates for points rather than hoarding them.

• Check all five regions. While certain regions weight specific fossil types, any piece can drop anywhere. Covering every region daily maximises your chances.