Regi Braille Puzzles in Hoenn: How to Stop Staring at Dot Walls and Actually Get the Regis
You know that feeling when a game suddenly turns into an escape room designed by a cryptic little gremlin? That’s the Regi quest in Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald (and OR/AS), where you’re standing in front of a wall of dots like, “Cool… so do I… compliment it? Offer it a snack?”
Those dots are Braille, and yes cracking the code gets you Regirock, Regice, and Registeel. And no you don’t need to learn Braille for real to do this (though points to you if you want to). You just need the right two Pokémon, the right party order, and the willingness to follow a few oddly specific instructions that sound like a kindergarten teacher wrote them (“Now everyone sit still for TWO MINUTES. No wiggling.”)
Let’s do this without losing our minds.
Before You Do Anything: The Two Fish Whose Entire Job Is “Stand There”
To activate the whole Regi situation, you need:
- Relicanth (the “why is this encounter rate SO rude?” fish)
- Wailord (the absolute unit)
Where to get them (quick and painless-ish)
- Relicanth: Underwater on Routes 126 and 127. It’s rare (like “5% encounter rate” rare), so budget a little time. Put on a podcast. Accept your fate.
- Wailord: Catch Wailmer basically anywhere watery, then evolve it at Level 40.
Party order matters (yes, seriously)
If the order is wrong, the game will act like you’ve never heard of the Regis and you’ll be standing there pressing A like a confused toddler.
- Ruby / Sapphire / Omega Ruby / Alpha Sapphire:
Relicanth first, Wailord last - Emerald:
Wailord first, Relicanth last (because Emerald likes to be different)
Also: they must be in your party and not fainted. Not in the PC. Not knocked out. Conscious. Present. Contributing nothing except vibes.
Moves you need to not get stuck later
To open the whole thing you need:
- Surf + Dive (to reach the place)
- Dig (to open the Sealed Chamber)
You can grab the other stuff later, but you’ll need these for specific Regis:
- Regirock: Rock Smash (Emerald) or Strength (RS/ORAS)
- Registeel: Flash (Emerald) or Fly (RS/ORAS)
Opening the Sealed Chamber (a.k.a. “The Game’s Weirdest Doorbell”)
Go to Pacifidlog Town, then follow the Sealed Chamber entry route:
- Surf west into Route 134 and ride the currents.
- Stick to the southern edge until you spot a Dive spot (dark water patch). It’s easy to miss because everything out there looks the same after a while. Ocean, ocean, existential dread, ocean…
- Dive, follow the underwater path, and when you see the stone with Braille, surface.
You’ll end up in the Sealed Chamber. Read the wall if you want (the game even gives you a Braille alphabet… which is adorable, honestly), but here’s what you actually do:
- Stand in front of the Braille on the north wall and use Dig.
- Go into the next room, read the Braille at the far end (yes, really).
- Make sure your party order is correct (see above), then finish interacting with the inscription.
If you did it right: the screen shakes three times like the game just took a dramatic breath. That means all three Regi caves just opened.
If nothing happens? 99% of the time it’s:
- wrong party order (especially in Emerald), or
- one of them is fainted, or
- you swapped them “just for a second” and forgot (been there).
The Three Regi Caves (and their very picky demands)
1) Regirock Desert Ruins (Route 111 desert)
Go to the desert on Route 111 (near Lavaridge). The ruin entrance is down in the sandstorm like it’s trying to avoid responsibility.
Inside, you’ll do a little step pattern. And yes, it’s picky.
Important: use the D-Pad, not the analog stick (for OR/AS). The game cares about exact tiles, not your “close enough” energy.
- Emerald: From the inscription: Left 2, Down 2, then use Rock Smash
- Ruby/Sapphire/ORAS: From the inscription: Right 2, Down 2, then use Strength
Door opens, Regirock (Lv. 40) is yours to battle/catch/accidentally KO if you’re not paying attention. (Save first. Always.)
2) Regice Island Cave (Route 105)
Surf to the little island on Route 105, north of Dewford. It’s the one that looks like “surely there’s nothing here.” Surprise.
This puzzle is different depending on your game, and one version is basically a test of your ability to sit on your hands.
- Ruby/Sapphire/ORAS:
Read the Braille, then do nothing for 2 full minutes.
Like… nothing nothing. Don’t move. Don’t open menus. Don’t sneeze on your buttons. After 120 seconds, the door opens. - Emerald:
Walk one full clockwise lap around the room, staying against the wall the entire time. Don’t cut corners. Don’t drift inward. Pretend you’re a Roomba with a mission.
Door opens, Regice (Lv. 40) shows up looking chilly and judgmental.
3) Registeel Ancient Tomb (Route 120)
Head to Route 120, southwest area. Look for six stone pillars and stairs between them very “secret club entrance.”
This one is all about standing in the right spot like you’re trying to activate a motion sensor.
- Read the Braille.
- Stand on the exact center tile (use the floor pattern to line yourself up).
- Then:
- Emerald: use Flash
- Ruby/Sapphire/ORAS: use Fly (yes, inside no, I don’t make the rules)
And please don’t do what I did the first time and try Flash in OR/AS because “it’s a cave.” Flash will light it up. It will not open the door. Fly opens the door. The door wants what it wants.
Hello, Registeel (Lv. 40).
Catching the Regis Without Crying Into Your Game Boy
These three are annoyingly stubborn catches. Do yourself a favor:
- Save before each fight (especially in Emerald if you knock one out, that’s… kind of it).
- Turn 1: throw a Quick Ball. It’s not elegant, but it works often enough to be worth the single second of hope.
- After that: get a status condition on them.
I’m team paralysis here because it doesn’t wear off mid battle like sleep loves to do at the worst possible moment. - Long fights: Timer Balls become great after you’ve been in there a while (they really start paying off around the “why am I still here?” phase).
Also: Dusk Balls are solid in the caves (dark area bonus), so bring those too.
My personal “I don’t want to leave and restock” stash per Regi:
- a healthy pile of Ultra Balls
- a bunch of Dusk Balls
- at least a handful of Timer Balls
If Something’s Not Working (aka “Why Is This Door Ignoring Me?”)
Here are the most common facepalm fixes:
The Sealed Chamber “earthquake” won’t trigger
- Check party order (Emerald is reversed!)
- Make sure Relicanth + Wailord aren’t fainted
- Make sure they’re actually in your party, not living their best life in the PC
Regirock’s door won’t open
- Use the D-Pad for the exact step count
- Re-do the movement precisely (tile based picky nonsense)
Regice’s 2-minute wait isn’t working (RS/ORAS)
- Any input resets it menus count
- If you’re emulating, turn off fast forward (the game is watching real time like a hall monitor)
- On old cartridges: a dead internal battery can mess with time based stuff
Emerald Regice lap won’t register
- Stay against the wall, full clockwise loop, no cutting corners
- If you drift inward even a little, it can reset
Registeel won’t open
- You’re probably not centered. Re-line yourself on the floor pattern and try again.
- And make sure you’re using Fly (RS/ORAS) or Flash (Emerald) they are not interchangeable, because of course they aren’t.
How Long Will This Whole Thing Take?
If you already have Relicanth and Wailord ready to go, the actual puzzle run is pretty quick 15 to 45 minutes, depending on how rude the capture RNG wants to be.
The real time sink is finding Relicanth (and leveling Wailmer if you’re starting from scratch). The Regis are basically a reward for your perseverance and your willingness to obey bizarre Braille based interior design choices.
If you’ve been putting this off because the caves felt like a weird rumor your cousin made up in 2003 congrats, you’re about to bulldoze through them. Go get your three legendary golems for your Emerald legendary checklist. And if you accidentally take one step during the Regice timer, I won’t judge you… but I will quietly suggest you sit on your hands next time.
