Post-Game Content: Black City / White Forest

Post-Game Content: Black City / White Forest

Upon conquering the Pokémon League and earning the coveted title of Champion, a new set of post-game adventures unlocks, offering unique challenges and collection opportunities tailored to your game version. Pokémon Black Version players gain access to the vibrant, urban sprawl of Black City, a hub for high-level trainer battles and exclusive item vendors. Conversely, Pokémon White Version players are welcomed into the serene, verdant expanse of White Forest, a natural haven teeming with rare Pokémon not found anywhere else in the Unova region.

These areas are not merely static locations; their populations and offerings are dynamically influenced by your interactions with other players, making them truly unique and ever-evolving post-game destinations. Understanding their mechanics is key to fully exploiting their potential.

Black City (Pokémon Black Version)

Black City is a bustling metropolis that serves as a challenging battleground and a prime location for acquiring valuable items. Its population of trainers and the stock of its shops are directly tied to how many other players you have interacted with via the Entralink's "Pass By" feature (StreetPass equivalent) or through local wireless connections. The more players you connect with, the more NPCs (trainers and shopkeepers) will appear in your Black City.

Populating Black City: The Entralink Connection

The number of residents in Black City is determined by the number of unique players you have interacted with through the Entralink. Each player you "Pass By" or connect with locally has a chance to move into your Black City. This mechanic encourages social interaction and makes each player's Black City experience potentially unique.

• Pass By (StreetPass): Carry your Nintendo DS with Pokémon Black Version enabled in the Entralink while out and about. When you pass by another DS with Pokémon Black or White Version also in the Entralink, you'll register a "Pass By."
• Local Wireless: Connect with friends locally through the Entralink's "Connect with Other Players" option.

The maximum number of residents in Black City is ten. If you have fewer than ten residents, interacting with new players will add them. If you have ten, new interactions will replace existing residents who have been in your city the longest without a battle.

Black City Trainers: Elite Challenges

The primary draw of Black City for many players is the opportunity to engage in high-level battles against a rotating cast of powerful trainers. These trainers typically use fully evolved Pokémon at levels ranging from 65 to 75, providing excellent experience points and a rigorous test for your post-game team. Each trainer has a specific team composition, and defeating them earns you prize money. They can be re-challenged daily.

Here are some examples of the types of trainers you might encounter:

• Ace Trainer: Often uses balanced teams with strong offensive and defensive Pokémon. Expect several types.
• Veteran: Specializes in powerful, high-stat Pokémon, sometimes focusing on a specific type or strategy.
• Black Belt: Predominantly uses Fighting-type Pokémon. Be prepared with Flying, Psychic, or Fairy (if applicable via transfer) moves.
• Psychic: Focuses on Psychic-type Pokémon, vulnerable to Bug, Ghost, and Dark attacks.
• Rich Boy/Lady: While not always the toughest, they offer significantly higher prize money upon defeat.

Example Trainer Teams (Levels 65-75):

Strategy Tip: Bring a diverse team covering multiple types. Pokémon with high Speed and Attack/Special Attack are ideal for quickly dispatching opponents. Consider using items like the Amulet Coin or Luck Incense on your lead Pokémon to double your prize money from these battles.

Black City Shops: Exclusive Wares

Black City is also home to several unique shops that offer rare and valuable items not readily available elsewhere. The availability of these shops and their stock depends on the specific NPCs that have moved into your city. Each shopkeeper offers a limited selection of items, often at a premium price, but their utility can be invaluable for competitive battling or item collection.

Examples of Items Available:

• Evolutionary Stones: Fire Stone, Water Stone, Thunder Stone, Leaf Stone, Moon Stone, Sun Stone, Dusk Stone, Dawn Stone, Shiny Stone. (Availability varies by shopkeeper)
• Battle Items: Choice Scarf, Choice Band, Choice Specs, Focus Sash, Life Orb, Expert Belt. These are crucial for competitive play.
• Rare Candies: Always a welcome sight for leveling up your Pokémon.
• Heart Scales: Used to relearn moves at the Move Relearner in Mistralton City.
• Specific Berries: Sometimes rare berries like the Starf Berry or Lansat Berry can be found.

Important Note: The items available are randomized based on the specific shopkeepers present in your Black City. You may need to repeatedly check back or interact with more players to get the shopkeepers offering the items you desire.

White Forest (Pokémon White Version)

White Forest stands in stark contrast to Black City. It is a tranquil, lush environment where rare Pokémon roam freely, offering an unparalleled opportunity to expand your Pokédex with species not found in the wild anywhere else in Unova. Like Black City, the Pokémon that appear here are influenced by your interactions with other players.

Populating White Forest: The Entralink Connection

Similar to Black City, the variety and number of Pokémon that appear in White Forest are determined by the unique players you have interacted with via the Entralink's "Pass By" or local wireless features. Each player you connect with has a chance to introduce new Pokémon species into your White Forest.

• Pass By (StreetPass): As with Black City, carrying your DS in the Entralink and passing by other players will register interactions.
• Local Wireless: Connecting with friends locally through the Entralink.

The maximum number of unique Pokémon species that can appear in White Forest is ten. If you have fewer than ten, new interactions will add species. If you have ten, new interactions will replace the oldest species that have been in your forest.

Rare Pokémon Encounters: Expanding Your Pokédex

White Forest is a treasure trove for collectors. The Pokémon that appear here are often from previous generations and cannot be caught in the wild in Unova otherwise. They typically appear at levels ranging from 5 to 15, making them easy to catch but requiring some training if you plan to use them in battle immediately.

Examples of Rare Pokémon Found in White Forest:

• Gen I: Porygon, Magmar, Electabuzz, Scyther, Pinsir, Chansey, Abra, Gastly, Machop, Geodude, Bellsprout, Oddish, Psyduck, Poliwag, Magnemite, Voltorb, Rhyhorn, Lickitung, Tangela, Mr. Mime, Jynx, Snorlax, Lapras, Dratini, Larvitar.
• Gen II: Togepi, Mareep, Sudowoodo, Aipom, Sneasel, Skarmory, Stantler, Miltank, Larvitar.
• Gen III: Ralts, Slakoth, Nincada, Whismur, Makuhita, Sableye, Mawile, Aron, Meditite, Electrike, Plusle, Minun, Volbeat, Illumise, Roselia, Gulpin, Carvanha, Wailmer, Numel, Torkoal, Spinda, Cacnea, Swablu, Zangoose, Seviper, Lunatone, Solrock, Barboach, Corphish, Baltoy, Lileep, Anorith, Feebas, Castform, Kecleon, Shuppet, Duskull, Tropius, Chimecho, Absol, Snorunt, Spheal, Clamperl, Relicanth, Bagon, Beldum.
• Gen IV: Spiritomb, Gible, Hippopotas, Croagunk, Finneon, Snover, Rotom.

Strategy for Encountering/Catching:

1. Walk Around: Simply walking through the tall grass in White Forest will trigger wild encounters.
2. Repel Trick: If you're looking for a specific Pokémon and know its level range, use a Repel with a Pokémon at the highest level of the common encounters, but lower than your target. This will filter out lower-level Pokémon.
3. Quick Balls: For easy captures, especially at the low levels these Pokémon appear, a Quick Ball thrown at the start of battle is highly effective.
4. Status Conditions: If a Quick Ball fails, inflict status conditions like Sleep or Paralysis to increase your catch rate. False Swipe can also be used to safely lower HP to 1 without knocking out the Pokémon.
5. Synchronize: If you're hunting for a specific nature, lead with a Pokémon that has the Synchronize ability and the desired nature. This has a 50% chance of passing that nature onto the wild Pokémon.

Common Pitfall: Unlike Black City, there are no trainers to battle or shops in White Forest. Its sole purpose is Pokémon collection.

Black City / White Forest in Black 2 / White 2

the mechanics of Black City and White Forest were significantly altered in Pokémon Black 2 and White 2. In these sequels, the areas are much more static:

• Black City (B2W2): Becomes the "Black Tower," a battle facility with a fixed set of trainers and challenges.
• White Forest (B2W2): Becomes the "White Treehollow," another battle facility with a fixed set of trainers and challenges.

The dynamic population mechanic tied to Entralink interactions was removed in the sequels, making the original Black and White versions' Black City and White Forest truly unique experiences focused on player interaction and discovery.