Pokemon Dream Radar Guide

Introduction

Pokemon Dream Radar is a downloadable Nintendo 3DS game that was released on the same date as Pokemon Black 2 and White 2 in all regions. Making use of the augmented reality technology of the 3DS, Pokemon Dream Radar is a shooting game that provides an alternate method for obtaining a particular group of Pokemon with their hidden abilities. This guide provides an overview of how to play the game and what you can gain from playing it.

Gameplay

The ultimate aim of Pokemon Dream Radar is to collect lots of Dream Orbs for Professor Burnet. This is done by entering the Interdream Zone and capturing these Orbs using the Beam fired from your Energy Pack. As you gather more and more Orbs, you will be able to unlock more features within the game, including access to rare Pokemon!

Interdream Zone

The Interdream Zone is where all the action takes place; it can be wherever you want it to be. The game uses the 3D camera to display your surroundings, and all the game's objects are generated in the space between the camera and the walls of the room. After beginning a search, you are able to move your 3DS around to look for Dream Clouds and other objects within the Interdream Zone. By pressing the A button, you'll fire a Beam from your Energy Pack, which will allow you to interact with these objects if the Beam hits them. Using the Beam is fundamental to playing Pokemon Dream Radar, as it is used to collect Dream Orbs, destroy Dream Clouds, and catch Pokemon.

Dream Orbs

As mentioned above, collecting these Orbs is the main goal of the game. Orbs are found in Dream Clouds that are generated in the Interdream Zone. Firing your Beam at a Cloud causes it to break apart and leave behind a number of Orbs, which can then be collected by firing your Beam at them. Orbs are typically generated in clusters of three to five, but if they are not collected quickly enough, they will disappear.

It is possible for Orbs to split up into more Orbs when collected. This occurs when you collect the last Orb of the cluster of four or five Orbs that are released from the Cloud. Only three Orbs will be generated from the split, but if all three of these Orbs are collected, even more Orbs will appear, setting off a chain reaction that allows you to obtain up to 20 Orbs from one Cloud! Note that each time three Orbs are generated in this chain reaction, you have less time to collect them all before they disappear. If they disappear, the chain reaction is cut short, so make sure you react quickly!

Orbs come in different colors, although only pink and green Orbs are obtainable when you first start the game. As you play more, you'll meet certain criteria and different colors (orange and blue) will appear. More accurately, Orbs continuously change color as they are waiting to be collected, and it is up to you to fire the Beam at the Orb when it is the color that you want it to be. The color of Orb you collect can influence what Pokemon can be obtained in a particular search, so be sure to pay attention to it.

Dream Clouds

When you first begin a search, the Interdream Zone will be filled with Dream Clouds that release Orbs and other goodies when hit with the Beam. There are two different types of Clouds that can appear:

Pink Clouds: These Clouds are the more common of the two types, but they only contain Orbs. These Clouds continuously expand and contract, and the number of Orbs that are released from the Cloud depends on the size of the Cloud when you hit it with the Beam. At its largest, it will release five Orbs. Only three Orbs are released if the Cloud is completely contracted. Make sure to time your Beam to ensure you get the most out of the Clouds.
Storm Clouds: These Clouds can contain Orbs, Pokemon, and items. These Clouds don't change size like the Pink Clouds and will always produce four Orbs. Alternatively, a glowing Sphere may be released from these Clouds instead of Orbs. The Sphere will contain a Pokemon or an item; you have to fight the Sphere to obtain its contents.

In general, the Clouds are generated in a ratio of four Pink Clouds to one Storm Cloud. However, Clouds need time to appear in the Interdream Zone. You can't just enter the game repeatedly with all the Clouds there waiting for you. Each Cloud takes around five minutes to generate, so you'll need to wait until they reappear again after destroying all the Clouds in one session. The number of Clouds that have generated can be viewed at the main menu. Technically, you can play with any number of Clouds, but having fewer Clouds leads to a smaller reward. Note that the number of Orbs released by the Pink Clouds also depends on the number of Clouds in the Interdream Zone when you begin a search. If you start a search when there are only a small number of Clouds present, the Clouds tend to produce only a few Orbs even if the Clouds are large when you hit them with the Beam.

You can restore all of the Clouds three times a day using Play Coins gathered from taking your 3DS for a walk in Sleep Mode. This is done in the Research Lab; five Play Coins are required to do this each time, but doing this allows you to avoid waiting for all the Clouds to reappear. The price is always the same regardless of the amount of Clouds that are missing, so make sure you check how many Clouds you have before spending your Play Coins. You don't want to waste your Play Coins just to obtain one or two extra Clouds!

In the Interdream Zone, the number of Clouds remaining in play can be found at the top-left of the touchscreen. When all the Clouds are destroyed and all the contents have been collected, the search ends and you are taken back to the Research Lab.

Obtaining Pokemon and Items

When you fire your Beam at a Storm Cloud, a glowing Sphere (containing a Pokemon or an item) may appear instead of the regular Orbs. When this occurs, all other Clouds and Orbs will vanish from the screen and a battle will begin!

To catch the Sphere, simply hold down the A button and keep the Beam aimed at the Sphere to hold it in place. This will fill the energy meter that appears at the top of the screen, and when the meter is completely filled, the contents of the Sphere are yours. Of course, it isn't going to be that simple because the Sphere is going to put up a fight. The Sphere will move quickly about trying to avoid your Beam, so you'll need to move your 3DS around to keep it in the line of fire. The size of the Sphere and the way it moves depends on what is in the Sphere. Sometimes it will be large and will move only a little, while other times it will be tiny and jump erratically. However, the movements become fairly easy to predict after a while, so this shouldn't cause too many problems.

You have a limited amount of time to fill the energy meter. When you first start playing Dream Radar, you have two minutes, although it is possible to obtain upgrades that increase the amount of time you have. If time runs out, the Pokemon will flee and you'll be returned to the main gameplay area without a reward. Complicating this even further is the fact that the Sphere can defend itself by firing energy balls at you. Each Sphere fires energy balls in different patterns. Some will fire only occasionally while others love to launch them more frequently. Some will fire one at a time while others will fire multiple energy balls in one go. If any of these hit you, time will be taken away from you (the amount of time taken away depends on the Sphere you are fighting). To prevent yourself from being hit, you can destroy the energy balls by hitting the Sphere with the Beam before the energy balls hit you or simply by shooting the energy balls themselves.

Once the Sphere is defeated, you will be told what you obtained from it. Any Pokemon or items that are obtained are stored in Dream Radar until you transfer them to your main game. Note that you can't get rid of any Pokemon or items that you don't want; you must send them to your main game. However, you can only have six Pokemon and six different types of items stored at one time. If you catch an extra Pokemon or item, you have to decide to either remove an older Pokemon / item or give up on the new one.

Development Lab

Once you have gathered lots of Dream Orbs, you can head over to the Development Lab and purchase some upgrades! These can be used to make Pokemon and items easier to obtain. There are a number of upgrades available for you to purchase.

General Upgrades

These are permanent upgrades that are used to improve the performance of your equipment. These upgrades are done in stages, with each level costing more and more Dream Orbs. The levels and their costs are as follows:

Level 1 – Free
Level 2 – 100 Orbs
Level 3 – 500 Orbs
Level 4 – 1000 Orbs
Level MAX – 1500 Orbs

There are 3 pieces of equipment for you to upgrade:

Beam Upgrade: This upgrade increases the power of your Beam and allows it to fill the energy meter more quickly, which reduces the amount of time required to beat the Sphere with your Beam. You can determine the current level of your Beam by its color.

Level 1 – Yellow Beam
Level 2 – Green Beam
Level 3 – Red Beam
Level 4 – Purple Beam
Level MAX – Blue Beam

Energy Pack Upgrade: This upgrade increases the amount of time you have to defeat Spheres.

Level 1 – 2 minutes*
Level 2 – 2 minutes and 30 seconds
Level 3 – 3 minutes
Level 4 – 3 minutes and 30 seconds
Level MAX – 4 minutes

*During your very first search, you will have an infinite amount of time to defeat a Sphere.

Visoscope Upgrade: This upgrade increases the maximum number of Clouds that can generate within the Interdream Zone, giving you more opportunities to find items and Pokemon in each search.

Level 1 – 10 Clouds**
Level 2 – 15 Clouds
Level 3 – 20 Clouds
Level 4 – 25 Clouds
Level MAX – 30 Clouds

**During your very first search, there will only be 5 Clouds.

Support Goods

You can also purchase supporting items that can be used to help you fight Spheres. Unlike the upgrades, these can only be used once. To use them, simply touch the appropriate icon on the touchscreen during a search and the item will take effect. There are three items available for purchase:

Vortex Charge (100 Orbs): This item creates a vortex in front of you that draws the Pokemon in and prevents it from moving. This makes Pokemon much easier to capture.
Dragnet Charge (50 Orbs): This item generates a net on your screen. The net slows down the Pokemon temporarily to make it easier to hit with the Beam.
Energy Recharge (50 Orbs): This item restores your timer while you are fighting a Sphere.

Obtainable Pokemon

Probably the main reason why you purchased Dream Radar was to obtain rare Pokemon with their hidden abilities. Notably, this game is the only way to obtain the Therian formes of Tornadus, Thundurus, and Landorus. This section covers all the Pokemon that are obtained in the game and how to get them.

The Pokemon that you can encounter depend on a number of factors:

Progress through the game – Initially, only a certain group of Pokemon are available to capture. After capturing each Therian, more and more Pokemon are unlocked. When you have captured Landorus-T, all of the Pokemon in the game will be available.
Extensions – When you decide to start a search, you have to select a particular searching device, or Extension, to perform the search with. Most Pokemon are obtainable using the Basic Extension, but some of the other Extensions are specialized to find particular Pokemon.
Orbs – If you look at the upper right of the touchscreen, you'll see how many Orbs you currently have. If you pay attention, you'll notice that the Orb next to the number changes color occasionally. The color of this Orb actually has an effect on what Pokemon can be encountered. The color is decided by the color of Orb that you collected the most of during your last search. For example, if you collected mostly pink Orbs in a particular search, the Orb next to the number will turn pink. If you collect mostly green Orbs in the next search, the Orb next to the number will turn green.

Basic Extension

The Basic Extension is available from the start. Most of the Pokemon that you can find in Dream Radar are obtainable using this Extension. Here are all the Pokemon, along with when they are unlocked and what color the Orb next to the Orb counter is required to be to find them.

Note that during your very first search, you will only be able to encounter Munna.

Pokemon available before Tornadus-T is caught

Swablu – pink or green Orbs

Drifloon – pink or green Orbs

Riolu – pink or green Orbs

Munna – pink Orbs

Sigilyph – pink or green Orbs

Pokemon available after capturing Tornadus-T

Igglybuff – pink or green Orbs

Shuckle – pink or green Orbs

Pokemon available after capturing Thundurus-T

Staryu – pink or orange Orbs

Porygon – pink or orange Orbs

Ralts – green or orange Orbs

Bronzor – pink or green Orbs

Pokemon available after capturing Landorus-T

Togepi – green Orbs

Smoochum – blue Orbs

Spiritomb – pink or blue Orbs

Rotom – pink or orange Orbs

Eureka Extensions

These Extensions are used to capture the Therian formes of Tornadus, Thundurus, and Landorus. They are unlocked after gathering enough Dream Orbs over the course of the game. However, this doesn't mean that you have to have the correct number of Orbs at one time. For example, if you were to obtain and spend 100 Orbs and then gather another 300 Orbs, that equals 400 Orbs gathered over the course of the game and thus the Extension required to capture Tornadus-T would be unlocked. Therefore, feel free to spend all the Orbs you gather if you want to.

The Therians are unique in that they appear in their real formes while you battle them rather than in a Sphere. Note that each of these can only be used once per Dream Radar save file, and each save file of Pokemon Black 2 and Pokemon White 2 can only receive one of each Therian. To obtain them again, you'll need to delete the save files of both Dream Radar and your main game and then play through Dream Radar again.

Eureka Extension α (400 Orbs)

Tornadus-T

Eureka Extension β (1500 Orbs)

Thundurus-T

Eureka Extension γ (3000 Orbs)

Landorus-T

The Therians have their own storage slots in the game, so don't worry if you already have 6 other Pokemon ready to send.

Note that you must complete these Extensions in order. If you have not completed Eureka Extension α, Eureka Extension β can't be unlocked, and Eureka Extension γ can't be unlocked until Eureka Extension β has been completed. The Orb values that unlock each Extension refer to Orbs collected after the previous Therian is defeated. In other words, the Eureka Extension β is unlocked by collecting 1500 Orbs after catching Tornadus-T, and the Eureka Extension γ is unlocked by collecting 3000 Orbs after catching Thundurus-T.

Fourth Generation Extensions

After capturing Landorus-T, you are able to unlock more Extensions. These are accessed by inserting each of the 4th generation games (Pokemon Diamond, Pearl, Platinum, HeartGold, and SoulSilver) into your 3DS and loading Dream Radar up. The Professor will announce that she has prepared a new Extension, depending on which game is in the game slot.

Note that each of these can only be used once per Dream Radar save file, and each save file of Pokemon Black 2 and Pokemon White 2 can only receive one of each 4th generation box mascot. To obtain them again, you'll need to delete the save files of both Dream Radar and your main game and then play through Dream Radar again. None of these Extensions cost any Orbs to use.

Temporal Extension (Pokemon Diamond inserted)

Dialga

Spatial Extension (Pokemon Pearl inserted)

Palkia

Renegade Extension (Pokemon Platinum inserted)

Giratina

Rainbow Extension (Pokemon HeartGold inserted)

Ho-Oh

Diving Extension (Pokemon SoulSilver inserted)

Lugia

Beldum, Slowpoke, and Hoothoot

These three Pokemon can be obtained using Extensions that are unlocked by inputting the following button combinations at the Research Lab menu (the menu where you decide to start a search, enter the Development Lab, or spend Play Coins). Unlike the other special Extensions, these can be unlocked from the start and can be used multiple times. The codes must be entered again each time if you wish to use the Extensions.

Special Extension A

Beldum

Code (Jap): Up, Right, Down, Left, L-shoulder, R-shoulder, X
Code (Int): Up, Right, Down, Left, X, R-shoulder, L-shoulder

Special Extension B

Slowpoke

Code (Jap): Up, Down, Right, Left, L-shoulder, R-shoulder, Y
Code (Int): Up, Down, Right, Left, Y, R-shoulder, L-shoulder

Special Extension C

Hoothoot

Code (Jap): X, Y, L-shoulder, R-shoulder, Left, Right, Y, X
Code (Int): R-shoulder, L-shoulder, Y, X, Left, Right, Y, X

Other Extensions

A number of other Extensions are available after certain criteria are met. These do not contain any new Pokemon, but they are still useful in their own ways.

Retrieval Extension: This Extension doubles the number of Storm Clouds and makes Pokemon appear more often than items. The Pokemon that appear are the same as those in the Basic Extension.
Dowsing Extension: This Extension doubles the number of Storm Clouds and makes items appear more often than Pokemon. The Pokemon that appear are the same as those in the Basic Extension.
Simulator Extension α: This Extension allows you to battle Tornadus-T again, but you can't send it to your game when you defeat it.
Simulator Extension β: This Extension allows you to battle Thundurus-T again, but you can't send it to your game when you defeat it.
Simulator Extension γ: This Extension allows you to battle Landorus-T again, but you can't send it to your game when you defeat it.

The Retrieval and Dowsing Extensions are obtained after gathering a certain number of Orbs. They cost 100 Orbs for each use.

The Simulator Extensions α, β and γ cost 400, 600, and 800 Orbs for each use, respectively, but they are usable only after capturing Landorus-T with the Eureka Extension γ. Although they may seem useless, each allows you to obtain items that can't be obtained in any of the other Extensions.

Obtainable Items

When you defeat a Sphere, you'll occasionally receive an item instead of a Pokemon. This section covers all of the possible items that you can find. Much like with the Pokemon, certain factors influence what item you receive:

Progress through the game: As you capture each Therian, more and more items are unlocked. When Landorus-T is captured, you'll have all of the items in the game available to you.
Extensions: As mentioned previously, the Simulator Extensions contain many items that can't be obtained be obtained with just the Basic Extension.

Unlike with the Pokemon, Orb color does not come into play in determining which items are obtainable.

Basic Extension

Items available from the Beginning

Blue Shard
Red Shard
Yellow Shard
Green Shard
PP Up
Leppa Berry
Revive

Items available after capturing Tornadus-T

Max Revive
Moon Stone
Sun Stone

Items available after capturing Thundurus-T

Water Stone
Fire Stone
Leaf Stone
Thunderstone

Items available after capturing Landorus-T

Rare Candy
Sacred Ash

Simulator Extensions

The Simulator Extensions contain a number of items that can't be found using the Basic Extension. When you defeat a Therian, you will receive one of the listed items instead of a Pokemon.

Simulator Extension α

PP Up
Heart Scale
Rare Candy
Star Piece
Max Revive
Life Orb

Simulator Extension β

Dawn Stone
Heart Scale
Rare Candy
Star Piece
King's Rock
Focus Sash

Simulator Extension γ

Eviolite
Heart Scale
Rare Candy
Star Piece
Life Orb
Focus Sash

Records

Dream Radar keeps track of a number of records that can be viewed at the main menu after catching Landorus-T. The records are:

Number of Searches
Dream Clouds Found
Pokemon Caught
Items Collected
Dream Orbs Collected
Fastest Times for Catching Tornadus-T, Thundurus-T, and Landorus-T

There are no rewards for achieving fast Therian catching times; in fact, most of this information isn't useful beyond bragging rights. Keeping track of the total number of Orbs collected might have been useful for determining how far away you are from unlocking the special Extensions, but all the special Extensions are unlocked just as the Records menu is unlocked, so this ends up being useless as well. Still, the information is here if you are interested in this sort of thing.

Sending Pokemon and Items to your Main Games

Beginning the Transfer

To transfer over any collected Pokemon and items to Pokemon Black 2 or White 2, select the Send Research Data option from the main menu. The game will display images of everything you have obtained (Pokemon on the bottom row and items on the top). Select the Transfer option with the cartridge of your main game inserted into the cartridge slot and confirm that you want to send the data over.

If you have nothing ready to send over or your main game is not inserted when you enter the Send Research Data menu, you will be returned to the main menu immediately. The game will also not let you send data if you have already sent data to your main game but haven't collected it yet, so make sure everything is collected before trying to send anything else over.

Receiving your Pokemon and Items

After transferring your Pokemon over, boot up your main game and select Unova Link from the main menu. Select Nintendo 3DS Link and confirm to receive your data!

All Pokemon obtained from Dream Radar are placed in Dream Balls and stored in your PC. The level of the Pokemon depends on the number of badges you have collected:

No badges – level 5
1-2 badges – level 10
3-4 badges – level 20
5-6 badges – level 30
7-8 badges – level 40

All Pokemon will have their hidden abilities unless they don't have one, in which case they will have their regular ability. None of the Pokemon will have any special moves. Pokemon with two possible genders can be either gender, but in almost every case they will be female. Pokemon that have a fixed gender or are genderless will have their usual genders. The OT and ID will be the same as the Trainer of the game the Pokemon was sent to with the location listed as "Pokemon Dream Radar." Natures and IVs will be random, but keep in mind that you cannot reset for these Pokemon to get the attributes you want.

Items are simply placed in your Bag in the appropriate compartments.

The Reveal Glass

The Reveal Glass is a key item that allows you to change the forme of Tornadus, Thundurus, and Landorus at will. It can only be obtained after transferring all 3 Therians from Dream Radar to Pokemon Black 2 or White 2. To receive it, take the Landorus-T that you caught in Dream Radar to the Abundant Shrine (accessed via Route 14). An old man will be waiting for you there. He will remark that you have a Landorus in Therian forme, remove the Reveal Glass from the shrine, and hand it to you.

Once obtained, the Reveal Glass can be used as any times as you want. To use it, place the Pokemon that you want to change in your party, select the Reveal Glass, and then select the Pokemon to change its forme. You can change the forme of any Tornadus, Thundurus, or Landorus, including those transferred from Pokemon Black and White. However, only the Therians obtained from Dream Radar can change into their Incarnate formes with their hidden abilities.

General Tips

Upgrade as soon as possible. There is little reason to hoard excessive amounts of Orbs unless you are saving up to use one of the Simulator Extensions. Go for the Visoscope upgrade first as this is generally seen as the most useful upgrade.
Make use of those Extensions! The Retrieval and Dowsing Extensions are so cheap that you'll probably end up finding more Orbs when using them than you spent on them, and they make gathering Pokemon and items much easier.
The Pokemon that can appear during a search depends on what Orbs you have collected in the previous search. Although trying to get plenty of Orbs of the right color sounds tedious, there is a very simple way to do it. After destroying all of your Clouds in one session, start a new search straight away. There will only be one pink Cloud that should produce 1-3 Orbs, which is much easier to manage than playing with 10+ Clouds. Just wait for those Orbs to change to your desired color and hit them with your Beam. You should now have the Orb set to the color you want for the next session. Note that you might need to try this a few times because the color doesn't always change to the one you want straight away. In this case, just keep trying until you get it.
Be careful that you don't accidentally hit a Cloud when you are in the middle of an Orb chain. Hitting a Cloud will release more Orbs, and because you have a limited amount of time to get the Orbs before they vanish, you may end up losing Orbs as you attempt to gather everything. If some of the Clouds are clustered together, try to nick them at the edge. That way, you'll avoid hitting multiple Clouds at once.
Go for Clouds that are closer to you first. If you go for the Clouds that are furthest away first, there is a risk that some of the Orbs will generate behind nearby Clouds, making it impossible to hit them without hitting the Cloud in the way. By going for the closest Clouds first, you can minimize this risk.
Note that if a Sphere is released from a Storm Cloud partway through an Orb chain, the Orbs will still be present after you defeat the Sphere. Don't forget to collect those Orbs after the battle is over, as you may be able to keep the chain going.
Try and find the most comfortable way to play the game as possible. You need to give yourself enough room to move around. Otherwise, you will feel awkward when you are trying to locate all of the Clouds. The game is intended to be played standing up in an open space, but if this is uncomfortable then you can always try playing while sitting on a swivel chair.

Resources

If you have any further questions about Dream Radar, you should ask them here or here.

This guide does not cover Dream Radar RNG abuse. Those looking for information regarding RNG abuse should refer to this forum thread.