Few areas are home to more Legendary Pokemon than the Sinnoh region that players get to explore during Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl. As well as the games' two mascot Pokemon, Palkia and Dialga, players can catch plenty of other Legendaries after completing the games' main story, including the fourth-generation games' very own Legendary trio, the Lake Guardians.
Uxie, Azelf, and Mesprit all feature at various stages during the events of Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, but it's not until after defeating Cynthia at the Pokemon League that players will actually be able to try their hand at catching them. Those hoping to add Azelf to their party are in luck, however, as catching the Willpower Pokemon is relatively easy when compared to some of the series' other Legendary Pokemon.
Where to Find Azelf in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl
Unlike its fellow Lake Guardian Mesprit, Azelf is not a roaming Pokemon, meaning that players will be able to both find and catch it in a fixed location. To do so, players will need to make their way over to Lake Valor, which is between the cities of Pastoria, Veilstone, and Sunyshore. The fastest way to get there is to fly to the former, and then take the eastern exit onto Route 213. From there, players simply need to head north until they arrive at the Valor Lakefront area.
Once players have made their way to Lake Valor, they'll need to use Surf in order to reach the small island in the center of the lake. There, they'll find the entrance to Valor Cavern, which is where Azelf lies in wait. Upon entering the cavern, players should save their game in case something goes wrong and also make sure that they have a healthy supply of Ultra Balls in their bag. Assuming they do, they can walk up to Azelf and press the A button to initiate a battle.
How to Catch Azelf in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl
Catching Azelf is not too dissimilar to catching any other Legendary Pokemon, with the ideal strategy being to lower its health as much as possible before throwing a single Pokeball. Given that it's resistant to psychic and fighting-type moves, these are definitely a good place to start, as using them will minimize the chances of accidentally knocking the Pokemon out. It's not the end of the world if players do deplete Azelf's HP before catching it, as they can always reload their save or defeat the Elite Four again to make it respawn, but it's obviously a lot faster to catch it the first time of asking.
Those looking to minimize the risk of accidental knockouts may want to consider purchasing TM 54 from the department store in Veilstone City. As series veterans will know, this TM contains the False Swipe attack, which is guaranteed to leave its target with at least 1 HP. Inflicting Sleep status can also improve players' chances of catching Azelf. It's far from essential though, and, given how few Pokemon are able to inflict sleep in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, most players tend not to bother.
Once Azelf's HP is in the red, players should start hurling Ultra Balls at it until the Pokemon is caught. It can help to switch to a bulky Pokemon that's resistant to psychic-type attacks at this point just to make sure that the player's active Pokemon isn't knocked out, though providing players don't accidentally run away when asked whether they'd like to choose another Pokemon, this should only prove to be a minor annoyance anyway. With enough time and Ultra Balls, Azelf will eventually be caught, allowing players to add the levitating Legendary to their Pokedex.