The Legendary and Mythical Pokémon in New Pokémon Snap can be some of the toughest creatures to find with some really complicated methods to make them appear. Not only are they challenging to find, but many of them can also be difficult to take pictures of.
In total, there are 10 Legendary and Mythical Pokémon that span almost every region that the Pokémon series has had to offer. This doesn't include the pseudo-Legendary Illumina Pokémon that are more akin to Shiny Pokémon. The original Pokémon Snap had three Legendaries, although only one of these Legendaries returns in the game's long-awaited sequel. Here's a quick guide on where each Legendary and Mythical Pokémon in New Pokémon Snap can be found and how players can get them to appear.
Note: Updated August 5, 2021 to add Zeraora, which was introduced in the free update.
Xerneas
Before getting photos of any of the other Legendaries, the first thing that players will want to do is clear the game's 12 main courses, as most of the Legendaries won't appear until this is done. This doesn't count any bonus stages that players might unlock, though the evening variation of Maricopia Reef is home to one of the game's 10 Legendaries.
Xerneas should be the first Legendary Pokémon that players encounter, as completing the Ruins of Remembrance course requires getting a picture of Xerneas. This pocket monster appears on the Ruins of Remembrance course's Illumina Spot. After throwing an Illumina Orb at the glowing, blue sphere to summon Xerneas, players can throw another one to cause to show off its Illumina behavior.
Shaymin
The Mythical hedgehog Pokémon, Shaymin, appears in all of Florio Nature Park's variations, as long as they've reached Research Level two. In the day variation, players can find Shaymin in three different locations. Shaymin always appears nearby Pichu, Grookey and Bidoof, and can be found either sleeping in tall grass or crossing the player's path towards a field of flowers.
In the night variation of Florio Nature Park, players can find Shaymin right at the start. If players look up towards the Scorbunny that can be seen sitting on a sign, they can also grab a photo of Shaymin. For Shamin's last appearance, players get a subtle hint from Meganium when it looks towards a cliff to its left. By throwing Illumina Orbs at that spot, they'll eventually be able to get Shaymin to appear.
Mew
Next up is the original Nintendo 64 game's Legendary, Mew, who can be found in Founja Jungle's night variation. Much like in the original Pokémon Snap, Mew is incredibly hard to photograph but is much easier to find. Players just need to look behind them and use the Melody player at the very start of the course to make a pink orb appear. Hitting the orb with Fluffruit will unlock Mew throughout the Founja Jungle course, giving players three shots at snapping a photo of it.
Players will have to nail the floating pink orb with a Fluffruit in order to get Mew to appear throughout the course. This partially references Mew's appearance in the original Pokémon Snap. Mew is not an easy Pokémon to take a picture of, so players should keep a close eye out for the three different spots where the pink orb can appear.
Ho-Oh
Ho-Oh is probably the most obvious Legendary to spot as it'll sometimes appear in the skies of the Fireflow Volcano course. Players are able to get a photo of Ho-Oh but getting a clearer shot is a little more tricky. There are three Rainbow Wings hidden around the course that players will want to throw Illumina Orbs at. Hitting all three will guarantee that Ho-Oh will appear at the end of the course, letting players get a better picture.
The Rainbow Wings are also required to get pictures of Ho-Oh's behaviors to get better star ratings on photos. That tends to be the case with many of the Legendary Pokémon in New Pokémon Snap. Typically, each one has a dedicated way to make it appear that also leads to its rare behaviors, though others like Ho-Oh can also appear throughout the course.
Celebi
Celebi is next up and can be found in the sprawling and confusing Elsewhere Forest. Elsewhere Forest has a ton of different alternate paths that make finding specific Pokémon a little tricky. Luckily, Celebi is located right on Elsewhere Forest's main path. As long as players don't take any side routes during their run, they should encounter Celebi once they reach the Forest Ruins.
Celebi is pretty difficult to get a clear photo of due to its speed, so it's recommended that players use the burst mode on their camera or throw a Fluffruit at a nearby pile of apples to get it to stick around for a little longer. Right now, it seems as though Celebi will only appear in this one spot in the Forest Ruins. This makes it one of the tricker Pokémon to get a picture of since it doesn't hang around for too long.
Manaphy
Manaphy can be found on Maricopia Reef's evening variation. Getting Manaphy to appear isn't easy, as it requires luring the Inkay over to one of the first Crystabloom plants and making the Inkay jump. Players will then have to hit the second Crystabloom with an Illumina Orb to get Manaphy to appear by the Inkay.
Manaphy appears one more time in the evening variation of Maricopia Reef's Blue Spot. Players will want to hit the four Lapras that appear with Illumina Orbs and then play the music box. Manaphy will pop up, jumping between two of the Lapras for a quick appearance.
Lugia
Lugia, Ho-Oh's fellow Johto-era Legendary, can also be photographed on the Lental Seafloor - Undersea course. Lugia is a tricky Pokémon to find as it requires players to get the Undersea course to Research Level three and to unlock the course's alternate path. Once players reach the deep cavern part of the alternate path, they'll want to keep an eye out for a Lanturn and throw an Illumina Orb at it.
Further on, players will run into that same Lanturn again being attacked by some Frillish nearby a ledge. Tossing another Illumina Orb at the Lanturn will free it, allowing it to lead players on a secret alternate path. This secret alternate path will have to be unlocked whenever players want to photograph Lugia. At the end of this path, players will enter Lugia's Cave where the Legendary Pokémon can be found sleeping. Toss some more Illumina Orbs at it to wake it up.
Suicune
Suicune will only appear on Shiver Snowfield's second alternate path which makes it somewhat of a hard Legendary to find. Shiver Snowfield has two alternate paths that are fairly complicated to unlock. First, players will want to snap a picture of the Alolan Sandslash right at the start of the day variation of Shiver Snowfield and continue to snap a photo of it each time it reappears. On the third time it reappears, it should dig up a secret path.
Players should then jump over to the night variation of Shiver Snowfield and head down the still-available secret path. Throwing an Illumina Orb at a Crabominable should lead to a Froslass appearing from behind a tree. Take a picture of the Froslass to reveal a new secret area. Players will be able to find Suicune on both versions of the course by taking the second alternate path and throwing an Illumina Orb at a Jinx standing on an Avalugg.
Diancie
Outawave Cave's special Pokémon is the Mythical Pokémon Diancie and should be a breath of fresh air for players after completing the numerous steps to unlock Lugia and Suicune. Players will need to make sure Outawave Cave has reached Research Level three, as Diancie will not appear otherwise. All players need to do to make Diancie appear is to throw Illumina Orbs at two Carbinks and a Mawile on the course's alternate path.
Diancie will actually cause another secret path to be revealed, though this path won't stay unlocked. It provides players with Pokémon that they can't find anywhere else, making it necessary for those who wish to complete their Pokédex. Diancie doesn't appear on this alternate path, however, so players just need to lure it out with the previous step to get a picture of it.
Jirachi
The Ruins of Remembrance has one more special Pokémon to find after Xerneas has been photographed. Jirachi will appear on the course once it reaches Research Level two and is probably one of the easiest Mythical Pokémon to get a picture of. Jirachi appears right at the start of the course, floating around in the open with an Eldegoss.
Jirachi will also show up throughout the ruins in a few other locations, though none of these require any special actions to make the wish-granting Mythical Pokémon appear. These are, however, necessary to get Jirachi's unique behaviors, though those can be discovered via experimentation. Jirachi is probably one of the easiest special Pokémon to photograph and, despite being on the last course in the game, one of the earliest Legendaries that players can find.
Zeraora
Added in a free update on August 3, Zeraora is the first new Mythical Pokémon added to New Pokémon Snap post-launch. Zeraora can be found in the new Barren Badlands stage after level two, more specifically on the unlockable night variant. Zeraora can be found to the left when starting the level.
The Mythical Pokémon will be sleeping near a collection of small ponds. Players will want to wake it up by throwing a Fluffruit at it, then waiting until they pass by the Tyranitar located later into the level. If Zeraora is visible on some nearby cliffs, players will be able to wake the Tyranitar up with a Fluffruit and get Zeraora to jump down for a picture.