Pokemon Theta Emerald EX

Pokemon Theta Emerald EX takes Pokemon Emerald and expands it to the entire Pokedex up to Generation 6 — every species from Bulbasaur to Volcanion, 721 in total, all catchable in one game. It was made by LCCoolJ95, who had previously released Theta Emerald with 650 Pokemon.

The EX version has an unusual history. LCCoolJ95 first released an alpha of EX, was unhappy with it, and rebuilt the whole hack from scratch. That rebuilt game came out on December 25, 2016. A follow-up update dated February 5, 2017, raised the difficulty after players said it was too easy and lifted the level cap to 250.

Mechanically, Theta Emerald EX aims to make Emerald behave like a Gen 6 game. All moves up to Generation 6 are in and work as they do in X and Y, more than 100 abilities were added, the physical/special split is in place and the Fairy type is applied to the right Pokemon and moves. Mega Evolution and Primal Reversion work as in the official games, and you need a Mega Bracelet to use them.

The story is still Emerald's Hoenn, so the map and plot will feel familiar. What changes is what you can do in it: build a team from the full Gen 1-6 roster, hunt for Mega Stones, and take any Pokemon into the updated Battle Frontier, where Frontier trainers can use the same expanded roster against you.

• All 721 Pokemon from Gen 1-6 catchable
• 600+ moves working as they do in Gen 6
• 100+ abilities up to Gen 6
• Physical/special split and Fairy type
• Mega Evolution and Primal Reversion (Mega Bracelet required)
• Updated Battle Frontier with no restrictions on which Pokemon you bring
• 100+ reusable TMs and deletable HMs
• Items pocket expanded to 200+ items
• Level cap of 250, running indoors and EXP from captures
• New repel prompt and Level 1 Eggs

Theta Emerald EX started out fairly easy, and the February 2017 update made trainers tougher in response. It is still closer to a "Gen 6 Emerald" than to a hardcore difficulty hack: the fun is in team building with a huge roster, not in surviving brutal bosses.

It is perfect for players who want to replay Hoenn with Megas and modern Pokemon, or who love the Battle Frontier and want to use their favourites there. For a true challenge, look at Emerald Kaizo or Elite Redux instead.

• Patch onto a clean Pokemon Emerald ROM, and make sure you use the latest build rather than the old alpha.
• Get the Mega Bracelet before collecting Mega Stones — without it you cannot Mega Evolve.
• Use the expanded roster to cover Hoenn's Water-heavy late game early.
• Take advantage of reusable TMs; there is no reason to save them.
• Prepare a post-game team for the Battle Frontier, where opponents also have the full Pokedex.

LCCoolJ95 made several Theta hacks. The original Theta Emerald had 650 Pokemon; EX is the rebuilt version with all 721; and Theta Emerald Renev is a later entry in the series. If you want the complete Gen 6 roster on an Emerald base, EX is the one this page covers.