How To Get Spell Tags in Pokémon Platinum

All Spell Tag Locations
#	Location	Repeatable?
1	The Lost Tower—Received from a woman on the top floor after you use the Hidden Move Defog to clear the air	No
2	Route 217—Received from a woman in the cottage in the northeast corner of the map	No
3	Held by wild Banette on Route 225 & 226 (5% chance)	Yes

The earliest and simplest method of obtaining a Spell Tag is getting it from one of the elderly NPCs at the top of the Lost Tower. This method requires the HM for Defog.

Another NPC gives you a different Spell Tag if you speak to her on Route 217. She resides in the cottage in the northeast corner of the map.

And then unlimited Spell Tags can be stolen from wild Banette on Routes 225 or 226. This is only available in the post-game, and can only be done at night (between 8:00 p.m. and 3:59 a.m.).

Spell Tag Locations

Location #1: The Lost Tower

The first Spell Tag’s location on the Town Map.

The first available Spell Tag is obtained at the top floor of the Lost Tower on Route 209, a short distance south of Solaceon Town.

Make sure you have a Pokémon in your party that knows the Hidden Move Defog before you set out, then head south from Solaceon Town’s Pokémon Center.

Leave town through the southern entrance.

Leaving Solaceon Town through the southern entrance.

Head south down Route 209 for a short distance and you will see an obelisk structure to the east of the road. This is your destination, the Lost Tower.

Head down the stairs and enter through the front entrance.

Entering the Lost Tower on Route 209.

There’s nothing to see on the first floor, so just head for the staircase in the northwest corner.

The Lost Tower’s first floor.

The second floor only has one Youngster trainer on it, so either battle or avoid him, then climb the northwest staircase.

Cutting through the Lost Tower’s second floor.

On the third floor, the Lost Tower becomes choked with a thick fog.

This will make battles much harder for both parties, since fog reduces the accuracy of moves to ⅗ of their normal stats.

Use Defog here to reduce the amount of time individual battles take to finish.

Using Defog to clear the floor’s fog.

After the fog has lifted, head through the room in an approximate “U” shape to get around all the gravestones and reach the next staircase to the northwest.

Both trainer battles here are optional.

Moving through the newly-cleared third floor in a U shape.

Use Defog on the fourth floor as well.

There are five trainers here—one for a single battle and two for double battles—so pick whichever route you want to take and head to the next staircase.

The Lost Tower’s fourth floor.

There are no battles to fight on the fifth and top floor, just two elderly NPCs standing at a pair of gravestones.

Both are distraught about the fog up here, so use Defog to ease their anxiety.

Obtaining the game’s first Spell Tag.

After you use Defog you can speak to both of the women to get some goodies.

The woman on the right will reward you with the Cleanse Tag, while the woman on the left will give you the Spell Tag.

Location #2: Route 217

The second Spell Tag’s location on the Town Map.

This Spell Tag can be obtained as soon as you have access to Route 217. It does not require any Hidden Moves.

The quickest way to reach this location is to start in Snowpoint City and head northwest from the PokeCenter.

Moving northwest from the Snowpoint Pokémon Center.

Then turn down to move through the gap in the trees.

Moving through the southern gaps in the trees.

Descend the staircase, then head westward past the Snowpoint City shipyard.

Passing the ship at the Snowpoint docks.

Climb the western staircase and leave town for the Acuity Lakefront.

Leaving Snowpoint City through the western entrance.

Cut through the grassy plains of Acuity Lakefront as you continue traveling to the west.

Moving westward through Acuity Lakefront.

Turn southward at the Lake Acuity sign. Then pass through the gap in the trees to the south.

Turning south at the sign.

Once you reach Route 217, a blizzard will hit, limiting your movement and visibility.

Trudge down the linear path leading to the southwest.

Moving southwest through the blizzard.

Follow the path southward, passing the Black Belt trainer.

Heading south past the Black Belt trainer.

When you reach the clearing where the Skier trainer is skiing in circles, turn eastward.

Heading eastward by the Skier trainer.

Travel east until you reach the trees bordering the map, then turn northward.

Turning northward into the open snowfield.

Enter the cottage you run into (pictured below).

Approaching the eastern cottage.

A strange woman in the dimly-lit house seems glad just to have a visitor.

Speak with her to get a Spell Tag as a reward for making her day.

Speaking with the woman in the cottage with the Spell Tag.

Receiving the second Spell Tag.

Location #3: Held Item on Wild Banette (Routes 225 & 226, Night Only)

The location of wild Banette on the Town Map.

An unlimited number of Spell Tags can be farmed from wild Banette, which only appear at night (meaning the in-game clock needs to register between 8:00 p.m. and 3:59 a.m.).

Their habitat is limited to Routes 225 and 226 of the Battle Zone, so this method isn’t possible until after you receive the National Pokédex.

As for actually getting Spell Tags from them, the best item-farming team comp includes Pokémon with the Abilities Compoundeyes and Frisk, as well as at least one stealing move like Thief, Covet, or Trick.

Once you’re ready to search for a Spell Tag, head into the wild grass at one of the aforementioned locations.

Hunting for Banette on Route 225 at night.

If you’ve set up your team as described in our guide above, then you’ll have two benefits:

Every Banette you encounter have a 20% chance of holding a Spell Tag (rather than 5%)
And your Frisk Pokémon will alert you if each target is holding a Spell Tag

Identifying the wild Banette’s item using the Frisk Ability.

If the target is holding an item, you can either capture the Pokémon or use a stealing move (Thief, Covet, Trick, or Switcheroo) on them to take it.

Taking the wild Banette’s held item.

Just make sure your Pokémon isn’t already holding an item if you would have them perform a stealing move:

Thief and Covet will fail outright, but Trick and Switcheroo will swap your Pokémon’s held item with the wild Pokémon’s, which can mean losing valuable items permanently.

Acquiring another Spell Tag from a wild Banette.

Spell Tag Details and Uses

In-game description of the Spell Tag.

The Spell Tag is a held item that boosts the strength of Ghost-type moves by 20% (up 10% from previous Generations), giving it the same primary effect as the Spooky Plate.

Ghost-type Pokémon have:

Two weaknesses (Dark and Ghost)
Two resistances (Bug and Poison)
And two immunities (Normal and Fighting) – this is the most immunities of any type in the series

While Ghost-types’ defenses are relatively low on average, their unconventional type effectiveness and the overall slippery nature of their movesets mean it’s usually okay to focus more on boosting their offensive power than defenses.

This makes the Spell Tag more useful than many other type-boosting held items.

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Chris Haygood

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Chris is an American freelance writer and lifelong gamer. RPGs have been his genre of choice ever since he got Pokémon Blue in 1867, but if he finds a good rhythm game, he will prioritize playing it over both eating and breathing.

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