Here's how to get legendary Pokemon in Pokemon GO
It’s important to get legendary Pokemon in Pokemon GO since they tend to be of huge importance for winning raids and trainer battles. Getting these powerful Pokemon isn’t easy, however.
While legendaries were once obtainable by simply completing field research, things have become significantly more difficult with time. Now they are gated behind a variety of other features in Pokemon GO, making it generally difficult to catch them and especially tough to catch a specific one.
So what can players do? Here’s how to get legendary Pokemon in Pokemon GO.
Battle in raids to get legendary Pokemon in Pokemon GO
The primary way to get legendary and mythical Pokemon in Pokemon GO is battling in raids.
Raids in Pokemon GO are time-based events that happen near gyms. An enormous egg will appear on top of a gym, will hatch after some time, and a very powerful Pokemon will then appear. Players will typically need to team up with others in order to defeat these Pokemon, which can have CP approaching 60,000 in some cases.
While the Pokemon is still in its egg before a raid, players can see whether the egg will contain legendaries or mythicals. A five-star egg will almost always contain one of these Pokemon.
Which Pokemon are in eggs in Pokemon GO raids?
Niantic rotates the Pokemon available in raids. In most cases, anywhere from one to three different legendaries will appear as the five-star raid boss. A specific Pokemon will appear in raids for anywhere from hours to weeks at a time. The schedule for raids is often
announced in advance, allowing players to plan their attack and raise up counters.
Complete certain special research missions to get legendary Pokemon
Raids are by far the best way to get legendaries, but players can occasionally find some elsewhere. Certain special research missions have included a legendary or mythical prize.
Pokemon GO Fest traditionally includes a mythical Pokemon that can be obtained during the event for a price or later in the year for free. 2022 included Shaymin, 2021 offered Hoopa, and so on. Alongside this are other missions that can yield shadow versions of legendaries including the
likes of Mewtwo
and Lugia.
These events don’t happen often and are sometimes missable. Regardless, battling in raids is the fastest and best way to get legendary Pokemon in Pokemon GO.
Steven Rondina
About Steven Rondina
Steven Rondina is a true lifelong gamer. His earliest memories are of playing video games, and he has continued playing them throughout his life with no plans to stop any time soon. Steven’s favorite franchises in gaming include Pokemon, Dark Souls, and Counter-Strike. He has previously published with Bleacher Report and other gaming outlets.
View full profile
Read Also
Pokemon
Opinion: Sadly, Pokémon Remakes Are Allegedly a Thing of the Past Now
Zachary Roberts
Pokémon fans were probably delighted when FireRed and LeafGreen were ported to the Nintendo Switch console. They were undoubtedly excited to find out that, according to a leak, Emerald, Sapphire, and Ruby will follow suit. FireRed and LeafGreen sold like hotcakes, and it is highly likely that there will be rejoicing once the other leaked port is confirmed by The Pokémon Company. But sadly, based on more leaked intel, these ...
Pokemon
Polymarket Joins Kalshi in Offering Trades on Pokémon Cards — Use Promo Code WINGGPREMAR
Zachary Roberts
Prediction markets like Kalshi and Polymarket offer the ability to trade on a wide variety of things, now including Pokémon card values. Previously, neither market offered any such thing. Then, in late July, Kalshi added tons of different markets surrounding the collectible cards. Now, Polymarket has echoed them and added plenty of its own. Essentially, traders can make predictions on whether or not sealed cards and boxes will gain or ...
Pokemon
New Leak Suggests More Classic Pokémon Games Are Coming To Switch
Zachary Roberts
Earlier this year, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the franchise, Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen were ported to the Nintendo Switch and Switch 2. Now, a new leak suggests that Nintendo and company are going to repeat that with other classic titles. Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen were dropped on both the Switch and Switch 2 in February. They were a huge success, selling incredibly well. Within six weeks, they'd already ...
News
Garena Announces Palworld Online, a Mobile MMO Spin-Off
Hannan Mundia
After the success of Palworld, Garena has announced that the game is coming in the form of a mobile MMO spin-off. Palworld divided many fans when it first came out. The resemblance to Pokémon was uncanny, though the entire premise was much more mature and violent than its inspiration. Still, the full release has been a massive success, breaking records and creating Palworld’s trading card game line as well. Hoping ...
Pokemon
These Are All the Horse Pokémon Through Generation 9
Zachary Roberts
Pokémon have long been designed after real-life things, primarily animals. There have been horse Pokémon, dog Pokémon, and more throughout nine generations (and spinoffs). Horses in particular are quite popular with players, and the animal's real-life grace and power transfers expertly over to the game. It helps that some of the horse Pokémon in these games are among the best and most memorable Pokémon you can get. They can be ...
Pokemon
You Can Now Trade on Pokémon Card Prices With Kalshi
Zachary Roberts
Kalshi now offers traders the chance to trade on Pokémon card prices. The popular prediction market has plenty of available options, ranging from general news to elections. Traders can make predictions on weather, video games, and plenty more. Now, the value of Pokémon cards — one of the hobby's most hotly debated topics — has joined the platform, with users able to trade prediction contracts on future prices Kalshi has ...
Pokemon
Pokémon Winds and Waves leaks: Everything we know about Gen 10
Zachary Roberts
Pokémon Winds and Waves has been given one trailer and no official release date. Clearly, The Pokémon Company and Game Freak have kept things close to the chest. That said, there are still leaks coming out all the time that reveal plenty about what Generation 10 will entail. Here's what we know so far. Thanks to Centro Leaks, we have a lot of (tentative) information about the upcoming mainline Pokémon ...