How to Catch Moltres in Pokemon GO

Another Legendary Pokemon has joined the fray in Pokemon GO. You might know it as Moltres, or you might just recognize the fact that it’s a big, flaming bird that also happens to be the mascot of Team Valor, the game’s red team.

In any case, Moltres is in the game for a limited time only, as it will fly away after August 7. That gives you roughly a week to track it down and add it to your collection (though we have a strong suspicion Moltres will show up again down the road).

Just a second there, Trainer. You can’t just rush out there without knowing what you’re doing. Like other Legendary Pokemon, Moltres can only be found in special Raid Boss battles — it can’t be hatched from Pokemon Eggs or found randomly wandering in the wild, as nice as that would be. You can check out our general tips for Legendary Raid Battles for more helpful info.

When it comes to Moltres specifically, Niantic released a wealth of pointers on its own Pokemon GO blog. We’ll summarize the most important ones for you, though, as we’re nice like that.

• Use Rock-, Water- or Electric-type attacks against Moltres. The Legendary bird is weak against Water and Electric and very weak against Rock. Niantic suggests Golem as a starter if you have it in your collection due to its Rock-type Fast Attack. Starmie, Omastar, Vaporeon, and Feraligatr are recommended as Water-type Pokemon that can be most effective, and you can mix in some Dragon-type Pokemon if needed since they have resistance to Moltres’ Fire attacks.
• Use a Golden Razz Berry when it’s time to capture. Once you and your Raid group (hopefully) defeat Moltres, the tricky part really begins. The devs recommend tossing it a Golden Razz Berry before each throw to improve your capture chances. Even then, the percentages can be as low as 2 percent.
• Make every Premier Ball count. You receive Premier Balls to try for Moltres after its defeat, but only a few. Don’t waste them; wait for the Pokemon to stop moving, let its target ring reduce in size and go for a Great or Excellent throw. Curveballs also improve your capture chances, but only if you can hit the target with them.

Hunting Legendary Pokemon has become the thing to do for experienced Pokemon GO players, and you’ll want to make your shot at Moltres count. Good luck!

Nick Tylwalk

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Nick Tylwalk enjoys writing about video games, comic books, pro wrestling and other things where people are often punching each other, regaardless of what that says about him. He prefers MMOs, RPGs, strategy and sports games but can be talked into playing just about anything.