How to catch Moltres, Lugia, and other Raid Bosses in Pokémon Go
How do you catch Moltres, Lugia, Tyranitar, Snorlax, Lapras, and the other Legendary and regular Raid Bosses in Pokémon Go? It's all about stacking your bonuses!
Update: Moltres is now a Raid Boss and that means you can battle Team Valor's fire bird in groups of up to 20. But, you have to catch him alone. Here's how!
In Pokémon Go, beating the Legendary or standard Raid Battle is only the first part of the challenge. Then second part is catching the Legendary or standard Raid Boss. Currently, that includes Moltres, Lugia, Tyranitar, Snorlax, Lapras, and more.
To do it, you have Premier Balls and all the Berries in your arsenal, including the new Golden Razz Berry. Then it's up to you to add the curves, medals, and throw bonuses you need to get the catch. Here's how!
Update: There's a theory going around that Nanab Berry can help catch Legendary Pokémon!
Nanab Berry stop the most vigorous motions of a Pokémon, theoretically making them easier to hit. Problem is, most people don't have a hard time hitting Pokémon — it's getting them to stay in the Ball afterwards that's hard. That's made Nanab Berry the butt of all Poké Jokes for a while, and the go-to berry for feeding or dumping to free up storage space.
Now, though, there may be reason to use at least ONE Nanab Berry to catch a Raid Boss in general, and a Legendary Raid Boss in particular. From Reddit:
Unverified theory. Nanab appears to have a lasting effect. I nanab first throw to reduce animations which increases the likelihood that I hit on subsequent throws. Golden razz each throw afterwards. Capture chance on any hit>Capture chance on any missed throw.
Don't do it if you're worried about wasting that throw. But, if you're adventurous, give it a try and see how it works for you!
TL;DR: How do you catch the Raid Boss in Pokémon Go?
Raid Bosses are really hard to catch and Legendary Raid Bosses double so. So, you probably won't catch every one you face. To increase your odds:
- ABC. Always be curving. Once you can nail Curve Ball every time, you'll get a 1.7x bonus every time.
- Max out your medals. Some are easier to get than others but once you get them, it's an automatic 1.1x to 1.3x bonus to your catch.
- Play patient. Raid bosses defend better than normal Pokémon, so wait until 3/4 of the way through their attack animation and then make your catch. You should hit just as the ring appears.
- Consistency counts. Aim for the smallest throw bonus you can nail every time. If that's Nice, it's nice. If that's Great or Excellent, even nicer. But better the bonus you get then one you miss, and every extra 1.3 to 2x counts.
- Go Golden: You'll get Golden Razz Berries every time you win a raid, so don't be afraid to use them. They're a 2.5x bonus and can make a big difference.
- Keep hitting. Your chance to catch with any one Premier Ball is low but your chance to catch with multiple Premier Ball hits over multiple Raids becomes close to a statistical sure thing. So never give up!
How do you beat the Legendary and standard Raid Bosses in Pokémon Go?
Before you can try and catch a Legendary or standard Raid Boss in Pokémon Go, you have to win the Legendary or standard Raid Battle. When you win, in addition to items like Golden Razz Berry, Rare Candy, and Fast TM and Charge TM Technical Machines, you're given an amount of Premier Balls.
How to beat regular Raid Bosses in Pokémon Go
How to beat Legendary Raid Bosses in Pokémon Go
What are Premier Balls?
Premier Balls are a type of Poké Ball that you can only get from winning Raid Battles and can only be used to try and catch the Raid Boss.
How many Premier Balls do you get?
When you beat a Battle Raid you get 5 Premier Balls, and a number of additional balls that depend on a few factors:
- Damage (up to +3): The more damage you did to the Raid Boss, the more Premier Balls.
- Gym Control (up to +2): If the Gym is owned by your team at the time the Raid starts, the more Premier Balls you get. (Though this is currently incredibly glitchy and often isn't honored.)
- Contribution by Team (up to +3): If your team contributed the most towards beating the Raid Boss, you get more balls.
What's the maximum amount of Premier Balls you can get?
Per the numbers above, the most I've ever gotten is 13. The least is 5.
What about for Legendary Raids?
Same.
Seriously.
How good are Premier Balls? Are they Ultra Ball good?
Alas, no. Premier Balls are equivalent to regular Poké Balls, no more, no less. That means they don't give you any extra bonus when trying to catch a Raid Boss.
What they do is give you chances. You can only use Premier Balls to catch Raid Bosses. You get them by winning Raid Battles and, when you're out, the Raid Boss flees.
Can you switch to Great Balls or Ultra Balls to catch the Raid Boss?
No. Premiere Balls are all you get.
Can you at least get a Critical Catch on a Raid Boss?
You can! Even a Legendary! One shot, instant catch. But Critical Catches still appear to be random and extremely rare.
Can you use Berries on Raid Bosses?
You can! Here's the rundown:
- Nanab Berry: Reduces how much the Pokémon moves around, making it easier to hit.
- Pinap Berry: Doubles the candy you get if you successfully catch the Pokémon.
- Razz Berry: Increases the catch rate by 1.5x. So, a 10% chance would become a 15% chance.
- Golden Razz Berry: Increases the catch rate by 2.5x. So, a 10% chance would become a 25% chance.
Be wary of Nanab Berries. Even though Raid Bosses move more, you can time your shot for roughly 3/4 of the way through the attack animation and still hit consistently.
Pinap Berries are worth a try, especially if you want candy as much or more than the catch. Since you should have between a half dozen and a dozen Premiere Balls, if you can hit consistently, you might want to use a Pinap first and see if you can score.
Razz Berries aren't as good as Golden Razz Berries, but if they're all you have, they're all you have.
Golden Razz Berries should be your usual go-to.
Where are the Golden Razz Berries hiding?
Off screen, weirdly. You need to pull up the Berry selector and then swipe from left to right to access Golden Razz Berries. It'd be great if Pokémon Go added some visual hint that gold lurked just to the left...
If you have Premiere Balls left over after you catch the Raid Boss, do you get to keep them for the next Raid Boss?
Alas, no. Any unused Premiere Balls disappear after you catch the Raid Boss.
How hard are Raid Bosses to catch?
Update: As of July 25, Pokémon Go has increased the base catch rate for the Legendary Birds — Articuno, Moltres, and Zapdos — from 2% to 3%. So, if you hit five times with all bonuses and Great throws, that raises the effective catch rate from 50% to 65%.
Hard! They move more, defend better, and have a lower catch rate than the typical Pokémon you find in the wild.
Here's what GamePress lists at the base catch rates for Raid Bosses. These get reduced by the Pokémon's level — in this case, level 20 for all Raid Bosses in the catch phase — and increased by bonuses including Razz Berry (x1.5) and Golden Razz Berry (x2.5), curve balls (x1.7), gold medal(s) (x1.3), and Excellent throw bonus (x1.87 average).
| Tier | Raid Boss | Catch Rate | With Razz | With Golden | With Max |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Magikarp | 70% | |||
| 1 | Bayleef | 12.5% | |||
| 1 | Quilava | 12.5% | |||
| 1 | Croconaw | 12.5% | |||
| 2 | Muk | 20% | |||
| 2 | Exeggutor | 20% | |||
| 2 | Weezing | 20% | |||
| 2 | Electabuzz | 20% | |||
| 2 | Magmar | 20% | |||
| 3 | Arcanine | 10% | |||
| 3 | Alakazam | 10% | |||
| 3 | Machamp | 10% | |||
| 3 | Gengar | 10% | |||
| 3 | Vaporeon | 12.5% | |||
| 3 | Jolteon | 12.5% | |||
| 3 | Flareon | 12.5% | |||
| 4 | Venusaur | 5% | |||
| 4 | Charizard | 5% | |||
| 4 | Blastoise | 5% | |||
| 4 | Rhydon | 5% | |||
| 4 | Lapras | 5% | |||
| 4 | Snorlax | 5% | |||
| 4 | Tyranitar | 5% | |||
| 5 | Articuno | 3% | |||
| 5 | Moltres | 3% | |||
| 5 | Zapdos | 3% | |||
| 5 | Lugia | 2% |
Do you have to use Curve Balls?
No, but you should. According to Gamepress, Curve Balls give you a bonus of 1.7x, which is more than using a Great Ball. So, ABC — Always Be Curving!
- Curve Premiere Ball: x1.7
- Curve Premiere Ball with Razz Berry: x2.55
- Curve Premiere Ball with Golden Razz Berry: x4.25
How do Throw Bonuses factor in?
Those colored target rings that appear on Pokémon and then slowly shrink in size reward accuracy. Hit inside that circle and you'll get a bonus. The circles shrink smoothly but there are three distinct levels for bonuses:
- Large target: Nice!
- Medium target: Great!
- Tiny target: Excellent
When you nail one, you'll get a Nice! Great! or Excellent! acknowledgment on screen. Just like the targets shrink smoothly, so do the bonuses increase smoothly. The smaller the target you hit, the higher the bonus you get.
According to Gamepress, the range is between 1x for barely making the target at all to 2x for nailing it dead center. Here's how they break down:
- Nice: 1x to 1.3x
- Great: 1.3 to 1.7x
- Excellent: 1.7 to 2x.
So, you should always aim for Excellent?
Yes and no. If you're Bullseye, Hawkeye, the Green Arrow, or otherwise have perfect aim and timing and can nail Excellent every time, sure. Go for it. Enjoy the bonus. If you miss a little or a lot, though, you get no bonus.
When you factor in just how much Raid Bosses jump and attack, which disrupts the target, with Curve Balls, which you want to throw, and the different distances required for different Raid Bosses, it can be a lot to process. Start slow and low and work your way up.
In other words, you're better off aiming for Great if you can hit it consistently than Excellent if you can't, and Nice is better than Great if you miss that more than you hit.
Does the color of the target ring reflect the real-time catch rate?
yes, but Raid Bosses are among the hardest Pokémon to catch, so you won't see too much variation in the colors.
- Reddish: "0"-20%
- Orangish: 20-40%
How do Medal Bonuses work?
Medal bonuses work based on type. Each type has a different medal associated with it and you get type medals for catching large numbers of each type:
- Bronze: 10 Pokémon of the same type.
- Silver: 50 Pokémon of the same type.
- Gold: 200 Pokémon of the same type.
According to Gamepress, each level gives you a bonus:
- Bronze: 1.1x
- Silver: 1.2x
- Gold: 1.3x
Some Pokémon have two types, for example fire and flying. In those cases, if you're at different medal levels for each type, you have to average the bonus.
- None / None: 1x
- None / Bronze: 1.05x
- None / Silver: 1.1x
- None / Gold: 1.15x
- Bronze / Bronze: 1.1x
- Bronze / Silver: 1.15x
- Bronze / Gold: 1.2x
- Silver / Silver: 1.2x
- Silver / Gold: 1.25x
- Gold / Gold: 1.3x
How to get every medal in Pokémon Go
What medals do you need for the Raid Bosses in Pokémon Go?
Ideally, you want gold medals for all the Pokémon Go Raid Boss types.
| Tier | Raid Boss | Type | Medal |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Magikarp | Water | Swimmer |
| 1 | Bayleef | Grass | Gardner |
| 1 | Quilava | Fire | Kindler |
| 1 | Croconaw | Water | Swimmer |
| 2 | Muk | Poison | Punk Girl |
| 2 | Exeggutor | Grass / Psychic | Gardener / Psychic |
| 2 | Weezing | Poison | Punk Girl |
| 2 | Electabuzz | Electric | Rocker |
| 2 | Magmar | Fire | Kindler |
| 3 | Arcanine | Fire | Kindler |
| 3 | Alakazam | Alakazam | Psychic |
| 3 | Machamp | Fighter | Black Belt |
| 3 | Gengar | Ghost / Poison | Hex Maniac |
| 3 | Vaporeon | Water | Swimmer |
| 3 | Jolteon | Electric | Rocker |
| 3 | Flareon | Fire | Kindler |
| 4 | Venusaur | Grass | Gardner |
| 4 | Charizard | Fire / Flying | Kindler / Bird Keeper |
| 4 | Blastoise | Water | Swimmer |
| 4 | Rhydon | Ground / Rock | Ruin Maniac / Hiker |
| 4 | Lapras | Ice / Water | Skier / Swimmer |
| 4 | Snorlax | Normal | School Kid] |
| 4 | Tyranitar | Dark / Rock | Delinquent / Hiker |
That's a lot of numbers, how does it all come together?
Let's say you want to catch a Snorlax Raid Boss. Without any modifiers, your odds would be:
- 5%
If you use a Golden Razz Berry, have the Normal-type gold medal, use a curve ball, and get an excellent throw, your odds become:
- 5% x 2.5 x 1.3 x 1.7 x 1.85 = 51.1%
That matches my experience of catching roughly half the Tier 4 Raid Bosses I've encountered.
What about for Legendary Raid bosses?
Let's say you want to catch an Lugia. With no modifiers, your chance would be:
- 2%
If you use a Golden Razz Berry, have the Ice-type and Flying-type gold medal, use a curve ball, and get an excellent throw, your odds become:
- 2 x. 2.5 x 1.3 x 1.7 x 1.85 = 20.66%
Again, that matches my experience of about 1/5 people at any Legendary Raid getting the catch.
Does the amount of Premier Balls you have increase your chances?
Math is strange and wonderful. Each ball, assuming you hit the Raid Boss, gives you the same chance to catch it. So, if you have a 20% chance, each ball would only ever give you that 20% chance, no more, no less.
The odds of you not getting that 20%, however, go down with every ball. So, if you only have one ball, the odds of you making the catch are still 20%. If you have 10 balls, the odds of you making the catch with any one of those balls is cumulatively much higher.
Likewise if you do more raids.
Your chances of getting Lugia may start at around 14% for a great shot with a single Premier Ball, but it goes to over 60% if you consistently hit with all the Premier Balls you get, and to over 100% if yo do four or more Raid Battles.
In other words, do as many raids as you can, get as many balls as you can, and make your shots as consistently as you can.
TL;DR again: How do you catch the Raid Boss in Pokémon Go?
Raid Bosses are really hard to catch, so you probably won't catch every one you face. To increase your odds:
- ABC. Always be curving. Once you can nail Curve Ball every time, you'll get a 1.7x bonus every time.
- Max out your medals. Some are easier to get than others but once you get them, it's an automatic 1.1x to 1.3x bonus to your catch.
- Play patient. Raid bosses defend better than normal Pokémon, so wait until 3/4 of the way through their attack animation and then make your catch. You should hit just as the ring appears.
- Consistency counts. Aim for the smallest throw bonus you can nail every time. If that's Nice, it's nice. If that's Great or Excellent, even nicer. But better the bonus you get then one you miss, and every extra 1.3 to 2x counts.
- Go Golden: You'll get Golden Razz Berries every time you win a raid, so don't be afraid to use them. They're a 2.5x bonus and can make a big difference.
- Keep hitting. Your chance to catch with any one Premier Ball is low but your chance to catch with multiple Premier Ball hits over multiple Raids becomes close to a statistical sure thing. So never give up!
Any Legendary or standard Raid Boss catching questions?
If you stack your bonuses right, you have a higher probability of catching any Raid Bosses, even Legendary . But you have to stack. If you have any questions, drop them in the comments below!
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