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How to get Galarian Articuno, Galarian Zapdos and Galarian Moltres in Pokémon Go

Let's hope luck is on your side...

Galarian Articuno, Galarian Zapdos and Galarian Moltres made a surprise debut in Pokémon Go in July 2022.

Legendaries rarely make an appearance in the wild in Pokémon Go - they usually debut in raids, with Lake Guardians Uxie, Mesprit or Azelf being a notable exception - and all three can appear when using the Daily Adventure Incense feature.

Be warned - not only are all three rare spawns, but are all incredibly hard to catch. Best of luck with your hunt!

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How to get Galarian Articuno, Galarian Zapdos and Galarian Moltres in Pokémon Go

Finding Galarian Articuno, Galarian Zapdos and Galarian Moltres in Pokémon Go is quite simple in principle - you have to use the Daily Adventure Incense, a feature which sees additional Pokémon spawn outside of the current season or event specific pool of creatures.

Among them are these three Galarian Legendary forms, but the chances of them appearing are rare. If they don't appear within a single Daily Adventure Incense session - which only lasts 15 minutes - then you have to wait until the following day.

Remember to keep moving during the period, and your eyes peeled on the Incense spawns, and hope one appears.

You can see one spawning from around the 3:30 minute mark in this video by MYSTLC 17 on YouTube:

Finding one of the three is your the first step - you then need to catch them...


The Season of Rising Heroes is here! Currently the A Valorous Hero event is running, bringing with it Mega Pinsir and the A Valorous Hero special research quest. The new Grass and Gratitude quest allows you to catch a mythical Shaymin! A new Team Go Rocket quest - From The Shadows - has been released, along with a shake up of the Giovanni and Team Go Rocket Leaders lineups. As you continue your Pokémon Go adventure, make sure to battle in the new Go Battle League season. Don't forget to take a look at the Remote Raid Passes changes or, if you purchased it, work on the Masterwork Research: Wish Granted quest. Elsewhere, be sure to use Daily Adventure Incense for the chance of encountering Galarian Articuno, Galarian Zapdos and Galarian Moltres. This incense may also give you encounters with other rare Pokémon in Pokémon Go.


Galarian Articuno, Galarian Zapdos and Galarian Moltres catch rate and flee rate

Not only are the three Galarian Legendary birds rare spawns when using the special Incense, but their catch rates and flee rates are rather extreme.

Reports from the community suggest a base catch rate of 0.3%, and a flee rate of 90% - making them incredibly hard to catch. (Thanks HQna on the Silph Road reddit for these figures.)

To put this into context, the base catch rate is 2% for Legendary raids - and they won't flee until you have exhausted all the Premier Balls.

There are of course additional modifiers to improve your chances - the use of a Razz Berry, curveball and great or excellent throws as well as a catch bonus from medals for their respective type will help - but with the high flee rate, you have to essentially be successful in the first or second throw before they disappear. This puts these three among the rarest Pokemon in the game.

Considering the surprise nature of how the Galarian birds were added, their rarity in spawning and the low catch rate and high flee rate, it's possible it's all designed for them not to be caught by the vast majority of players, and are designed to hype up their appearance before a more 'straightforward' release in the future.

That's our speculation of course - it's also very likely it will be the only way they appear, and are to simply encourage players to regularly use the Daily Adventure Incense feature. (And if so, it's possible a future event could adjust these rates to make them easier for a limit period - similar to how shiny Meltan gets promoted a couple of times per year. Again, just guesswork on our part - but could be worth keeping in mind if you are becoming frustrated with catching them.)

Niantic has yet to comment on their appearance either way - but know they are in the game, and despite the odds, they can be caught with enough luck on your side.

Galarian Articuno, Galarian Zapdos and Galarian Moltres differences

If you are unfamilar with the main games - specifically the Crown Tundra DLC in Sword and Shield - these birds not only have radically different appearances, but also have changes to their traditional Ice, Electric and Fire typing:

  • Galarian Articuno type: Psychic and Flying
  • Galarian Zapdos type: Fighting and Flying
  • Galarian Moltres type: Dark and Flying
Galarian Articuno, Galarian Zapdos and Galarian Moltres in Pokémon Sword and Shield

Though Flying remains, all three have completely different types to their original counterparts. You can likely use this to your advantage in Go Battle League, as it's possible rival players won't be immediately familar with these changes until it's too late. (On the flipside, it also means different weaknesses - so scrub up on that before you put them into battle!)

This also means different movesets to suit their respective types, too - in short, making them completely different Pokémon. Having only just debuted, how all three compare to the best Pokémon of their type has yet to be seen - but since Legendaries are amongst the best of their types, we imagine they will perform very well.

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About the Author
Matthew Reynolds avatar

Matthew Reynolds

Contributor

Matthew Reynolds edited guides and other helpful things at Eurogamer from 2010 - 2023. When he wasn't doing that, he was out and about playing Pokémon Go or continuing to amass his amiibo collection.

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