How to get Legendary Pokémon in Pokémon GO

Whenever you finish the main story campaign in a Pokémon game, your next object is almost always to track down and catch all of the Legendary Pokémon. You can’t deny the appeal of catching the only member of a Pokémon species in the entire world (even if that appeal is soured somewhat by the knowledge that everyone else with the game also has one). Since Pokémon GO quite literally encompasses the entire, actual world, however, it works a little bit differently from the regular games. Here’s how to get Legendary Pokémon in Pokémon GO.

Unlike in the mainline games, Legendary Pokémon in Pokémon GO don’t appear in a single static spot, nor do they roam around. Could you imagine if Mewtwo only spawned in New York City or something? It’d be an invitation to chaos.

How to get Legendary Pokémon in Pokémon GO

In Pokémon GO, the only way to obtain Legendary Pokémon is to find them in five-star Raids, defeat them, and catch them in the ensuing catch encounter. 

You can tell when a Legendary five-star Raid is about to go down, because the Raid Egg that appears above the projected Raid zone will be dark blue in coloration. Once that egg hatches, it’s a free-for-all to take it down first. You can assemble large Raid parties to coordinate its defeat, and if you’re part of the team that ultimately does it, everyone will get a crack at catching it.

After winning the Raid, the catch encounter will begin immediately. Legendary Pokémon have extremely low base catch rates, around 3%, so you’re gonna want to use every trick in the book to make it more amenable to being caught. Increase its affinity with golden Razz Berries, use high-level Poké Balls like Ultra Balls, and if you’re confident in your aim, try to throw a curveball. With any luck, when the ball hits, the Legendary will stay put, and you’ll bag it.