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Fueled by nostalgia, Pokemon GO, Niantic’s game from 2016, has brought our favorite tiny creatures into our world with the help of AR gaming, and today, many childhood dreams of becoming the ultimate Pokemon trainers can come true.
However, things are easier said than done. With each update, the game keeps introducing newer and rare Pokemon, making the dream of scratching everything off the Pokemon GO rarity list and completing your Pokedex more challenging than ever.
That’s why today, we’ll explore the rarest Pokemon to catch in Pokemon GO, detailing their characteristics and habitats and providing some of the most vital tips for completing your Pokedex.
Rare Pokemon are unique in-game creatures that are far more challenging to catch than regular ones. Niantic has been adding such Pokemon since 2016, and today’s Pokemon GO rarity list contains dozens of creatures exclusive to specific regions, catchable during particular time-limited events, or only obtainable through hatching.
Most rare Pokemon GO creatures are elusive and can only be encountered if a player meets all the necessary conditions. These rare critters are far more challenging to obtain than regular main-game Pokemon. That’s often due to their location, climate, time needed to acquire them, and trainer’s level. Depending on these factors, the rarest legendaries in Pokemon GO come in different rarity tiers.
Usually, critters from Pokemon GO’s rarity list can be divided into three tiers, which tell a lot about the Pokemon’s rarity. These rarity tiers include the following:
Depending on their tier list, most rare Pokemon GO creatures can only be captured during special events, whose difficulty increases with increased rarity tiers.
Now that we know more about the types of rare Pokemon, we’ll also dive into the actual rarest in-game creatures and show you where to find them and how to catch them. Without further ado, these are the rarest Pokemon in 2024:
While our list only contains X, there are numerous other rare critters in the game, but they’ve proved they’re a bit easier to catch than the Pokemon mentioned above.
While a certain dose of luck undoubtedly goes into catching the rarest Pokemon GO critters, some Pokemon captures also require player skill and knowledge. Building these up can be pretty challenging, but we’ve also compiled a list of tips you can follow that might make the entire thing a bit easier.
Your trainer level plays a pivotal role in catching rare Pokemon. The higher your in-game level, the higher your chances of encountering rare creatures and adding them to your Pokedex. That’s why your primary focus should be leveling up your character by completing research quests and even using Lucky Eggs for their highly appreciated XP boost.
Deploying a Lure Module on a PokeStop benefits every player and helps you attract more Pokemon, some of which might end up being the rarest legendary Pokemon GO critters. Similarly, using Incense, especially in more rural areas where Pokemon don’t often appear, is a fantastic item for attracting Pokemon to your location. If you’re lucky, you’ll attract exactly the one you’re searching for.
Another item that massively boosts your chances of encountering rare Pokemon GO creatures is the Daily Adventure Incense. Using the item gives you a 15-minute window with significantly better chances for discovering and capturing some of the rarest legendaries in Pokemon GO, including critters like Jangmo-o and Tirtouga or Galarian Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres.
While trading was introduced two years after the game’s initial release in 2016, today, it represents one of the top strategies for obtaining the rarest legendary Pokemon GO creatures. As long as you’re in range of a person you’re trading with, you can trade even the rarest critters like legendary Pokemon or regionally exclusive ones, which makes trading perfect for completing your Pokedex.
Eggs in Pokemon GO are another fantastic strategy for obtaining elusive Pokemon and the only way to catch creatures that don’t spawn in your specific area. While costly, most Pokemon GO enthusiasts prioritize 12 km eggs, with 10km ones following closely behind.
7 km eggs are in the middle of the road, where it’s worth checking the egg pool before you decide to hatch one, and most players agree that 5km and 2km eggs aren’t worth your time and effort, as they don’t offer the most rare Pokemon GO creatures.
Special in-game events represent a perfect opportunity to find rare Pokemon. During these, players can discover countless costume Pokemon with unique costumes that vary from event to event. Examples include party-hat Raichu, armored Mewtwo, flying Pikachu, New Year’s Hoothoot, etc.
At the same time, special events are excellent for finding legendary Pokemon like Unown or finding special research quests that are only available during these events. With these in their inventories, players can work on finally catching mythical Pokemon, especially if they live in an area with fewer raids.
As mentioned, special research quests, like the ones you get during the game’s special events, are among the only ways to find and capture mythical Pokemon like Mew or Shadow variants of various Pokemon. You’ll need to stay on top of your game and complete these as often as possible if you want to capture these types of Pokemon and add them to your rare Pokedex collection.
If you’re struggling to catch a particular Pokemon, including the rarest legendaries in Pokemon GO, using a Master Ball can immensely help during your fights. These Master Balls are the rarest and most potent types of Poke Balls in the game, and they offer a guarantee when catching these tiny creatures.
However, since Master Balls are pretty rare and only obtainable through long special research quests and custom events, you’ll need to be very selective about using one. Once you throw a Master Ball, you’ll catch the Pokemon, but the ball is gone forever.
All in-game creatures carry a Catch Bonus medal, which can be remarkably helpful when looking for rare Pokemon of the same type as your medals. Going after low-level Pokemon of a specific type will grant you countless Catch Bonus medals for that type of Pokemon, regardless of their rarity. You can then level up these medals, and they’ll increase your Catch Bonus rating with each level, helping you in future battles against rare Pokemon of that same type.
Raids are a fantastic way to obtain rare Pokemon, but many players live in areas where raids are infrequent or there aren’t enough players to create one. However, Pokemon GO has introduced Remote Raid Passes into the game, which lets players join remote five-star raids from across the world and hunt for the rarest legendaries in Pokemon GO.
While these Remote Raid Passes are expensive, you can get them by earning PokeCoin from keeping your Pokemon in Gyms, where you can quickly obtain 100 PokeCoin necessary for a Remote Raid Pass.
The rarest legendaries in Pokemon GO can be incredibly challenging to catch, as some are only obtainable through hatching. In contrast, others require unique in-game events and special research quests, and a third group only spawns in specific locations around the globe. As a result, players’ strategies often depend on whether they’re after costume critters, legendaries, or mythical Pokemon.
However, strategies like leveling up your character, using Incense, Lure Modules, and Daily Adventure Incense, trading, hatching eggs, participating in custom in-game events, obtaining Remote Raid Passes, leveling up your Catch Bonus medals, using Master Balls, and completing special research quests remain the best strategies for hunting these pesky creatures.
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