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.
In October 2024, the shiny version of Galarian Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres were added to Pokémon Go as part of the Galarian Expedition event! The method of catching these shiny forms, however, is the same as their traditional forms so best of luck!
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. If you're really lucky, you might even encounter a shiny Galarian legendary bird.
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 Max Out Season is here. The new global event, Wild Area, is nearly here and In the Wild is our lead-up event, which includes the global release of Toxel. You can now catch Dynamax Pokémon through Max Battles. First, however, you need to visit Power Spots to collect Max Particles and complete the To the Max! quest. Don't forget to try out Routes, Gift Exchange and Party Play while you're hunting down rare Pokémon, fighting in the Go Battle League or competing in PokéStop Showcases.
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. Keep in mind that encountering their shiny forms is even harder.
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
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.
Interestingly, their shiny forms reflect the colourings the Kanto version of the legendary birds have.