How to get Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre in Pokémon Go, including counters and weaknesses

How to get Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre in Pokémon Go

To get Primal Groudon or Primal Kyogre in Pokémon Go, you need to perform Primal Reversion on a Groudon or Kyogre after collecting the correct amount of Primal Energy. It is fundamentally the same as performing a Mega Evolution except the name is different and it’s a process exclusive to two Pokémon.

Like with Mega Energy, you will need to collect the Primal Energy exclusive to either Groudon or Kyogre to perform a Primal Reversion. This means you cannot use Primal Energy collected from a Primal Kyogre raid to perform a Primal Reversion on Groudon.

It will cost your 400 Primal Energy to conduct Primal Reversion on either a Groudon or Kyogre for the first time.

Primal Reversion can be conducted from the Pokémon storage, raid lobbies and when you’re preparing for a battle.

Groudon or Kyogre will then stay in their Primal Form for eight hours, unless you perform a Primal Reversion on another Pokémon.

Once these eight hours have passed, the Groudon or Kyogre in question will revert to their original forms and enter a rest period. During this time, the amount of Primal Energy required for Primal Reversion will gradually decrease until it reaches an amount determined by the Pokémon’s Primal Level.

To raise a Groudon or Kyogre’s Primal Level you need to conduct Primal Reversion on them a certain number of times, which we’ve listed below:

• Base – 1 Primal Reversions
• High – 7 Primal Reversions
• Max – 30 Primal Reversions

You can check a Groudon or Kyogre’s Primal Level by visiting their page in your Pokémon storage.

As this Primal Level rises, the amount of Primal Energy required for the reversion decreases:

• Base – 80 Primal Energy (7 day rest period)
• High – 40 Primal Energy (5 day rest period)
• Max – 20 Primal Energy (3 day rest period)

It’s important to note that the above only applies to a single Groudon or Kyogre and not every Groudon or Kyogre you have in your collection. This means, for example, if you raise one Groudon’s Primal Level to High, but then decide to switch to another Groudon, you’ll have to use 400 Primal Energy to conduct its first Primal Reversion.

Once in their Primal forms, Groudon and Kyogre’s CP Level will be greatly increased along with their Attack, Defence and Stamina stats. You’ll also enjoy a variety of bonuses from them being in their Primal Forms, which will increase as their Primal Level does.

If you’d like to learn more about the Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre bonuses, then visit the dedicated section in this guide.

When it comes to battling with your Primal Pokémon, you can use them in Gym battles, raids, Team Go Rocket battles, Trainer battles and Team Leader battles. You cannot use either Primal Pokémon to defend Gyms, in the Go Battle League outside of events or power them up.

The first time you conduct a Primal Reversion on either Primal Groudon or Primal Kyogre, this form will be added to the Mega and Primal section of your Pokédex.

Finally, it’s also possible to use Primal Reversion on a shiny Groudon and shiny Kyogre!

Pokémon Go Primal Groudon counters, weaknesses and CP level

Below you’ll find Primal Groudon’s counters and weaknesses in Pokémon Go:

• Primal Groudon Raid CP – 92,860
• Primal Groudon type – Ground and Fire-type
• Primal Groudon is double-weak against – Water-type attacks
• Primal Groudon is weak against – Ground-type attacks
• Primal Groudon resistances – Electric, Bug, Fairy, Fire, Poison and Steel-types
• Best Primal Groudon Mega counters – Primal Kyogre with Origin Pulse is your best option here, followed by Mega Swampert with Hydro Cannon. After this, there’s a large drop-off to Mega Gyarados, so focus on these two if you can.
• Best Primal Groudon counters – Kyogre, of course, is once again your best bet, followed by Gyarados, Swampert, Feraligatr, Greninja and Samurott.
• Players to beat Primal Groudon – You want a minimum group size of five Level 40 trainers with maxed out counters. Ideally, you should be aiming for around 12 Trainers if you want an easy time fighting Primal Groudon.
• Tactics – Primal Groudon is no joke – you absolutely need to focus on that Water-type weakness if you want an easy time here. So, get a couple of friends, set your Primal Kyogre to first and then bring all of your strongest Water-type attackers!

Pokémon Go Primal Kyogre counters, weaknesses and CP level

Here are Primal Kyogre’s counters and weaknesses in Pokémon Go:

• Primal Kyogre Raid CP – 92,860
• Primal Kyogre type – Water
• Primal Kyogre is weak against – Grass and Electric-type attacks
• Primal Kyogre resistances – Fire, Ice, Steel and Water-type attacks
• Best Primal Kyogre Mega counters – Mega Sceptile, Mega Rayquaza and Mega Venusaur are your top-three options, with Mega Sceptile offering the best results.
• Best Primal Kyogre counters – Zarude, Zekrom, Shadow Raikou (don’t bother with the regular one), Xurkitree and Kartana are our best bets here. Beyond that, you’re looking at your strongest Shadows with Grass and Electric-type attacks, and a lot of Max Potions.
• Players to beat Primal Kyogre – You want a minimum group size of five Level 40 trainers with maxed out counters. Ideally, you should be aiming for around 13 Trainers if you want an easy time fighting Primal Groudon.
• Tactics – Primal Kyogre is even more difficult than Primal Groudon, as it has no double-weakness. It can be taken down with a group of five, but this is still no easy task. This really is a 'the more the merrier' situation. Load up on Mega Sceptile and your strongest attackers above, and be ready to swap to a second team/throw around Max Potions if your team all bites the dust.

Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre bonuses in Pokémon Go

By performing Primal Reversion you’ll receive a number of bonuses during the eight hours Primal Groudon or Primal Kyogre are active in Pokémon Go. The exact bonuses you receive, however, are tied to the Pokémon’s Primal Level, which increases every time you conduct Primal Reversion upon them.

If you want to check a Groudon or Kyogre’s Primal Level, along with the bonuses it provides, then visit their page in your Pokémon storage and select the Primal Level icon.

It’s important to note that, while not listed below, Primal Reversion will greatly increase a Groudon or Kyogre’s CP Level, along with its Attack, Defence and Stamina stats.

Primal Groudon bonuses

Below you’ll find the bonuses Primal Groudon will grant you organised by the levels they unlock:

Base Level Bonuses

• Catch Candy bonus
• Boosts Fire, Grass and Ground-type attacks in raids
• 7-Day rest period for Primal Reversion
• 80 Primal Energy required for Primal Reversion

High Level Bonuses

• Catch Candy bonus
• Great Candy XL chance
• Catch XP bonus
• Boosts Fire, Grass and Ground-type attacks in raids
• 5-Day rest period for Primal Reversion
• 40 Primal Energy required for Primal Reversion

Max Level Bonuses

• Enhanced Catch Candy bonus
• Excellent Candy XL chance
• Enhanced Catch XP bonus
• Boosts Fire, Grass and Ground-type attacks in raids
• 3-Day rest period for Primal Reversion
• 20 Primal Energy required for Primal Reversion

Primal Kyogre bonuses

Here are the bonuses Primal Kyogre will provide organised by the levels they unlock:

Base Level Bonuses

• Catch Candy bonus
• Boosts Electric, Water and Bug-type attacks in raids
• 7-Day rest period for Primal Reversion
• 80 Primal Energy required for Primal Reversion

High Level Bonuses

• Catch Candy bonus
• Great Candy XL chance
• Catch XP bonus
• Boosts Electric, Water and Bug-type attacks in raids
• 5-Day rest period for Primal Reversion
• 40 Primal Energy required for Primal Reversion

Max Level Bonuses

• Enhanced Catch Candy bonus
• Excellent Candy XL chance
• Enhanced Catch XP bonus
• Boosts Electric, Water and Bug-type attacks in raids
• 3-Day rest period for Primal Reversion
• 20 Primal Energy required for Primal Reversion

Remember – you only receive these bonuses during the eight hours in which Groudon and Kyogre are in their Primal forms. If you perform a Primal Reversion on another Pokémon, then these bonuses will either change – if you go from Primal Groudon to Primal Kyogre – or the hidden timer on these bonuses will reset.

Which is better: Primal Groudon or Primal Kyogre in Pokémon Go?

Aside from how to get them, the big question surrounding Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre in Pokémon Go is which one is better?

When it comes to which is better in the terms of CP and stats, the rather unhelpful answer is that they’re both as powerful as each other. This means they’re both powerful forces in raids and whatever battle you put them in, so you’re safe to focus on whichever Primal legendary you prefer!

Below you’ll find the max CP Level and stats for both Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre if you’re interested:

• Max CP Level – 6,672
• Max Attack Stat – 353
• Max Defence Stat – 268
• Max Stamina Stat – 218

If you’d prefer to use Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre for their bonuses, then, this again comes down to personal preference. If you prefer to use Fire-types in raids, then you’ll want to focus on Primal Groudon, but, if you’re a Water-type user like Misty, then Primal Kyogre is the way to go.

If you’re aiming to collect enough Primal Energy for both forms during the Go Tour: Hoenn event, however, we do recommend focusing on Primal Kyogre first. This is because Primal Groudon is especially weak to Water-type Pokémon, which is Primal Kyogre’s only type. With this Pokémon on your team, you’ll be a great contribution to any Primal Groudon raid and, with a faster win, comes more Primal Energy!

Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre featured attacks in Pokémon Go

Any Groudon or Kyogre you catch after successfully completing a Primal Raid during the Pokémon Go Tour: Hoenn will know an event-exclusive move and this means, if you conduct Primal Reversion on them, Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre will know it too!

Groudon will know the event-exclusive Precipice Blade – a ground-type charged attack – which will have the following power levels:

• Trainer Battles – 130 power
• Gyms and Raids – 130 power

Kyogre, meanwhile, will know Origin Pulse – a water-type charged attack – which will have the following power levels:

• Trainer Battles – 130 power
• Gyms and Raids – 130 power

It’s important to note that only Groudons and Kyogres caught during either the Go Tour: Hoenn Global and Las Vegas events will know these featured attacks.

The Max Out Season is here and includes a new global event, Wild Area, and the current 2024 Halloween event brings us Morpeko and the Halloween cup. 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.

Everything else we know about Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre

Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre were introduced into the Pokémon universe in Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire – the 3DS remakes of the original Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire games on the Game Boy Advance.

The term ‘Primal’ refers to how the Pokémon have returned to their original, but now, ancient forms by absorbing the power of nature to restore their true power.

To conduct Primal Reversion in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, you need one of two orbs – the Blue Orb for Primal Kyogre and the Red Orb for Primal Groudon. When holding the correct orb, the legendary will revert to their Primal form and, in doing so, their stats will increase.

Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre will, most likely, be the only Primal Pokémon in the franchise due to the mechanic being removed from the mainline game series when Pokémon Sword and Shield were released. This is because Primal Reversion is essentially a special version of Mega Evolution and the series now tries to bring in a new Pokémon mechanic, such as Terastal Pokémon in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, with each new instalment.

Hope you enjoy battling alongside, or against, Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre!