In an unprecedented move, this year’s Pokémon GO Fest’s raids will give players a shot at capturing every legendary Pokémon that’s ever appeared in the game, helping trainers fill out some of the rarest gaps in their Pokédexes.
“We’ve received reports that every Legendary Pokémon discovered in Pokémon GO so far will be appearing in five-star raids during Pokémon GO Fest 2021!” Niantic announced today. “Please note that it might be challenging to battle and catch every Legendary Pokémon in the allotted time frame, so plan accordingly!” It’s not yet clear what the narrative explanation behind this move is, but the game’s developers said more will be revealed on the day of the event.
Pokémon GO Fest 2021 is set to run from July 17 to 18, with raid day taking place that Sunday between 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. local time. Here’s Niantic’s guide to when each legendary Pokemon can be captured:
During Wind Hour, occurring from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. local time, Mewtwo, Ho-Oh, Latias, Latios, Regigigas, Altered Forme Giratina, Cresselia, and Therian Forme Tornadus will be appearing in five-star raids.
During Lava Hour, occurring from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. local time, Moltres, Entei, Regirock, Groudon, Heatran, Reshiram, Therian Forme Landorus, and Yveltal will be appearing in five-star raids.
During Frost Hour, occurring from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. local time, Articuno, Suicune, Lugia, Regice, Kyogre, Palkia, and Kyurem will be appearing in five-star raids. Plus, Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf will be appearing in five-star raids in the regions that they normally appear in!
During Thunder Hour, occurring from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. local time, Zapdos, Raikou, Registeel, Rayquaza, Dialga, Therian Forme Thundurus, Zekrom, and Xerneas will be appearing in five-star raids.
You don’t need to buy a Pokémon GO Fest ticket to participate in the raids, but those who do will earn an extra 10,000 XP for each completed raid battle and more opportunities to collect additional raid passes. Mythical Pokémon will not be part of the raid day, however.
This year’s festival marks the game’s five-year anniversary. While Pokémon GO Fest was initially based in Chicago, it started to branch out globally. Last year, amidst the pandemic, the event went fully virtual. Niantic is still urging players to follow guidelines from local health officials during the event given the ongoing pandemic, even as the company rolls back a number of rule changes made during the last year to help accommodate remote and socially distanced play.
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