How to Get the New Legendary Dogs in Pokemon GO

Right on the heels of the legendary birds, Niantic recently introduced Suicune, Entei, and Raikou — the legendary dogs from Pokemon Gold and Silver — to Pokemon GO. Like in their original games, these beasties are tough to track down and catch. But we’ve got you covered with our handy guide!

Niantic will be switching the locations of these legendary Pokemon every month, mimicking their patterns of rapidly relocating in the original games. Each month, one major region of the world will get one of the legendary dogs to catch. 

This month, the locations are as follows:

• US and NA: Raikou
• EU and Africa: Entei
• Asia and Pacific: Suicune

These locations will switch on September 31, and then again on October 31. So all interested trainers should have a chance to capture each legendary dog before they disappear completely at the end of November.

How to Catch Suicune, Entei, and Raikou

To get these legendaries, don’t go looking for them in the places you’d normally expect to find Pokemon of similar types. They can only be found via Raid Battles.

If there’s a raid taking place nearby, you’ll receive a notification. And if you happen to be near a Gym that’s topped by an egg rather than a Pokemon, you’ll know that a Raid is coming on soon. If that egg looks like the picture you see below, it will hatch as a legendary Pokemon:

Image via Ranked Boost

But remember: you do need a Raid Pass to participate in these events and try to catch the legendary dogs. You can either use the Free Raid Pass, which you can get by spinning the Photo Disk at a gym. Or you can use the Premium Raid Pass that you can purchase in the in-game shop.

The recommended trainer count for these legendary Raids is around 8 — and for good reason. The legendary beasts have the highest CP of any Pokemon in the game, with capture rates ranging between only 2-3%. However, there are things you can do to improve your capture rates. 

The Golden Razz Berry increases your capture rate by 3%, so having some of them on hand can be a huge help in catching these elusive legendary dogs.

Similarly, throwing Curve Balls — where you give the ball a bit of a twist as you throw it — increase it by a further 3%. The throw itself plays a role too, with higher capture percentages being associated with better throws. An “Excellent” throw with a Curve ball and a Golden Razz Berry raises the capture rate to approximately 15%. (Check out our Poke-Ball throwing guide for more tips that will help you master your throws.)

Image via Ranked Boost

Of course, you’ll want to be prepared with the right Pokemon team as well. As an Electric type, Raikou is best tackled using ground types. Grass and Electric work best for Suicune. And Entei has the most weaknesses — including Water, Rock, and Ground. So a well-rounded team will increase your capture chances even further.

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That’s all you need to know for catching Raikou, Suicune, and Entei. But be sure to check out our other Pokemon GO guides for more tips on other aspects of the game. 

Good luck with your Raids!