How to Beat Absol in Pokemon Go

Pokemon Go has a new Raid Boss - and you'll need to beat it if you want to add it to your collection!

Yesterday, Pokemon Go added both Absol and Mawile as new Raid Bosses to the game. Both Pokemon are among the 50 new "Gen 3" Pokemon, but neither actually appear in the wild. In order to get these new Pokemon, you'll have to face them in a Raid Battle and then catch them once they've been defeated.

Mawile is just a Tier 2 Raid Boss, so it shouldn't be too tough to defeat. However, Absol could present a tougher challenge. With a strong Attack stat and an unusual moveset, players could get tripped up when facing this new Raid Boss.

Here's a few tips on how to topple Absol and claim it as your own in battle!

Prepare Your Machamp

As a Dark-Type Pokemon, Absol has relatively few weaknesses. Common heavy hitters like Mewtwo and Alakazam are useless against Absol as it has a key resistance to Psychic-Type attacks.

In fact, there's only three-types of attacks that Absol is weak to: Bug-Type, Fighting-Type, and Fairy-Type attacks. Fairy-Type Pokemon don't have a fast move to rely on and there's only one real good Bug-Type Pokemon in Pokemon Go....one that isn't available to most players. That means that Pokemon Go players will need to rely on Fighting-Type Pokemon to really score some damage on Absol.

Most players will lean on Machamp for this raid, as its the most readily available Fighting-Type Pokemon in the game. After all, players who beat Machamp in a Raid Battle have immediate access to the Pokemon....although it will need some powering up to be useful against Absol. Fighting-Type Pokemon also have a resistance to the Bug-Type move Megahorn, which is one Absol's potential charge moves.

A new Pokemon that might be useful against Absol is Breloom, a unique Grass/Fighting-Type Pokemon. Breloom is a bit of a glass cannon, but it does have a resistance to Electric-Type attacks, which Absol has access to.

Travel South

Honestly, the best Pokemon to use against Absol is Heracross, a Bug/Fighting-Type Pokemon. Not only does Heracross have a double resistance to Absol's Dark-Type attacks, it also has access to Megahorn and Close Combat, both of which will do massive damage to Absol. It also has a stronger Defense stat than Machamp, which should be useful in raids.

Of course, there's one major problem with obtaining Heracross....it's only available in Central and South America! There are a few spots in the United States where Heracross is available (notably south Florida and Texas) but this is a Pokemon that's largely unavailable to the bulk of world. Sorry, Pokemon Go fans, but this ideal Absol counter will require some traveling to get!

Be Mindful of the Weather

Players will want to keep an eye out on the weather for when to attack Absol. Fighting-Type moves get a boost in cloudy weather, while Bug-Type attacks are most effective in rainy weather. However, Absol's Dark-Type moves will get a boost in foggy weather...so you'll want to avoid facing Absol in that kind of weather if you can.

Aim for the Double Dark-Type Moveset

While Absol should slot in as the second strongest Dark-Type attacker in the game, it does have a weird moveset. Absol only has one Dark-Type fast move and one Dark-Type charge move in its moveset, which means that a lot of Absol raid bosses will have some non-STAB attacks to use against players.

If players want an Absol they can use in raids and battles, find one with Snarl and Dark Pulse! Otherwise, you'll need to use some TMs to get an Absol that can actually be effective.