Here's What We Know About Pokemon Go's Legendary Pokemon

Legendary Pokemon are coming to Pokemon Go. That isn’t a theory, or speculation, or an educated guess. It’s a plain truth, found within the game’s codes and confirmed via offhand comments made by Niantic officials while talking about their summer plans.

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Pokemon Go players have been waiting for Legendary Pokemon since the game first came out this summer. At first, players thought Legendary Pokemon were some sort of secret to be unlocked in the game. Then, Niantic announced that they’d add Legendary Pokemon after finishing their worldwide rollout.

As other new features (such as in-game events, or a revamped gym system) took priority over the Legendary Pokemon, some players wondered whether Niantic would ever pull the trigger. However, in a roundabout way, almost every major Pokemon Go update has been building to the release of these much sought after creatures.

So what are Legendary Pokemon and how will they be introduced and used in the game? Here’s everything we know so far:

What Are Legendary Pokemon?

We should probably talk about what separates a Legendary Pokemon from a normal run of the mill Pokemon. In the main series Pokemon games, Legendary Pokemon are powerful Pokemon with superior stats that can only be encountered once per game. Once a player captures (or, in the earlier games, defeats) a Legendary Pokemon, they can’t be encountered again in that game.

Right now, there are 9 Legendary Pokemon that could appear in Pokemon Go: Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres, Mewtwo, Suicune, Entei, Raikou, Lugia, and Ho-Oh. All nine of these Pokemon made appearances in at least three of the six earliest Pokemon games.

There’s also a difference, at least in the main series Pokemon games, between Legendary Pokemon and Mythical Pokemon like Mew and Celebi. Mythical Pokemon cannot be encountered in a Pokemon game without the use of some sort of distributed code or trade. Whether or not Pokemon Go sees Legendary and Mythical Pokemon as separate categories is unclear.

How to Encounter Legendary Pokemon in Pokemon Go

Right now, there is no way to catch or encounter a Legendary Pokemon in Pokemon Go. However, that should change later this summer. After teasing Legendary Pokemon during an awards show in May, Niantic employees later confirmed that Legendary Pokemon will appear randomly at gyms via Raids, a new mechanic introduced in the games last month.

The Legendary Raids are likely the top tier “Level 5” raids not yet seen in the game. We know that Level 5 raids exist due to peeks inside Pokemon Go‘s code and have even seen a couple of “secret” Level 5 tests in the wild, but no one has reported actually participating in one yet. These Legendary Raids will be marked on the map with a special egg to warn players when a raid is about to start and will have its very own in-game medal for when players beat them.

When Legendary Pokemon DO get introduced, don’t expect all players to have access…at least at first. An article released last month indicated that Niantic would initially send out invites for Legendary Raids…although Niantic has given no official comment either way.

Possible Limitations

There’s a lot we still don’t know about how Pokemon Go will use Legendary Pokemon, but we do know there will be some sort of limitations. For one thing, some code in the new update indicates that you won’t be able to use Legendary Pokemon as gym defenders. In a way, that makes a lot of sense, since many of the changes were made to prevent a player from holding onto a gym for too long.

We’re also waiting to see if the Legendary Raids come with any special items or rewards. For example, we know that the Master Ball is programmed in Pokemon Go but hasn’t been seen in almost a year. What better reward for beating a Legendary Raid Boss than getting a Poke Ball with a 100% catch rate?

When Are Legendary Pokemon Coming?

So when will Pokemon Go add Legendary Pokemon? Well….we don’t quite know yet. We do know that Niantic has heavily hinted a summer rollout, and they recently released an ad for the Apple App Store that straight up said Legendary Pokemon were coming soon.

The most likely bet is that Legendary Pokemon will be the big “surprise” at Pokemon Go Fest next weekend. Players at Pokemon Go Fest will have the opportunity to participate in a “Mystery Challenge” if players around the world catch enough Pokemon outside of the event.

If players complete the “Mystery Challenge,” it will unlock some sort of reward for all Pokemon Go Players around the world. Honestly, unlocking Legendary Pokemon Raids for all players might be the key to retaining (or even growing) Pokemon Go‘s userbase this fall.