How to evolve Rayquaza from meteorites in Pokémon Go

Pokemon Go introduced Mega Rayquaza as part of the Go Fest event in the summer of 2023, following the arrival of Primal Reversion for Generation III Legendary companions Kyogre and Groudon earlier in the year.

Initially exclusive to attendees of Go Fest weekends in London, Kyoto and New York before rolling out to players worldwide on August 26, Rayquazas Mega Evolution has a twist, where it must first learn a specific move through the use of a unique object.

Like all Mega Evolutions, this is a temporary transformation and still requires gathering Mega Energy from raids and other sources. Plus, it’ll give your party a boost while it’s active, making them useful for Community Day and other events.

How to teach Rayquaza Dragon Ascent in Pokémon Go

To Mega Evolve Rayquaza, not only do you need enough Mega Energy, but the Pokémon also needs to learn a specific move Dragon Rise.

Teaching Rise of the Dragon requires the Meteorite item. If used, it will replace a charged move; if you only have one move available it will simply replace it, otherwise a second loaded move is worth unlocking so you have options in battle.

Like evolution items, meteorites are consumed with use, and since they’re rare, you need to think carefully about which Rayquaza you spent them on. Our suggestion is that it is brilliant and/or with strong stats!

How to evolve Rayquaza from meteorites in Pokémon Go

Meteorites were launched after the first series of Go Fest 2023 events and can be acquired in two ways:

• From the Go Fest 2023 Free Special Research: Logging in during the Go Fest Global event times on Sunday, August 27 and completing the Special Research short story will grant you a free meteorite.
• From the Go Fest 2023 Paid Special Research: Those who attend in-person events in London, Kyoto, or New York, and/or pay for the Global Research ticket fee, can earn additional Meteorites as part of their Special Research tickets.
• Rare drops from Mega Rayquaza raids: In addition to research, meteorites can be rewarded by completing Mega Rayquaza raids, with a drop rate of around 1/30th, according to the Silph Road subreddit.

In summary, all players have the ability to do this earn a free meteorite by playing on Sunday August 27thand you can earn more from completing Mega Rayquaza raids or paying for event tickets from in-person events or Global Go Fest events.

Image: Niantic via Polygon

Next, Meteorite’s availability is uncertain, but based on Niantic’s track record of previous unique forms and evolution implementations, it will return as part of future special research or when Mega Rayquaza reappears in raids.

Meteorites won’t be unmissable, therefore, they’re simply rare and you might be waiting a while for the next one if you don’t play on August 27th.

Mega Rayquaza bonus

As with other Mega Evolutions, Mega Rayquaza not only sees an increase in CP and power for the next eight hours, but also grants additional benefits. These are:

• Extra XP and candy when catching Dragon-, Flying-, or Psychic-types and increased chances of earning XL candy.
• Other trainers’ attacks during raids or gym battles will increase, especially if they are of the Dragon, Flying, or Psychic type.

You can upgrade them as you Mega Evolve, with improvements in three stages: base level, high level, and max level.

What else do we know about Meteorities, Dragon Ascent and Mega Rayquaza in Pokémon Go?

While Mega Rayquaza is technically just another mega evolution, there are some observations and differences to be aware of:

• In addition to learning Dragon Rise, Mega Rayquaza requires 400 Mega Energy to evolve.
• While Dragon Ascent will replace a charged move, it is by far Rayquaza’s most powerful attack. That said, as a Flying-type move, you’d ideally want a second Dragon-type move (like Outrage or ideally the legacy move Breaking Swipe) to go alongside.
• As with other Mega Raids, you will only catch the pre-evolved version of the Pokémon during the capture phase. These Raid encounters have a chance to be bright, and Mega Evolving Rayquaza will adopt the same modified color scheme.

• While Mega Rayquaza could technically be fought by non-ticket holders at specific Go Fest events at locations in 2023, only those with tickets could earn Mega Energy after completing raids. This means that for the vast majority of players, the Go Fest Global weekend in late August was their first chance to start earning some!