Pokémon Go: Regigigas has taken over EX Raids and here’s how to beat it!
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Regigigas is the new EX Raid boss in Pokémon Go. Here's everything you need to know to beat it!
Ex-Raids, or exclusive raids, are invitation-only encounters in Pokémon Go. At first, they offered players around the world the chance to battle and catch the Legendary Pokémon, Mewtwo. They later offered the various forms of the Mythical Psychic type, Deoxys. Now, a new EX Raid boss, Regigigas, has arrived, and we've got everything you need to know to counter this colossal titan!
What is Regigigas?
Introduced in Gen IV, Regigigas is the Legendary Normal type leader of the Regi Trio, otherwise known as the Legendary Titans from Gen III. As described in Bulbapedia
Regigigas is a skilled craftsman. It created golems out of inanimate objects and brought them to life. Regigigas is also capable of controlling these Legendary titans, even if they already belong to a Trainer. It can also survive extreme conditions as it is able to work with the boiling temperatures of magma (1300-2400 °F, 700-1300 °C) as well as frigid ice (-328 °F, -200 °C). When Regigigas is disturbed from its slumber, it goes on a rampage and shoots powerful beams of energy. When it is befriended, however, it is calm and gentle, as seen in Pillars of Friendship!. It is able to crush targets by using its signature move, Crush Grip.
Sounds pretty awesome, right? Well, unfortunately, Regigigas hasn't been so impressive since being introduced to Pokémon Go. Its signature move, Crush Grip is not part of its current move pool so that could change in the future, but for now, this Colossal Pokémon is going to take up space in players' Pokémon boxes.
What are Ex-Raids?
Ex-Raids are short for Exclusive Raids and were meant to be a way for Pokémon Go to add greater depth and dimension to the Raid system.
Here's how Pokémon Go announced them:
Exclusive Raid Battles are similar to existing Raid Battles, with a few notable differences. Exclusive raids will periodically appear at Gyms around the world; however, unlike existing raids, Trainers will be invited to join an Exclusive Raid Battle. To receive an invitation to participate in an Exclusive Raid Battle, Trainers must have successfully completed a raid recently, by defeating the Raid Boss, at the Gym where the Exclusive Raid Battle will be taking place. The invitations will include advance warning of when the Exclusive Raid will take place, giving them ample time to coordinate with other Trainers before taking on the powerful Raid Boss.
Rumor has it Lugia was supposed to be the first Ex-Raid, launched at Pokémon Go Fest Chicago in July of 2017. But, that event was a bust, and so Lugia got released for everyone. Taking its place as the first Ex-Raid, then, was Mewtwo.
And, while Pokémon Go originally announced others would follow within weeks, it took a year for Deoxys to be rotated in. Since then, each of Deoxys' different Formes had about three months each and for a little over a month, Mewtwo came back with the powerful move, Shadow Ball.
How do you know if you get an Ex-Raid pass?
If everything goes the way it should, you'll get notified about the Ex-Raid pass even if you're not in the game. It'll show up on your lock screen or in your notification tray.
If you miss the notification, or if you simply want to check if you have a pass, you can find it in your Items alongside any Free Raid Passes and Premium Raid Passes you may have in stock. Tap the Ex-Raid pass and you'll see the invitation.
You can also find it in your Gym Badges. Specifically, if you have any Ex-Raid invitations, they'll be indicated on the appropriate Gym. Tap the Gym and you'll see the invitation.
Currently, Pokémon Go seems be sending out one wave of Ex-Raid passes per week, alternating between Gyms. So, if a Gym has an Ex-Raid one week, it goes dormant the next, and then activates again the week after.
How do you get an Ex-Raid pass?
Raid at an Ex-Raid eligible Gym. There's a lot of complex geo-science behind it, involving Google's global cell grid system. But, suffice it to say, when you tap on a Gym, if it's Ex-Raid eligible, you'll see an little "Ex Raid" label at the top right. Find all those Gyms you can, raid at them regularly, and you should be able to score a pass.
If you're having trouble tracking down EX Raid Gyms or keeping track of which are which, you can also coordinate on social platforms like Facebook or Discord with other local players. There are also Maps that several sites have set up, some of which keep track of all the Gyms, including which are EX Raid eligible.
You can also be gifted an EX Raid Pass from a friend who has one. You have to be either Ultra or Best friends to share your EX Raid Pass but this is one way players who never seem to get that invitation can still join in on the fun.
Is it possible to raid at eligible Gyms and not get an Ex-Raid pass?
Yes. If not enough unique accounts raid at that Gym, it's possible they won't trigger for an Ex Raid. (Current theories suggest you need 20+ unique accounts raiding at the Gym during the week to trigger an Ex Raid.)
How do you beat Regigigas?
As a pure Normal type, your best counters for Regigigas are going to be Fighting types. There are others, of course, that will do in a pinch but the higher on the list of recommended counters, the better your chances of defeating Regigigas and getting those damage bonuses at the end of the Raid. The top 15 Pokémon to counter Regigigas are:
- Machamp with Counter + Dynamic Punch
- Hariyama with Counter + Dynamic Punch
- Blaziken with Counter + Focus Blast
- Mewtwo with Confusion + Focus Blast
- Emboar with Low Kick + Focus Blast
- Heracross with Counter + Close Combat
- Lucario with Counter + Close Combat
- Toxicroak with Counter + Dynamic Punch
- Metagross with Bullet Punch + Meteor Mash
- Breloom with Counter + Dynamic Punch
- Gallade with Low Kick + Close Combat
- Poliwrath with Rock Smash + Dynamic Punch
- Infernape with Rock Smash + Close Combat
- Darkrai with Snarl + Focus Blast
- Dialga with Dragon Breath + Draco Meteor
How do you catch Regigigas?
Regigigas didn't get to be the leader of the colossal titans by being a small Pokémon. When it comes to catching it, this works to your advantage. Having a massive target hit box means getting Excellent Throws on Regigigas is easier than most other Pokémon. Still, in terms of catching it, rely on the tried and true methods:
- ABC. Always be curving. Once you can nail Curve Ball every time, you'll get a 1.7x bonus every time.
- Max out your Normal medal. It's an automatic 1.1x to 1.3x bonus to your catch, and every modifier matters.
- Play patient. Regigigas, like any Raid boss, defends better than normal Pokémon, so wait until it's 3/4 of the way through its attack animation and then make your catch. You should hit just as the ring appears.
- Consistency counts. Aim for the smallest throw bonus you can nail every time. If that's Nice, it's nice. If that's Great or Excellent, even nicer. But better the bonus you get then one you miss, and every extra 1.3 to 2x counts.
- Go Golden: If you have Golden Razz Berries, use them. This is an EX Raide boss and the Golden Razz modifier, at 2.5x, is the best in the game.
- Keep hitting. Your chance to catch with any one Premier Ball is low but your chance to catch with multiple Premier Ball hits over multiple Raids becomes close to a statistical sure thing. So never give up!
- Battle with your Team The more members of your Team in your raiding party, the more damage you'll do and the better chance of getting bonus Premier Balls.
What is the best move set for Regigigas?
At the moment, none of Regigigas's potential moves are Normal type and so none benefit from STAB. While this is good news for battling it in EX Raids, it's not so great news for using Regigigas yourself.
Regigigas has two potential Fast Attacks: - Zen Headbutt is a Psychic type move that is much more difficult to face. It's the move you'd want your Regigigas to have. It's boosted by Windy weather so keep that in mind when putting together your team. - Rock Smash is a Fighting type move that is easier to take out. This is the move you want to be fighting against when you take on this EX Raid. While this move is boosted by Cloudy weather, so are Fighting type moves so any advantage Regigigas would gain for this move is going to weigh in your favor.
Regigigas also has three Charged Attacks: - Stone Edge is a Rock type move that is easy to beat. Because most of the counter recommendations for Regigigas are Fighting types, they will resist this move for an easy win. - Avalanche is far more difficult to beat than Stone Edge as you don't have the resistance for your Fighting types. As we're gearing up for winter in some parts of the world, there's also a chance you'll have Snowy weather boosting this move. - Heavy Slam is a Steel type move that is also boosted by Snowy weather, and isn't resisted by your Fighting types. Like Avalanche, it is much more difficult to beat Regigigas with this Charged Move.
The good news is, even with the more challenging moves and a weather boost, Regigigas can be beat with five players. Under the right conditions, it can be beat with as few as three. Given the nature of EX Raids, you're likely to have dozens showing up to battle so it's unlikely you will struggle to have enough players to take it out.
Any Regigigas questions?
So, there you have it. If you follow these tips, you'll be beating Regigigas in no time flat! Got any questions about taking on this EX Raid boss? Any tips for fellow Trainers? Drop us a comment below and be sure to check out our other Pokémon Go Guides!
