Mega Rayquaza was first introduced to Pokémon Go as part of the Go Fest event in the summer of 2023, following the arrival of Primal Reversion for fellow Gen 3 Legendaries Kyogre and Groudon earlier in the year.
Initially exclusive to attendees at the London, Kyoto and New York Go Fest weekends before rolling out to players globally on Aug. 26, 2023, Rayquaza’s Mega Evolution has a twist — where it must learn a specific move first (Dragon Ascent) through the use of a unique item.
As with all Mega Evolutions, this is a temporary transformation, and still requires collecting Mega Energy from raids and other sources. It’ll also give you party a boost while active — making them useful for Community Day and other events.
How to teach Dragon Ascent to Rayquaza in Pokémon Go
To Mega Evolve Rayquaza, you not only need enough Mega Energy, but the Pokémon also needs to learn a specific move — Dragon Ascent.
Teaching Dragon Ascent to Rayquaza requires the Meteorite item. When used, this will replace a Charged move; if you have just one move available, it’ll simply replace that, otherwise it’s worth unlocking a second Charged move so you have options in battle.
Like Evolution items, Meteorites are consumed upon use, and since they are rare, you have to think carefully about which Rayquaza you spent it on. Our suggestion — a shiny and / or one with strong stats!
How to get Meteorites in Pokémon Go
Meteorites first rolled out following during Go Fest 2023, and can currently be acquired in several ways:
- Timed Research during events: Mega Rayquaza will only appear during events (such as June 2024’s Elite Raid event), and will be accompanied by Timed Research which will offer at least one Meteorite as a reward.
- TikTok Timed Research: For those playing during June 29’s Elite Raid event, will also be an additional Timed Research via a code if and when enough people follow the official Pokémon Go account on TikTok.
- Rare drop from Mega Rayquaza raids: As well as from research, Meteorites can be rewarded from completing Mega Rayquaza raids, with a drop rate of around 1/30, according to the Silph Road subreddit.
Previous methods include:
- From free Go Fest 2023 Special Research: Logging in during the Go Fest Global event hours on Sunday, Aug. 27, 2023 and completing the “short Special Research story” granted one free Meteorite.
- From paid Go Fest 2023 Special Research: For those who attended in-person events in London, Kyoto or New York, and / or paying for the paid Global research ticket could earn additional Meteorites as part of their tickets in Special Research.
After that, the availability of Meteorite is uncertain, but based on Niantic’s track record of previous unique forms and evolution rollouts, it’ll return as part of future Special Research or when Mega Rayquaza reappears in raids.
Meteorities won’t be missable, then, they’re just rare — and you could be waiting a while for the next chance if you don’t play on Aug. 27.
Mega Rayquaza bonuses
As with other Mega Evolutions, Mega Rayquaza not only sees a boost to CP and power for the next eight hours, but also grants additional perks. These are:
- Extra XP and Candy when catching Dragon-, Flying- or Psychic- types, and increased chance of earning Candy XL.
- Attacks of fellow trainers during Raid or Gym battles will increase, especially if they are Dragon-, Flying- or Psychic- types.
You can boost these the more you Mega Evolve, with improvements across three stages: Base Level, High Level, and Max Level.
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What else do we know about Meteorities, Dragon Ascent, and Mega Rayquaza in Pokémon Go?
Though Mega Rayquaza is technically just another Mega Evolution, there are some observations and differences to be aware of:
- As well as learning Dragon Ascent, Mega Rayquaza requires 400 Mega Energy to evolve.
- Though Dragon Ascent will replace a Charged move, it’s by far and away Rayquaza’s most powerful attack. That said, as a Flying-type move, ideally you’d want a second Dragon-type move (such as Outrage or ideally 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 catch phase. These Raid encounters have a chance to be shiny, and Mega Evolving Rayquaza will adopt the same changed color scheme.
- Though Mega Rayquaza was technically able to be fought by non-ticket holders at location-specific Go Fest events in 2023, only those with tickets could earn Mega Energy after completing raids. This means for the vast majority of players, the Go Fest Global weekend in late August was their first chance to start earning some!
