X

Pokemon Go Heatran guide: Best counters, weaknesses and moves

The legendary Pokemon is back in raids until Jan. 15.

Kevin Knezevic Former staff writer
Kevin has been covering video games and tech since 2010, with a particular focus on Nintendo and Pokemon. Squirtle is the best starter and nothing will convince him otherwise.
See full bio
Kevin Knezevic
2 min read
pogo-heatran

Heatran has returned to five-star raids for a limited time.

 Niantic

Heatran is back in  Pokemon Go for a limited time. The legendary fire/steel Pokemon is appearing in five-star raid battles until Jan. 15, making this a good opportunity to catch one if you've previously missed it. Not only that, but there's also a chance the Heatran you encounter will be Shiny. Here are some tips to help you beat and catch the legendary Pokemon before it leaves raids again.

Heatran Raid Hours

Heatran raids will occur periodically from Jan. 7 to Jan. 15, but your best chance to catch the legendary Pokemon will come tonight, Jan. 12, during Pokemon Go's Raid Hour event. From 6 to 7 p.m. local time, most gyms will be hosting Heatran raids, giving you more opportunities to challenge and potentially catch the legendary Pokemon.

Heatran weaknesses

As a fire/steel type, Heatran is especially vulnerable to ground Pokemon. Ground-type attacks deal four times the damage to Heatran, making those your best option when battling the legendary. If you don't have many ground Pokemon on your team, water and fighting Pokemon are also super-effective against Heatran.

Best Heatran counters

Here are some recommended Pokemon and movesets to use against Heatran:

Ground

  • Groudon: Mud Shot, Earthquake
  • Rhyperior: Mud-Slap, Earthquake
  • Garchomp: Mud Shot, Earth Power
  • Golurk: Mud-Slap, Earth Power
  • Landorus: Mud Shot, Earth Power

Water

  • Mega Blastoise: Water Gun, Hydro Cannon
  • Mega Gyarados: Waterfall, Hydro Pump
  • Swampert: Water Gun, Hydro Cannon
  • Kyogre: Waterfall, Surf
  • Samurott: Waterfall, Hydro Cannon

Fighting

  • Machamp: Counter, Dynamic Punch
  • Poliwrath: Rock Smash, Dynamic Punch
  • Hariyama: Counter, Dynamic Punch
  • Mega Lopunny: Low Kick, Focus Blast
  • Conkeldurr: Counter, Dynamic Punch

Best moves for Heatran

Heatran's move pool isn't very deep, so you'll get the most out of the legendary Pokemon if you focus on its fire attacks. In particular, Heatran will be most effective in battle if you teach it the Fast Attack Fire Spin and the Charged Attack Flamethrower. Alternatively, you can teach it the steel-type Charged Attack Iron Head to make it a solid counter against fairy-type Pokemon.

Heatran is appearing in raids until Jan. 15, when it will be replaced by Genesect. You can catch up on everything else happening in Pokemon Go this month in our January events roundup.