How to evolve Rayquaza into Mega Rayquaza in Pokémon Go

Rayquaza is already one of the more fearsome Legendary Pokémon you can add to your collection in Pokémon Go, making it a highly sought-after choice. You can make it even stronger by evolving it into its Mega Rayquaza form but getting there takes some effort.

Unlocking Mega Rayquaza’s form will take time. You also need to be patient while waiting for specific events to roll around. You need to use Mega Rayquaza energy to evolve it, and you also need to track down a specific item to make it happen. Without this item in Pokémon Go, you can’t evolve your Rayquaza into Mega Rayquaza.

Evolving Rayquaza into Mega Rayquaza in Pokémon Go, explained

You can only evolve a Rayquaza into a Mega Rayquaza if it learns the charged move Dragon Ascent. This is not a standard charged move in Pokémon Go. Instead, Rayquaza only learns how to use Dragon Ascent if you give it a Meteorite, a special item you can get from events or Special Research tickets. These are available at certain times in Pokémon Go, typically provided by Niantic.

For any Pokémon Go player who wants to teach their Rayquaza to use Dragon Ascent, they should participate in the most recent Mega Rayquaza event. It will happen on Aug. 3 from 11am to 5pm in your local time zone. It’s a makeup event for the previous Mega Rayquaza Elite Raids, which did not go according to plan. When you log into the game now, a free Special Research is available to all players. You’ll need to work your way through this free research, and one of the rewards for completing it is a Meteorite.

When you have the Rayquaza you want to Mega Evolve picked out, visit its page and scroll down to the bottom to add the second move. Dragon Ascent should be an option with the Meteorite in your inventory, but you may need to spend Stardust and Rayquaza Candy to unlock this second slot. You can then evolve your Rayquaza after it learns Dragon Ascent and you have at least 400 Mega Rayquaza Energy. The Mega Rayquaza Energy is also important.

Mega Rayquaza’s form won’t last forever. It eventually returns to its standard form and you’ll need to complete other Mega Rayquaza raids to earn more energy in Pokémon Go.