As is the trend with most remakes in the Pokémon series, Pokémon Legends: Arceus—a new spin on the existing remake formula—provided players with new forms for the region's mascot Legendary Pokémon, Dialga and Palkia. Now, nearly two years after the release of the Switch title, the Origin Formes of these Pokémon are joining Pokémon GO, and they're bring with them mechanics that will warp time and space itself.
Origin Forme Palkia in particular takes a drastic turn from the design that players have been familiar with for nearly 20 years. Instead of being bipedal, Origin Forme Palkia resembles a centaur, complete with four legs but missing arms—while notably having a crest on its body resembling that surrounding the Mythical Pokémon, Arceus. Though its base stat total (BST) is the same as Palkia's standard form, Origin Forme Palkia trades a bit of its offenses for newfound speed gained through an additional pair of legs.
This strange of the Legendary Pokémon Palkia highlight's this year's Pokémon GO Tour: Sinnoh, where it and Origin Forme Dialga will be awaiting players in Raids for the first time. However, new tools at its disposal make this Water and Dragon Type Pokémon even more formidable than it was before, yet even more rewarding to add to a collection.
Here's a breakdown of how players should approach Origin Forme Palkia in Raids and just how it can warp space in the mobile game's world.
Pokémon GO Origin Forme Palkia Counters and Weaknesses
Unlike Origin Forme Dialga, Origin Forme Palkia's typing makes it susceptible to most of the strategies that would normally be used to take down Dragon Type Pokémon. Its secondary Water typing does grant it a few additional resistances, but also negates some of the resistances of its Dragon typing, allowing a wide range of moves to be used effectively. Yet in order to streamline this fight before Origin Forme Palkia sweeps through an entire team with moves like Spacial Rend, players should prioritize using Dragon and Fairy Type Pokémon over all other types.
- Dragon: Bringing Dragon Type Pokémon to Origin Forme Palkia Raids is a bit of a double-edged sword. While Dragon Type moves will deal super-effective damage to the Legendary Pokémon, it will similarly deal super-effective damage back to the user if they are also Dragon Type.
- Players can opt to bring some of the most powerful Dragon Type Pokémon to the battle, such as Dragonite, Garchomp, Salamence, Rayquaza, Baxcalibur, and Goodra, they will more than likely need to have a bunch of Pokémon prepared in their reserves, as these Dragon Types will not stay long on the field against Origin Forme Palkia.
- Opt for powerful moves like Dragon Claw, Draco Meteor, Outrage, and Dragon Pulse to maximize the usage of these Pokémon before they're taken down.
- Fairy: Out of any Pokémon type that can answer the power of Origin Forme Palkia, Fairy Types are perhaps the most efficient in not only dealing significant damage, but taking little in return. In the main series titles, Fairy Type Pokémon are completely immune to Dragon Type attacks, though due to the mechanics of the mobile title, that doesn't hold true in Pokémon GO—though they will take significantly less damage from those attacks.
- Fairy Type Pokémon like Gardevoir, Togekiss, Azumarill, Xerneas, Tapu Fini, and Sylveon can deal consistent damage to Origin Forme Palkia with moves like Charm, Play Rough, Moonblast, and Dazzling Gleam, all while enjoying a long stay on the battlefield.
These types should be prioritized over all others in this fight, while completely avoiding bringing Fire, Rock, and Ground Type Pokémon due to the Water Type moves at Origin Forme Palkia's disposal.
Pokémon GO Origin Forme Palkia Adventure Effect
The newly-discovered forms of Dialga and Palkia are not only considerably more powerful than their standard appearances, but they also bring a new mechanic into Pokémon GO called "Adventure Effects," which capitalize on the abilities of these Legendary Pokémon to control time and space. If players are able to get their hands on an Origin Forme Palkia with its signature Charged Attack Spacial Rend, they will unlock the ability to use its Adventure Effect from its information screen for five Palkia Candies and 5,000 Stardust up to a cap of 24 hours, warping how the game's overworld functions.
Origin Forme Palkia's Adventure Effect expands the radius of which players encounter Pokémon in the overworld significantly. The expanded range will be visually identified by a space-distorting ring that grows off the regular white ring circling the player. While this won't change what Pokémon spawn around the player, it will be particularly helpful during events like Community Day where specific Pokémon spawn more frequently.
Spacial Rend will only be obtainable via Origin Forme Palkia that are captured during Pokémon Go Tour: Sinnoh. Niantic has not yet confirmed whether or not players will be able to teach the move to other Palkia via Elite Charged TMs.
Pokémon GO Origin Forme Palkia Catching Tips
But before players can take advantage of this Adventure Effect, they must first catch the Legendary Pokémon—which is a battle in and of itself. Upon defeating Origin Forme Palkia, players will be brought to the catching screen where they'll receive a number of Premiere Balls used to catch the Legendary Pokémon. The number received depends on a variety of factors, such as individual Raid performance and the team that owns the Gym the Raid is held in, with other types of Poké Balls not allowed to be used.
To ensure that players get the maximum value of their Premiere Balls, they should first take a few moments to look at the movements of Origin Forme Palkia, including how its attacking animation appears. After gaining good insight into these patterns, use a Razz Berry, Golden Razz Berry, or Silver Pinap Berry to increase its catch rate further, then throw a curveball into the colored ring as it shrinks. "Great" and "Excellent" throws increase the catch rate even more, though it may be difficult if you're unfamiliar with how Origin Forme Palkia moves around the screen.
In a last-ditch effort, players can use a Master Ball if they have one, which catches any Pokémon without fail. Though if you're lucky enough to stumble upon a Shiny Origin Forme Palkia, be advised that it is a guaranteed capture when a Premiere Ball makes contact with it, so don't waste a Master Ball or Razz Berries here. Instead, use Pinap or Silver Pinap Berries to earn extra Candies upon capturing the Legendary Pokémon, then immediately being able to unlock and use its Adventure Effect.
