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- Bottom Line Up Front - Finding and Defeating Dialga in Pokémon GO
- Who is Dialga in Pokémon GO?
- How to Get Dialga in Pokémon GO
- Top 10 Best Pokémon to Counter Dialga
- Where to Look for Dialga
- Playing Dialga in Pokémon GO
- Dialga In Other Pokémon Games
- Missing Your Opportunity to Get Dialga in Pokémon GO
- FAQs
A Dialga Pokémon GO Guide will ensure that you one day catch a Dialga. This Steel and Dragon Pokémon is a strong fighter who has very few weaknesses. Plus, he can control time.
Dialga’s most prominent film/series appearance is in the movie The Rise of Darkrai, where he engages in a destructive battle with Palkia and Darkrai. This movie was released a year after Dialga debuted in Pokémon Diamond.
Since then, Dialga – along with his counterpart Palkia – has become a crucial member of Team Legendary. He is a rather common Pokémon to find in Pokémon GO, but that doesn’t mean catching him is easy.
Bottom Line Up Front – Finding and Defeating Dialga in Pokémon GO
Dialga is a Pokémon available in Pokémon GO. He is a Legendary Steel and Dragon Pokémon that “has the power to control time.” To defeat Dialga with the greatest ease, bring your best Fighting and Ground Pokémon. To find Dialga, check Raid Battles near you.
Keep an eye on events as Dialga pops in and out of available Raid Bosses. I suggest joining a Facebook group or downloading an app like PokeRaid.
Who is Dialga in Pokémon GO?
- Type – Steel/Dragon
- Max CP – 4565
- Attack – 275
- Defense – 211
- Stamina – 205
- Weakness – Fighting, Ground
- Weather Boost – Snow, Windy
Dialga is a Legendary Pokémon introduced in Pokémon Diamond. In the new game, Pokémon Legends: Arceus, an Adamant Crystal can transform Dialga into a special form known as the Origin Forme.
But in Pokémon GO, such an item has yet to be introduced. Instead, we get to fight Dialga in Raids, granting us the chance to catch a Dialga of our own. There’s even a chance that he’ll be shiny (green.)
How to Get Dialga in Pokémon GO
Dialga is a Pokémon in Pokémon GO that isn’t always available to battle. So you can either wait for a Raid with Dialga to appear near you, or you can trade one from someone who has a Dialga. If you trade one, then the process is straightforward. Find a friend who has one, or join a social media group that allows players to share which Pokémon they have up for trade.
If you go the traditional Raid route, you may have to keep track of when Dialga will appear as a Raid Boss. When you do get the chance, be prepared so you don’t miss your chance.
Top 10 Best Pokémon to Counter Dialga
Any strong Fighting and/or Ground Pokémon will be a great help. However, there are a few Pokémon that statistically have a better chance against Dialga than any other Pokémon.
Mega Lopunny
Mega Lopunny is the number one Pokémon to use against Dialga. Focus Blast will do more damage than Fire Punch or Hyper Beam to Dialga, so if you have one with Focus Blast, you’ll do fine.
Mega Y Charizard
Mega Y Charizard doesn’t necessarily counter Dialga, but he’s good enough that it doesn’t matter. He’s resistant to Dialga’s abilities, and he can do some amazing DPS compared to other Pokémon.
Lucario
Lucario is one of my favorite non-Gen 1 Pokémon. Luckily, he’s a beast against Dialga. He’s resistant to Steel and Dragon, and his Counter/Aura Sphere comb will do deadly damage to Dialga.
Mega Gengar
Mega Gengar wouldn’t be my first choice, but Shadow Claw and Shadow Ball are fast attackers. This Pokémon is my greatest regret because I have missed the catch on his raid more than once.
Conkeldurr
This tanky Pokémon has two strong Fighting moves. But even if you don’t have the ideal combo, you can use only one of them – paired with anything – and you can still pack a punch.
Landorus (Therian or Incarnate)
Any Landorus will do, but the Therian and Incarnate versions will do more damage. Therian is a bit better, and tanker, but the DPS will be around the same as you should choose Mud Shot for your primary.
Groudon
Groudon is another massic tank that can pack quite a punch. Although Dragon Tail is ideal in most situations, Mud Shot will do more damage to Dialga. That said, you can still do okay with Dragon Tail, so you don’t have to change it out.
Excadrill
Resistant to Steel and Dragon, Excadrill is a good choice. Mud-Slap and either Drill Run or Earthquake are your best friends against Dialga. But Metal Claw won’t get you very far.
Pirouette Meleotta
Pirouette Meleotta isn’t just beautiful. Her Quick Attack is fast, but her Low Kick will do more damage in the long run. Pair this with Close Combat, and you are a valuable member of the team.
Rhyperior
I love using Rhyperior in Pokémon GO. At one point, he was top tier, and to this day, he’s a solid choice. If it’s Partly Cloudy, Rock Wrecker may be worth it. But Earthquake is a more consistent move against Dialga.
Where to Look for Dialga
You won’t find Dialga randomly unless he is available during an event. So set up notifications and tell your Pokémon GO friends to let you know when his next showing will be. Stay in the loop.
Catching Dialga
- Base Catch Rate: 2%
- Base Flee Rate: 4%
Whenever you do get a chance to fight Dialga, then you should take your time to use your best resources. Razz Berries or Golden Razz Berries are a good choice for catching any Raid Boss.
Study Dialga’s movements and shoot for an excellent curveball if possible. If you do well in the battle against the Raid Boss during the Raid Battle, then you’ll have plenty of Premier Balls. But be very careful with each one, as if each one is your last ball.
Finally, never drive away while you are fighting a Raid Boss. Although I’m not sure, it has been proven, in my experience, the game glitches if you leave before you catch the boss.
Dialga as a Buddy
Once you catch Dialga, you can make him your buddy to earn candies. You earn candy every 20km you walk with Dialga as your buddy. You can use these candies to switch charge moves or power Dialga up.
Playing Dialga in Pokémon GO
Dialga is a Tier 1 attacker in both PvP and PvE. He’s perfect for Master League combat, especially when paired with different types of Pokémon that make up for Dialga’s weaknesses.
If you have Dialga come out first and see a Ground or Fighting Pokémon attacking, immediately switch. Hesitation can mean an immediate loss. So even if you are taking more damage than usual, switch out. It’s a risk, but it’s worth it if you’re going to lose Dialga too soon.
Best Moveset
Metal Claw and Draco Meteor are Dialga’s best moves all around, both for the defense and offense. If you want to switch them out, then Dragon Breath and Iron Head are still effective. However, Thunder isn’t the best option. You can use it, but if you have the extra resources, then I suggest switching it out for Draco Meteor or Iron Head as soon as you can.
Best IVs – CP
- Lvl 10 – 1154
- Lvl 15 – 1731
- Lvl 20 – 2307
- Lvl 25 – 2884
- Lvl 30 – 3462
- Lvl 35 – 3750
- Lvl 40 – 4038
- Lvl 45 – 4298
- Lvl 50 – 4565
If you want to know if your Dialga has perfect IVs, take a look at its level and CP. If your Dialga doesn’t have perfect IVs, don’t worry. Even if it has minimum IVs, then it is still a good fighter. While there is a minimum and maximum health, defense, attack, and stamina, the best gauge is their CP. Keep an eye on this, and you’ll know if you should use your candies on this Dialga or wait for a better one.
Who to Pair with Dialga
I’ve divided these up into two groups because not everyone is loaded with legendaries. I – for one – do not have a lot of legendaries to choose from, so I’m stuck with “normies” sometimes.
Legendary
- Lugia
- Mewtwo
- Giratina
- Kyogre
- Ho-Oh
- Palkia
Non-Legendary
- Slaking
- Blissey
- Machamp
- Tyranitar
- Lucario
- Metagross
- Rampardos
If you don’t have any of these Pokémon, don’t worry, they are just suggestions. You can use your strongest Pokémon if you want. However, if you want a consistent team, then I suggest ensuring you don’t have many overlapping type disadvantages.
For example, Melmetal is a great Pokémon for battles, but he is also weak to Fighting and Ground. This can put you in quite a pickle when you come up against something that can take out two of your strongest Pokémon. Another option is to choose something like Walrein or Zekrom if they are your strongest. While there is an overlapping Ground disadvantage, at least there’s not two disadvantages that overlap.
Dialga In Other Pokémon Games
Dialga was first introduced in Diamond as the mascot of the game – opposing Palkia for Pearl. Since then, Dialga has appeared in most games or has at least been available to trade. The only post-Diamond Pokémon game that you can’t get Dialga in is Let’s Go Pikachu and Let’s Go Eevee. These are the general locations for Dialga in all other games from Diamond and beyond.
Available in The Wild
- Diamond – Spear Pillar
- Platinum – Spear Pillar
- HeartGold/SoulSilver – Sinjoh Ruins (after Arceus)
- Alpha Sapphire – Soaring in the Sky after Lake Guardians
- Ultra Sun – Ultra Space Wilds
- Sword – Max Lair (Expansion Pass)
- Brilliant Diamond – Spear Pillar
- Legends: Arceus – Temple of Sinnoh
These Pokémon games feature Dialga in the wild. While there may be game prerequisites to catch Dialga, you don’t need any other game or event. You can catch him the old-fashioned way.
Available by Trade or Event Only
- Pearl – Trade
- Black/White – Event Only (or Pokémon Transfer)
- Black 2/White 2 – Dream Radar from Diamond
- X/Y – Event or Trade
- Omega Ruby – Event or Trade
- Sun/Moon – Trade
- Ultra Moon – Trade
- Sword/Shield – Trade
- Shining Pearl – Trade
So far, there is an alternate way to get Dialga, even if you miss the event featuring him. The alternate method generally involves trading from another game, something I’ve done to collect Pokémon in the past.
Missing Your Opportunity to Get Dialga in Pokémon GO
I’ve missed my opportunity to get Pokémon, one time Dialga, on multiple occasions. When this happens, there are a few options. You can go online and find someone to trade with – if you don’t have a friend who is willing – or you can wait.
If you do have a friend who often catches multiples of Legendaries, then ensure that you trade and send gifts to them every day. Whenever you build friendships, the Stardust cost for trading is lowered significantly.
However, if you bide your time, then you’ll see a Dialga in a raid soon enough. Dialga appears regularly, as I’ve seen him myself multiple times over the last year. In the meantime, prepare for the fight by catching more strong Pokémon.
FAQs
Question: Is Dialga’s Origin Form in Pokémon GO?
Answer: No. Unfortunately, Dialga’s Origine Forme is quite new and likely won’t appear in Pokémon GO any time soon. But you never know what the future might hold, especially in video games.
Question: Is Dialga’s Other Charge Move Worth It?
Answer: It costs 100000 Stardust and 100 Candy to unlock the additional Charge Move. While whether it’s expensive or not is relative to your stash, knowing what it costs can let you know if it will be worth it to you.
Question: Can I Put Dialga in a Gym?
Answer: No. You cannot put Dialga in a gym. As of right now, you cannot put legendaries in gyms. But since there are more legendaries being added every year – and some non-legendaries are dominating – they may allow us to add legendaries to gyms soon.
Question: Can Dialga Hatch from Eggs?
Answer: No. Legendary Pokémon can’t hatch from eggs. The only way to get them is t trade or wait for an event. There are a few that are triggered via your team leader’s missions, but not Dialga.
Question: Is Dialga Good in Pokémon GO?
Answer: No matter how you look at it, Dialga is a good Pokémon in Pokémon GO. He is a valuable member of any team. While he does have his weaknesses, so do all Pokémon.
