How to beat Stakataka in Pokemon GO, weaknesses & counters

Stakataka has finally made its Pokemon GO debut, but you'll need to know its weaknesses and the best counters to use if you want to have a chance of taking it down.

This powerful Rock/Steel-type Ultra Beast first appeared in Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon on the Nintendo 3DS, and now it's arrived in Pokemon GO as part of the Ultra Space Wonders event. It's a fearsome opponent, so here's everything you need to defeat it.

Stakataka is weak to Fighting, Ground, and Water-type attacks. It's especially vulnerable to Fighting and Ground-type moves, so focus on those where possible as they'll deal extra damage.

On the other hand, Stakataka is resistant to Bug, Dragon, Fairy, Flying, Ice, Normal, Poison, Psychic, and Rock-type attacks. It will take reduced damage from all of these moves.

Here are some of the best Stakataka counters alongside their optimal movesets:

Pokemon	Moveset	Sprite
Primal Groudon	Mud Shot & Precipice Blades	Click to enlarge
Mega Heracross	Counter & Close Combat	Click to enlarge
Mega Garchomp	Mud Shot & Earth Power	Click to enlarge
Terrakion	Double Kick & Sacred Sword	Click to enlarge
Lucario	Counter & Aura Sphere	Click to enlarge
Conkeldurr	Counter & Dynamic Punch	Click to enlarge
Excadrill	Mud-Slap & Scorching Sands	Click to enlarge
Machamp	Counter & Dynamic Punch	Click to enlarge
Hariyama	Counter & Dynamic Punch	Click to enlarge
Rhyperior	Mud-Slap & Earthquake	Click to enlarge

If you don't have any of these counters, simply focus on your strongest Fighting and Ground-type Pokemon and make sure they're powered up to a high level. You'll also need moves that match their typing.

I'd recommend taking on Stakataka with at least eight other Trainers if you want to win. It might be possible to take it down with fewer Trainers, but every participant will need optimal counters to do this.

Unfortunately, Shiny Stakataka is currently unavailable to encounter in Pokemon GO.

As with most Legendaries and Ultra Beasts, rare Shiny variations are usually held back for future events to give Trainers a reason to battle them all over again. Fingers crossed the wait won't be too long!

Stakataka is a region-exclusive Pokemon that will only appear in the Eastern Hemisphere. You can see a map of this region here, but as a general rule, this area includes most of Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia.

If you're in the Western Hemisphere, you can join a Raid Battle that's taking place in the Eastern Hemisphere by purchasing a Remote Raid Pass. You can use Leek Duck's Raid NOW website to help you find Raid Battles.

Stakataka will appear in 5-Star Raids from May 23 to May 28, 2024. After this date, there might be a long wait until you can encounter it again - although previous Ultra Beasts have returned to Raids fairly often.

That's everything you need to know about Stakataka! Make sure you visit our Pokemon homepage for the latest guides, including the Spotlight Hour schedule, the current Raid Bosses, and the latest promo codes.