Quick Links
Raticate and its pre-evolution, Rattata, were Normal-type Pokemon from the first generation of Pokemon. Rookie trainers could catch a Rattata as early as Route 1 in the Kanto region. It wasn't until the eighth generation of Pokemon did Raticate and Rattata receive a regional variant. In Alola, the Rattata and Raticate are Dark/Normal-type, unlike their Kanto counterparts. It wouldn't be until 2021 where these Alolan rat Pokemon made their debut in Pokemon GO.
Thanks to their Dark-typing, Alolan Raticate and Rattata have access to different moves from the Normal-type Raticate/Rattata. Of course, in Pokemon GO, a Pokemon's moves are split into two categories: Quick and Charge, and the number of moves per moveset are limited. Depending on the Alolan Raticate's moveset, it can make a good battler against Team GO Rocket or PVP, or it can be used to defend Gyms.
How To Get Alolan Raticate In Pokemon GO
The Alolan Rattata can be caught as a Shadow Alolan Rattata from Team GO Rocket grunt. If they say, "Where there is light, there is also shadow," then their team will consist of Dark-type Pokemon. There's a chance the first Pokemon they send out will be an Alolan Rattata, and their second being Alolan Raticate. If they're defeated, players will be able to catch Rattata in a bonus encounter. Sometimes, they'll be given the opportunity to try and catch Shadow Alolan Raticate instead.
Alolan Rattata and Alolan Raticate have increased spawn rates in the wild during in-game events. The Greedy Gluttons Event (2022) not only added Guzzlord to Pokemon Raids, but it also had event-themed Pokemon (such as Alolan Raticate and Gulpin) appearing more frequently in the wild. The Raticate/Rattatas caught during Greedy Gluttons Event were not Shadow Pokemon, meaning players didn't need to spend Stardust or Candy to purify them.
For those that have a regular or Shadow Alolan Rattata, they can evolve it into Alolan Raticate with 25 Rattata Candy. A Purified Alolan Rattata will cost 22 Rattata Candy instead.
Alolan Raticate: Typing & Moves
As a Dark/Normal-type Pokemon, Alolan Raticate has the following type effectiveness:
Super-effective against |
Psychic, Ghost |
---|---|
Weak to: |
Fighting, Bug, Fairy |
Resistant to/Not very effective: |
Ghost, Psychic, Dark |
Since Alolan Raticate is a dual Dark/Normal-type, it will have a 4x weakness to Fighting-type Moves. This means GO players would do well to keep it away from Fighting-type Pokemon, or Pokemon that have a Fighting-type move as their Quick Move. While it does gain two Type weaknesses that Kantonian Raticate doesn't have (ie: Bug and Fairy), it has more moves that are super effective against most Psychic and Ghost-type Pokemon. In addition, Alolan Raticate will gain STAB from Dark-type moves (like Bite) compared to the Normal-type Raticate.
In Pokemon GO, an Alolan Raticate can have one of the following Quick and Charge Moves as of 2022:
Quick Move |
Charge Move |
---|---|
|
|
Best Moves For Alolan Raticate In Pokemon GO
Alolan Raticate's Pokemon GO moves aren't as diverse as its learnset in the mainline Pokemon games. On the bright side, it will gain Same Time Attack Bonus (STAB) from any of its Quick or Charge moves. On the downside, limiting its moves to two Types (Dark and Normal) severely limit Type coverage.
Quick Move |
Charge Move |
Pros & Cons |
|
---|---|---|---|
Moveset option #1 |
Bite |
Hyper Beam |
|
Moveset option #2 |
Quick Attack |
Hyper Beam |
|
Moveset option #3 |
Bite |
Hyper Fang |
|
Moveset option #4 |
|
Return |
|
Movset option #5 |
Quick Attack |
Crunch |
|
Pokemon GO is available for mobile devices.