Pokemon Go Heatran Raid Guide: Best Counters, Weaknesses, Raid Hours, And More Tips

This week presents an exceptional opportunity for Pokemon Go trainers to engage with one of the game’s most formidable legendary creatures through five-star raids. The strategic timing of your raid attempts can dramatically impact your success rate and resource efficiency.

The Lava Dome Pokemon Heatran returns as the featured five-star raid boss, available from January 7 at 1 PM Pacific Time through January 14 at the same hour. This reappearance aligns with Pokemon Go’s January 2022 event calendar, marking another chance for trainers who missed previous encounters to add this volcanic powerhouse to their collection since its initial debut in December 2018.

⚠️ HOT SURFACE ⚠️
Found in volcanic caves 🌋, Heatran’s body temperature reaches boiling levels!
🔥 Heatran emerges with intense heat, appearing exclusively in five-star raids between January 7 and January 14! pic.twitter.com/Ur5vofayE2

Unlike scheduled events with predictable spawn patterns, Heatran raids appear randomly at gyms throughout the event period. The game’s raid tracking system provides real-time notifications of active raids, requiring consistent monitoring to identify opportunities. For optimal efficiency, focus on gym-dense areas where multiple potential spawn points increase your chances.

The most reliable method for encountering Heatran involves participating in the weekly Raid Hour event. On Wednesday, January 12 from 6 PM to 7 PM local time, nearly every gym in the game will host Heatran raids simultaneously. This coordinated timing eliminates the guesswork and ensures maximum participation opportunities during this concentrated window.

Heatran’s unique Fire/Steel dual typing creates specific vulnerability patterns that experienced raiders can exploit. Understanding these type interactions forms the foundation of successful raid strategy.

Ground-type moves represent the ultimate weapon against Heatran, dealing quadruple damage due to dual type effectiveness. This massive damage multiplier makes Ground-type specialists essential for any serious raid attempt. Elite Ground-type attackers include Excadrill with its fast-charging moves, Groudon featuring devastating Earthquake, and Landorus in Therian form with Earth Power capabilities. Ensure these Pokemon utilize exclusively Ground-type moves for maximum impact.

When Ground-types aren’t available or you need type diversity, Water and Fighting moves serve as excellent secondary options. These deal standard super-effective damage (2x) and provide reliable performance. Mega Evolved Blastoise and Gyarados deliver exceptional Water-type damage while boosting same-type allies, while Machamp and Lucario offer powerful Fighting-type alternatives with distinct move advantages.

Advanced raiders should consider Mega Evolution timing carefully. Deploying Mega Gyarados or Mega Blastoise not only increases personal damage output but also enhances the performance of fellow trainers’ Water-type attackers. This coordinated approach can shave valuable seconds off your completion time.

Common mistakes include using partially effective types or failing to optimize move sets. Avoid mixing non-Ground moves on your primary attackers, as this significantly reduces damage potential. Also ensure your team reaches appropriate level thresholds (typically level 30-35 with proper IVs) to survive Heatran’s powerful Fire Blast and Iron Head attacks.

Heatran’s defensive capabilities prove remarkably extensive, resisting damage from ten different move types. This comprehensive resistance profile makes type selection absolutely critical for raid success.

Six specific types suffer from quadruple damage reduction when used against Heatran. These include Bug, Grass, Ice, Poison, Fairy, and Steel moves, which deal only 25% of their normal damage output. Bringing Pokemon relying on these move types will severely handicap your raid team’s performance.

The remaining four resistant types—Dragon, Flying, Normal, and Psychic—still take only half damage, making them poor choices for primary attackers.

Understanding damage calculation mechanics reveals why proper type matching matters so profoundly. The double resistance mechanism multiplies damage reduction, turning potentially powerful attacks into negligible scratches against Heatran’s metallic hide.

When building your raid team, prioritize Pokemon with Ground-type moves above all others, followed by Water and Fighting specialists. Avoid any temptation to use your favorite Pokemon if they fall into the resistant categories mentioned above.

For trainers working on their Class Guide progression, applying similar strategic thinking to type advantages will yield consistent results across different gaming systems and mechanics.

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