Kanto’s three legendary birds have returned in Crown Tundra, the second half of the Pokemon Sword & Shield expansion pass. This time, they have brand new Galarian forms that you can find and catch. Galarian Moltres is now a dual-type Dark and Flying type Pokemon. The quest that Galarian Moltres is part of is called “A Legendary Tree of a Legendary Three.” We’ll show you how to begin that quest and how to catch Galarian Moltres in Pokemon Sword & Shield.
“A Legendary Tree of a Legendary Three”
Before you can think about catching Galarian Moltres, you have to initiate the quest to release it into the wild. You can do this by heading to Ballimere Lake in the Crown Tundra region.
At Ballimere Lake, you’ll see a giant red tree bearing fruit. Walk up to this tree to trigger a cutscene. Sit back and relax as you watch the three legendary birds Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres battle with each other before flying off in separate directions.
The quest has now begun, and you’ll be able to catch the legendary birds. Each of them are in a different location, though, and have different requirements to find them.
How to Catch Galarian Moltres in Pokemon Sword & Shield
Once you’ve initiated the quest, Galarian Moltres can be found in the Isle of Armor region of Galar (the area from the first part of the expansion pass).
You’ll sometimes see Galarian Moltres flying around the island. You can attempt to catch it by running into it for an encounter. It’s incredibly fast, so you might have a tough time catching up to it, even on your bike.
The best method is to find a spot where Moltres passes through and wait for it to come back around. When it starts to get close to you, you need to whistle a few times to get it to fly down to your level.
Once you whistle near Moltres, it will spot you and fly towards you, starting the encounter. It will be level 70 with a very low catch rate, so come prepared with plenty of strong Pokemon and Poke Balls.
We recommend using a Quick Ball on the first throw. If it pops out of that, weaken it and use a status effect such as sleep or paralysis on it. Dusk Balls work well if its nighttime, and Timer Balls are good if the battle has had many turns.
It might take several tries, but you’ll eventually be able to catch it. That’s everything you need to know about starting the “A Legendary Tree of a Legendary Three” quest and how to catch Galarian Moltres in Pokemon Sword & Shield.
For more tips and tricks for Pokemon Sword & Shield and the Crown Tundra expansion pass, check out our guide wiki.