Pokemon GO Heatran weaknesses, best counters & Shiny details
Heatran is a pretty underrated Legendary Pokemon, and it's returning to Pokemon GO as a Raid Boss on February 22 and then again from February 26 to March 1, 2024.
If you're looking for some tips on how to take down this particular Pokemon in the game, we've got a list of the best counters and an explanation of Heatran's weaknesses. We've also included some details about how to get the Shiny form of Heatran down below!
Heatran weaknesses in Pokemon GO
Heatran is a Fire/Steel-type, which means it's heavily weak to Ground-type moves. I'd recommend bringing a whole squad of Pokemon with Ground-type moves if you want the easiest time defeating Heatran.
You can also bring Water or Fighting-type Pokemon, but nothing beats Ground-type for Heatran Raids. It's also preferable to bring Pokemon that aren't weak to either Fire or Steel-type attacks.
Best counters to defeat Heatran
Here's a list of all the best Heatran counters and the best movesets for them:
| Pokemon | Best Moveset | Sprite |
| Groudon | Mud Shot & Precipice Blades |   Click to enlarge |
| Garchomp | Mud Shot & Earth Power |  Click to enlarge |
| Rhyperior | Mud-Slap & Earthquake |  Click to enlarge |
| Excadrill | Mud-Slap & Scorching Sands |  Click to enlarge |
| Swampert | Mud Shot & Earthquake |  Click to enlarge |
| Landorus | Mud Shot & Earth Power |  Click to enlarge |
| Mamoswine | Mud-Slap & High Horsepower |  Click to enlarge |
| Golurk | Mud-Slap & Earth Power |  Click to enlarge |
| Flygon | Mud Shot & Scorching Sands |  Click to enlarge |
You'll probably notice a large amount of Ground-types in the table above! Don't worry if you don't have the perfect moveset though - any Ground-type attacks should be enough if you've got a solid team.
Can you get a Shiny Heatran in Pokemon GO?
You can find Shiny Heatran in Pokemon GO, but only after defeating it in a Raid Battle.
When you defeat Heatran you'll get a chance to catch it, and this encounter has a small chance of giving you a Shiny version of Heatran. It'll probably take you multiple Raids before you find a Shiny one, so it might take a long time - or you might get unlucky and never find one during the Raid's duration.
That's why it's vital to have a strong team of counters to complete lots of Heatran Raids and have the highest chance of finding a Shiny if that's your goal.
For more Pokemon GO guides, check out our homepage. Additionally, we've got a list of codes you can redeem in the game, or you can take a look at our Raid guides for other Pokemon, including Hisuian Typhlosion, Wyrdeer, Shadow Ho-Oh and Enamorus.
