Gaming Guide

Mega Beedrill in Pokémon Go: Best Counters, Weaknesses, and Moveset

Everything you need to squash this glass-cannon Bug/Poison raid boss and catch a strong Beedrill afterward.

Everything you need to squash this glass-cannon Bug/Poison raid boss and catch a strong Beedrill afterward.

Mega Beedrill is one of the easiest Mega raids to clear, but it still packs a punch thanks to a very high attack stat. It has almost no bulk, so the fastest way to win is to hit it with anything that exploits its four weaknesses. Line up the right attackers and even a small group can take it down quickly.

Quick answer: Mega Beedrill is a Bug/Poison-type that takes extra damage from Fire, Flying, Psychic, and Rock. Lead with Mega Mewtwo Y or Shadow Salamence and fill the rest of your team with strong Fire, Flying, Psychic, or Rock attackers.

Image credit: Scopely

Mega Beedrill weaknesses and resistances

Because it is a dual Bug and Poison-type, Mega Beedrill has four separate weaknesses to build around. It also shrugs off several common attack types, so avoid bringing Fighting, Grass, Bug, Fairy, or Poison damage.

Damage relationshipTypes
Weak to (takes more damage)Fire, Flying, Psychic, Rock
Resists (takes less damage)Bug, Fairy, Poison
Strongly resists (takes much less)Fighting, Grass

Sunny weather boosts your Fire attackers, Partly Cloudy boosts Rock, and Windy boosts both Flying and Psychic damage. Any of those conditions make the fight faster.

Image credit: Scopely / PoGoskill

Best Mega Beedrill counters

The strongest option is Mega Mewtwo Y, followed at some distance by Mega Rayquaza and Mega Mewtwo X. If you do not have those, Mega Delphox, Mega Charizard Y, and Mega Skarmory all work well. Any Mega you bring also boosts your teammates, so pick one that shares Mega Beedrill’s weaknesses.

AttackerRecommended moveset
Mega Mewtwo YConfusion / Psystrike
Mega RayquazaAir Slash / Dragon Ascent
Mega Mewtwo XPsychic fast + charged set
Mega Charizard YFire Spin / Blast Burn
Mega SkarmoryAir Slash / Sky Attack

Best non-Mega counters

Shadow Salamence and Shadow Moltres, both running Fly, are the top non-Mega picks, with Shadow Reshiram, Rayquaza, and Blacephalon close behind. If you do not own those, regular Salamence, Reshiram, and Shadow Chandelure are far more accessible and still get the job done.

AttackerRecommended moveset
Shadow SalamenceFire Fang / Fly
Shadow MoltresFire Spin / Sky Attack
Shadow ReshiramFire Fang / Fusion Flare
RayquazaAir Slash / Dragon Ascent
Shadow ChandelureFire Spin / Overheat

After that, just bring your strongest Fire, Flying, Psychic, or Rock attackers. There are plenty of good choices, so you rarely need to chase the top-tier picks.

Image credit: Scopely

How many trainers you need

Mega Beedrill is one of the squishiest Mega bosses in the game. With maxed-out, perfectly matched counters you can solo it, but that requires very strong Pokémon. For a comfortable, low-risk clear, bring two or three friends and pick one weakness to focus on.

You know the raid is won when the boss’s health bar empties and you move to the catch encounter. A common reason for a slow or failed attempt is bringing Bug or Poison attackers by mistake, since Mega Beedrill resists both.


Best Mega Beedrill moveset

If you plan to use Mega Beedrill yourself, it shines as the game’s top Bug-type attacker. The best build pairs the legacy fast move Bug Bite with the charged move Fell Stinger+, which makes the most of its same-type damage. For a Poison-focused set, Poison Jab and Sludge Bomb rank as one of the best Poison attackers in the game.

RoleFast moveCharged move
Bug attackerBug Bite (legacy)Fell Stinger+
Poison attackerPoison JabSludge Bomb

Its full move pool includes the fast moves Infestation, Poison Jab, and Poison Sting, plus the charged moves Aerial Ace, Fell Stinger, Fell Stinger+, Sludge Bomb, and X-Scissor. Bug Bite and Drill Run are legacy moves that require an Elite TM outside of special events. Evolving into Mega Beedrill costs 100 Mega Energy the first time and 20 Mega Energy each time after.

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Beedrill CP after the raid and shiny odds

Once you defeat Mega Beedrill, it reverts to a regular Beedrill for the catch encounter. The raid boss itself sits around 38,216 CP going in. Use the CP range below to spot a high-level catch, and remember that Rain and Cloudy weather boost the encounter.

Catch conditionBeedrill CP range
No weather boost994 – 1,054 CP
Rain or Cloudy weather boost1,242 – 1,318 CP

Shiny Beedrill is available, so every raid is a chance at one. It first appeared during the Weedle Community Day back in June 2020, alongside shiny Weedle and shiny Kakuna. The shiny is a bright green with blue accents rather than its usual yellow, so it is easy to tell apart on the catch screen. Bring a couple of friends, stack your Fire, Flying, Psychic, or Rock attackers, and this is one of the quicker Mega raids you can farm.