Eternatus Pokemon Go — Max Finale Dates, Eternamax Battles, Best Counters & What You Can Actually Catch

Eternatus Pokemon Go is finally here—and it arrives with the biggest raid twist yet. During Pokémon GO Fest 2025: Max Finale, Trainers can battle Eternatus and take on Eternamax Eternatus in new Max Battles that allow up to 100 Trainers in the same encounter (organized in squads of up to four). Niantic has also lifted the limit on Remote Raids for the Max Finale weekend, creating a global two-day push to farm Candy and Candy XL.

Table of Contents

Key dates & access

Event window: Max Finale weekend runs August 23–24, 2025 (10 a.m.–6 p.m. local both days).
Remote Raids: No limit on Remote Raids during Aug 23–24 (local time).
Go Pass: Max Finale: A free track grants access to Eternatus; a Deluxe track adds more rewards. Details and flavor text are on Niantic’s event page.

Eternamax vs. Eternatus: what’s the difference?

Eternatus is the catchable Legendary debuting during the event. Eternamax Eternatus is an ultra-scale boss for Max Battles; defeating it yields rewards (Candy, XL) but you won’t catch the Eternamax form after the fight. Think of it like a global damage check and Candy farm rolled into one.

Typing, weaknesses & counters

Eternatus is Poison/Dragon. That means it’s weak to Ground, Psychic, Ice, and Dragon moves. Your best teams will come from these buckets:

Psychic: Mewtwo (Psycho Cut/Psystrike), Metagross (Zen Headbutt/Psychic), Hoopa Unbound.
Ground: Primal Groudon/Groudon (Mud Shot/Precipice Blades), Garchomp (Mud Shot/Earth Power), Excadrill.
Ice: Mamoswine (Powder Snow/Avalanche), Weavile, Glaceon.
Dragon: Rayquaza, Salamence, Zekrom/Reshiram (Dragon Breath/Outrage variants). Use Dragons with care—mirrored Dragon damage cuts both ways.

Community guides echo the same type chart and add Eternamax-specific advice: larger lobbies mean fewer wipes, and breaking it in one or two phases can require serious headcount.

Catch rules & shiny status

Catch: Eternatus is catchable via the event pass track; Eternamax is not. Shiny: As of Max Finale launch day, multiple trackers note shiny Eternamax is not available. Keep an eye on Niantic’s channels for changes in future events.

Remote, local, and lobby tips

Remote stacking: With the cap removed for the weekend, plan a route of invites across time zones to maximize raids and Candy XL.
Squad up: Even though up to 100 can join, coordinating squads of 4 with focused counters improves time-to-clear.
Weather boost: Windy (for Dragon) and Cloudy (for Poison) affect CP and move power—check your local forecast before committing your highest-CP Dragons.
Resource plan: You’ll burn through Max Potions and Revives quickly in Eternamax phases; set aside a stash now.

Is Eternatus worth powering up?

As a high-stat Poison/Dragon attacker, Eternatus slots into many Legendary raid matchups, with community theorycraft placing it near the top against certain Dragon bosses. In PvP, its niche will depend on moves and CP caps—expect more analysis after the dust settles.

Bottom line

Eternatus Pokemon Go is the marquee moment of Max Finale: two days of unlimited remotes, mega-lobbies, and an unforgettable (if chaotic) Eternamax brawl. Build Psychic/Ground/Ice/Dragon teams, coordinate with friends, and plan your Candy grind. You’ll only get one first impression—make it count.