How to get Meltan in Pokemon Go

Meltan is a highly sought-after species in Pokemon Go, but getting it is easier said than done, as players require a special item called Mystery Box to unlock it.

If you’re wondering how to use the Mystery Box to catch this little Steel-type Mythical Pokemon, here are all the details.

How to catch Meltan

You can get Meltan by opening the Mystery Box.

Once you have it in your Item Bag, open it and Meltan will spawn around your location for 60 minutes. So, catch as many as you can until the time runs out.

After the 60 minutes pass, you will need to wait three days until they can use the Mystery Box again. Once the cooldown time is over, players need to transfer another Pokemon to get a new chance at catching Meltan.

Evolving Meltan into Melmetal requires 400 Candy, so make sure you use Pinap berries when catching Meltan to increase the amount of Candy earned. Of course, setting Meltan as your Buddy can also help a lot.

While the Mystery Box is usually the only way to get this Mythical, the Pokemon Go 8th Anniversary Party event running until Wednesday, July 3, 2024, at 8 PM local time features free and paid Timed Research quests rewarding encounters with Meltan.

Mystery Box explained

The Mystery Box is an item that players can get in Pokemon Go and it works the same way as an Incense but only attracts Meltan. It is pretty much like the Coin Bag that attracts Gimmighoul introduced after Pokemon Scarlet and Violet‘s release.

It is important to remember that once activated, the Mystery Box attracts Meltan for 60 minutes and has a cooldown of three days, so be ready to make the most out of it.

How to get Mystery Box

You must transfer one of your Pokemon to Home or Let’s Go Pikachu/Eevee to get the Mystery Box. If you’ve never done this, we’ve got you covered.

If you want to make a transfer to Pokemon Home, you should first download the app on your mobile device. You don’t need to pay for any premium plan to transfer any species and get the Mystery Box. Once you have the app, follow these steps:

1. Open Pokemon Go and tap the Poke Ball at the bottom.
2. Tap Settings at the top right corner of the screen.
3. Tap ‘Connected Devices and Services.’
4. Tap ‘Pokemon Home.’
5. Sign in using the same Nintendo Account you used to set up Pokemon Home.

Once you do that, the ‘Sign In‘ button will be replaced with the ‘Send Pokemon‘ button. Every time you need to send from Go to Home, just tap it and select the species you want to send via the Go Transporter. You’ll receive the Mystery Box in your Item Bag right after your first transfer.

Do note that anything sent to Pokemon Home can’t be sent back to Pokemon Go, so only do this with those catches you don’t want in your game anymore.

Can Meltan be shiny?

Yes, shiny Meltan is available and you can hunt for it by opening the Mystery Box until July 3, 2024.

Shiny Meltan’s bolt has a darker shade than the regular version and its tail is blue instead of the usual red. It may be hard to make out during an encounter as you can’t view its tail directly, so watch out for the sparkles and the icon above its CP.

If you’re looking for more Mythicals in Pokemon Go, check out how to get Marshadow, Shaymin, and Celebi.