Overview
Lugia and Ho-Oh are the two most elusive Legendary Pokemon in Pokemon Pokopia. Unlike other legendaries that are encountered through habitats, story events, or Dream Islands, Lugia and Ho-Oh are flyby legendaries. They periodically soar overhead, drop mysterious feathers, and cannot be brought into a habitat or housed in any building, even after registration.
To register Lugia and Ho-Oh in your Pokedex, you must craft a special bell for each one and ring it while the legendary is flying overhead. Each bell has its own set of prerequisites: you need to befriend an entire trio of legendaries before the bell recipe unlocks, and you need to collect five feathers dropped by the target legendary itself.
Prerequisites at a Glance
Legendary | Bell Required | Trio Prerequisite | Feathers Needed | Other Material |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Lugia (#297) | Befriend all 3 Legendary Birds: Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres | 5 Silver Feathers | ||
Ho-Oh (#298) | Befriend all 3 Legendary Beasts: Raikou, Entei, Suicune | 5 Rainbow Feathers |
Both bell recipes unlock during the endgame. You need a total of 10 Rare Pokemetal (5 for each bell) if you want to summon both.
How to Get Lugia
Step 1: Befriend the Three Legendary Birds
The Tidal Bell recipe does not unlock until you have befriended all three Kanto Legendary Birds. Each bird requires constructing a large-scale Building Kit found in Palette Town:
Pokemon | Building Kit | Key Materials |
|---|---|---|
Articuno (#294) | 50 Stone, 50 Ice, 10 Crystal Fragment, 10 Pokemetal | |
Zapdos (#295) | 50 Copper Ingot, 50 Iron Ingot, 50 Sea Glass Fragment, 50 Brick, 10 Pokemetal | |
Moltres (#296) | 50 Copper Ingot, 50 Gold Ingot, 50 Lava Rock, 10 Pokemetal |
Each kit requires 15 Pokemon workers and takes about one in-game day to build. Only one kit can be built per day. For a detailed breakdown of materials, crew specialties, and build strategies, see the How to Get Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres guide.
Step 2: Collect 5 Silver Feathers
Lugia periodically flies overhead during overcast or rainy weather. It can appear above any of the five islands. When Lugia arrives, it emits two loud cries that are audible across the entire zone, then drops a Silver Feather as it passes.
When a Silver Feather lands, it creates a swirling tornado column with silver sparkles on the ground. This vortex is visible from a distance and marks exactly where the feather has fallen. To collect it:
Run to the tornado column as quickly as possible. There is a limited collection window before it dissipates.
Use Cut on the wind column to slice through the turbulence and disperse the tornado.
Pick up the Silver Feather from the cleared spot.
If you do not reach the feather in time or fail to use Cut, the Silver Feather blows away and is lost. Always keep a Pokemon with Cut available while exploring during rainy or overcast weather.
Lugia appearances are uncommon by default. To increase the frequency, feed Mosslax a cooked meal with the Dry flavor profile at Bleak Beach. This boosts legendary flyby event rates for the rest of that in-game day. A Crushed-Berry Salad (Leaf + Chesto Berry on a Chopping Board) is the easiest Dry recipe to prepare.
You can also use a Rain Dance Site to force rainy conditions, which ensures the right weather for Lugia to appear.
Step 3: Gather 5 Rare Pokemetal
Rare Pokemetal is created by smelting Rare Pokemetal Fragments at a Smelting Furnace using a Pokemon with the Burn specialty. Rare Pokemetal Fragments are a rare drop from Pokemetal ore blocks, found in the following locations:
Sky Dream Islands (accessed using a Dragonite Doll with Drifloon). Pokemetal blocks appear in yellow Poke Balls on these islands.
Sparkling Skylands mines. Break Pokemetal blocks and hope for the rare fragment variant.
Withered Wasteland mine (north of the island, behind a gate fence that requires enhanced Cut to remove).
Rare Pokemetal is the harder material to stockpile. Start farming it early, even before you have the Tidal Bell recipe.
Step 4: Craft the Tidal Bell
Once you have 5 Silver Feathers and 5 Rare Pokemetal, craft the Tidal Bell at a Workbench.
Material | Quantity |
|---|---|
Silver Feather | 5 |
Rare Pokemetal | 5 |
Step 5: Summon Lugia
Place the Tidal Bell in an open area with a clear view of the sky.
Wait for Lugia to fly overhead during overcast or rainy weather.
Ring the bell while Lugia is visible. A special cutscene triggers.
Lugia descends and is registered in your Pokedex as entry #297.
After registration, Lugia cannot be brought into a habitat or assigned tasks. It continues to fly overhead during overcast and rainy weather and drop Silver Feathers, which can still be collected and traded.
How to Get Ho-Oh
Step 1: Befriend the Three Legendary Beasts
The Clear Bell recipe does not unlock until you have befriended all three Johto Legendary Beasts. Each beast is encountered through a different method:
Pokemon | Encounter Method |
|---|---|
Raikou (#290) | Story encounter during the "Brighten Things Up!" quest in Bleak Beach. Can be re-encountered on Ocean Dream Islands using a Pikachu Doll. |
Entei (#291) | Found on Volcanic Dream Islands using an Arcanine Doll. Multiple trips may be needed due to random spawning. |
Suicune (#292) | Found on Wasteland Dream Islands using an Eevee Doll. Multiple trips may be needed due to random spawning. |
Raikou is obtained through the story, but Entei and Suicune require dedicated Dream Island trips with the correct Dolls. Their appearances on Dream Islands are random, so you may need several attempts.
Step 2: Collect 5 Rainbow Feathers
Ho-Oh periodically flies overhead during sunny, clear weather. It can appear above any of the five islands. When Ho-Oh arrives, it emits two loud cries audible across the entire zone, then drops a Rainbow Feather as it passes.
When a Rainbow Feather lands, it creates a column of smoke and flames on the ground. This visual cue is visible from a distance and marks where the feather has fallen. To collect it:
Run to the flame column as quickly as possible. There is a limited collection window before the feather burns away.
Use Water Gun on the flames to extinguish them. The feather is too hot to pick up while burning.
Pick up the Rainbow Feather from the cooled spot.
If you do not reach the feather in time or fail to use Water Gun, the feather burns away and is lost. Always keep a Pokemon with Water Gun available while exploring during sunny weather.
To increase Ho-Oh appearances, feed Mosslax a Dry-flavored cooked meal. You can also use a Sunny Day Site to force clear, sunny conditions.
Step 3: Gather 5 Rare Pokemetal
The process is identical to gathering Rare Pokemetal for the Tidal Bell. Farm Rare Pokemetal Fragments from Pokemetal ore blocks on Sky Dream Islands (Dragonite Doll), in Sparkling Skylands mines, or in the Withered Wasteland mine. Smelt the fragments at a Smelting Furnace with a Burn-specialty Pokemon.
Step 4: Craft the Clear Bell
Once you have 5 Rainbow Feathers and 5 Rare Pokemetal, craft the Clear Bell at a Workbench.
Material | Quantity |
|---|---|
Rainbow Feather | 5 |
Rare Pokemetal | 5 |
Step 5: Summon Ho-Oh
Place the Clear Bell in an elevated, open area with a clear view of the sky.
Wait for Ho-Oh to fly overhead during sunny, clear weather.
Ring the bell while Ho-Oh is visible. A special cutscene triggers.
Ho-Oh descends and is registered in your Pokedex as entry #298.
After registration, Ho-Oh cannot be brought into a habitat or assigned tasks. It continues to fly overhead during sunny weather and drop Rainbow Feathers, which can still be collected and traded.
Lugia vs. Ho-Oh Comparison
Attribute | Lugia | Ho-Oh |
|---|---|---|
Pokedex # | #297 | #298 |
Type | Psychic/Flying | Fire/Flying |
Weather Condition | Overcast or rainy | Sunny and clear |
Feather Dropped | Silver Feather | Rainbow Feather |
Ground Indicator | Tornado column with silver sparkles | Smoke and flame column |
Collection Move | Cut | Water Gun |
Bell Required | Tidal Bell | Clear Bell |
Trio Prerequisite | 3 Legendary Birds (Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres) | 3 Legendary Beasts (Raikou, Entei, Suicune) |
Trading Feathers with Gimmighoul
Both Rainbow Feathers and Silver Feathers can be traded to Gimmighoul at the Museum in Rocky Ridges. Gimmighoul's first interaction specifically requests a Rainbow Feather. After that initial trade, both feather types are accepted. Each trade exchanges one feather for a random piece from the Pop Art furniture collection:
Pop Art Table
Pop Art Sofa
Pop Art Chair
Pop Art Bed
Pop Art Lamp
Important: Always save your first 5 Rainbow Feathers and 5 Silver Feathers for bell crafting. Only trade surplus feathers with Gimmighoul after you have secured the feathers needed for each bell.
Gather Mysterious Feathers Daily Challenge
The "Gather Mysterious Feathers" Daily Challenge requires collecting both a Rainbow Feather (from Ho-Oh) and a Silver Feather (from Lugia) in the same day. Completing it rewards 200 Life Coins. This is one of the harder daily challenges because it requires both sunny and rainy weather in a single day, along with favorable legendary spawn timing.
To attempt it, start with whichever weather condition is naturally occurring, collect that feather, then use weather manipulation (Rain Dance Sites or Sunny Day Sites) to shift the weather for the second feather.
Tips
Start collecting feathers early. Ho-Oh and Lugia begin flying overhead and dropping feathers before you have the bell recipes. Gather 5 of each type as soon as possible so you can craft both bells the moment the recipes unlock.
Do not ignore the audio cue. The two loud cries are often heard before you can see the ground marker. Stop what you are doing and look up immediately when you hear them.
Always carry the right move. Water Gun for Rainbow Feathers (fire column), Cut for Silver Feathers (tornado). Using the wrong move wastes time and risks losing the feather.
Feed Mosslax every day. Even on days when you are not actively farming feathers, the Dry food buff from Mosslax increases passive feather chances while you go about normal gameplay.
Explore in open areas. The flame and tornado columns are much easier to spot on flat terrain. Avoid spending all your time in caves or dense builds when trying to catch flyovers.
Farm Rare Pokemetal on Sky Dream Islands. Use a Dragonite Doll with Drifloon to access Sky Dream Islands. Break every Pokemetal block you find and hope for Rare Pokemetal Fragment drops.
Prioritize Entei and Suicune for Ho-Oh. Raikou is obtained through the story, but Entei and Suicune each require dedicated Dream Island trips with the correct Dolls (Arcanine and Eevee). Their spawns are random, so start making trips early.
You need 10 Rare Pokemetal total if you want both bells (5 for the Tidal Bell, 5 for the Clear Bell). Plan your mining accordingly.
Related Guides
How to Get Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres (full building kit breakdown for the Legendary Birds)
How to Farm Rainbow and Silver Feathers (detailed feather farming strategies and Mosslax buff guide)
Legendary Pokemon Guide (overview of all 12 legendaries)
Legendary Beasts: Raikou, Entei, and Suicune (prerequisite for Ho-Oh's Clear Bell)
Rare Pokemetal (farming and smelting guide)