Pokémon GOhas many difficult bosses that can prove quite challenging for people, and Arlo is certainly one of them in March 2025. He brings a roster of Pokémon in 3 separate rounds that can be fairly challenging to new and older players alike when unprepared. Arlo’s lineup has changed since Fashion Week: Taken Over event, and because of that, you might need to update your counters. While Arlo can be a formidable foe, you can make the fight easier if you use our recommended counters.
Before you can face Arlo, though, you must first build the Rocket Radar, which requires “Mysterious Components.” One of the components can be acquired by beating grunts likeKe Ke Ke Ke inPokémon GO.You will need to gather six Mysterious Components from other gruntsto make a Rocket Rader and then track down Team Rocket leaders like Arlo, Sierra, or Cliff.

Arlo’s Lineup & Counters (March 2025)
Match-Ups For Regional Variants
Arlo wields Shadow Pokémon, which are unique Pokémon inPokémon GOthat take and deal increased damage by 20%.They’re identifiable by their red eyes and shadowy aura that typically surround them at any moment.
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The first Pokémon you will encounter when fighting Arlo will always be Shadow Alolan Grimer, a Poison-/Dark-type Pokémon. This means the best strategy for defeating Arlo’s first challenge will be astrong ground-type Pokémon.While I recommend Primal Groudon or Mega Swampert, Pokémon such as Mega Garchomp, Shadow Mamoswine, or Excadrill can work well in this fight.

While normal Pokémon can work in this fight, Shadow Pokémon are typically more effective. However, using Pokémon that are stronger naturally, such as Primal or Mega Pokémon, is also ideal in this scenario.
After defeating Shadow Alolan Grimer, Arlo will select between three different Pokémon to be the next combatant.The Pokémon that he can choose from include Shadow Slowbro, Shadow Gyarados, or Shadow Dugtrio. When going into this battle, it’s best to decide which Pokémon would be best and who can handle most situations, which will be listed below.

Rock/Electric
Shadow Raikou, Mega Manectric, Shadow Magnezone
Once you manage to defeat the second round of Pokémon, the final round will approach,containing a different selection of one of three Random shadow Pokémon. The list of Pokémon that can potentially faced here includes Shadow Alolan Muk, Shadow Scizor, or Shadow Metagross.
Dark/Fire/Ghost/Ground
Shadow Heatran, Primal Groudon, Dawn Wings Necrozma
When it comes to deciding a team composition, it’s best to select Pokémon that can be taken for multiple situations and potential fights, such as Dawn Wings Necrozma, Shadow Heatran, Shadow Raikou, and Mega Swampert, as they can be used for quite a few situations.
Rewards For Beating Arlo (March 2025)
Gain Multiple Items Through Bundles
Upon defeating Arlo, you will be offered many different rewards, which are quite beneficial to progression inPokémon GO. One of the rewards you will immediately receive is1000 stardust inPokémon GO, a major currency in the game used to trade or boost a Pokémon’s strength. You will also receive two different bundles of items randomly, including the following.
Item amount
2
4
1
12 km Strange Egg
Unova Stone
You will also be given a rare opportunity to capture a shadow Pokémon once Arlo is defeated. The Shadow Pokémon offered will depend on the ones you fought when challenging Arlo, meaning that some quite powerful Pokémon will be offered.
Even if the Pokémon offered to you aren’t to your immediate liking, you should always take the chance to capture Shadow Pokémon, as they’re not only extremely rare but also tend to come with their own challenges.
Now that Arlo has been defeated, you should be one step closer to unlocking Giovanni. Once you’ve taken down the other leaders and Giovanni has been defeated, you will be given the opportunity to capture a shadow legendary Pokémon inPokémon GO.