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Image via Niantic

Pokémon Go’s Ghost-type Poltergeist stats make this a less-than-spooky attack

Not the kind of "boo" we were expecting.

For Litwick’s Community Day on October 15 in Pokémon Go, the Fire and Ghost-type Pokémon will have the chance to learn Poltergeist; a Ghost-type charged attack that it will learn if players evolve it to its final form, Chandelure. Unfortunately, leading up to the big event, dataminers have uncovered the stats for Poltergeist, and it’s not looking good for Chandelure’s potential in the future. Poltergeist is turning out to be a big disappointment rather than a terrifying Ghost-type attack.

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The datamining group, PokeMiners, discovered the full stats for Poltergeist. Although we already knew how much damage the attack would do, we did not know how much energy it would cost or if it would come with any side effects. While Niantic has not finalized these findings, we’re close to 24 hours away from the Community Day event, so these will likely be the final stats for Poltergeist when released during Litwick’s Community Day.

Related: Pokémon Go’s Halloween Part I event treats us to Giratina’s Signature move, Mega Banette, and shiny versions for Galarian Yamask and Noibat

Poltergeist will dish out 140 damage in PvP and PvE, but it costs 75 energy, which removes any potential of this being a better choice than Chandelure’s already preferred moveset. Unfortunately, Chandelure doesn’t have the bulk to remain in battle long enough to make use of charged move that requires this much energy. However, it doesn’t quite have the speed similar to other Ghost-types and needs an attack that costs far less energy, such as its preferred options, Shadow Ball and Flame Charge.

It’s a disappointing reveal for many looking forward to Litwick’s Community Day. Even though players will have the first chance to catch the shiny version of this Pokémon and to catch multiples of them, the new move won’t be a huge focus for a lot of players.

Niantic may finetune this attack in the future, potentially lowering the damage and energy requirements to make it a more viable option. For now, though, it looks like Poltergeist will remain the Ghost-type move in the basement for players to avoid until it becomes more feasible, or we see what other Pokémon can have the chance to learn it as the development team adds this attack to other moveset pools.


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Author
Image of Zack Palm
Zack Palm
Zack Palm is the Senior Writer of Gamepur and has spent over five years covering video games, and earned a Bachelor's degree in Economics from Oregon State University. He spends his free time biking, running tabletop campaigns, and listening to heavy metal. His primary game beats are Pokémon Go, Destiny 2, Final Fantasy XIV, and any newly released title, and he finds it difficult to pull away from any Star Wars game.