‘Pokemon Go’: Where to Catch Magikarp in the Wild

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Where is Magikarp in ‘Pokemon Go’? (Niantic)

Shiny Pokemon are now available in Pokemon Go, and seeing as Magikarp is the only shiny species currently in the game, players are even more desperate to find this creature than usual. So where exactly can Magikarp be captured in the wild?

In general, Magikarp is found in water biomes. These are areas in the real world where you will also find a high concentration of Psyduck, Slowpoke and Tentacool. If you’re on the hunt for a Magikarp, then, your best bet would be to go to areas where you have previously caught these three Pokemon.

These areas are also often near actual bodies of water, which makes sense seeing as Magikarp is a water Pokemon. However, it’s common to find Magikarp in places other than bodies of water, too.

If you want to zero in on specific locations where Magikarp is commonly found, you can make use of the nest atlas over at The Silph Road. This website features a giant map of the world and allows gamers to report areas where they have caught specific Pokemon.

To use the map, simply click on the “species” button on the top of the screen, and then select “Magikarp” from the drop down menu. Markers will then pop up on the map showing areas where players have reported a high frequency of Magikarps.

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If you want to catch a Magikarp, this is the perfect week to do it. On March 22nd, Niantic Labs began a week-long “water festival” event, during which water Pokemon spawn at a much higher frequency than usual. Niantic notes in its announcement of this event that for the next week, “you’ll be more likely to encounter Magikarp, Squirtle, Totodile, and their Evolutions all around the world.”

Of course, not every Magikarp that you encounter in the wild is going to be a shiny one, and you’re not going to know whether the Pokemon is shiny until you’re in battle with it; the Magikarp will be displayed as if it’s a normal Pokemon on the map and on the nearby tracker, and it’s only when you are engaged in battle with it that it will reveal itself to be a shiny Magikarp.