Niantic
Niantic officially confirmed this year’s holiday event for Pokemon Go. The event offers a variety of perks for players but one of the most exciting is the arrival of ice and water type Pokemon from generation three of the main games (Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald) starting December 21 at 1 p.m. PST/ 4 p.m. EST. This adds to the 50 gen three Pokemon added to the game two weeks ago.
Niantic said that 20 Pokemon are coming to the game but didn’t specify which ones are coming. However, their blog post includes a picture containing Feebas, Milotic, Wailmer, Snorunt, Luvdisc, Relicanth, and the Legendary Pokemon Kyogre. We can assume that the evolutionary stages of the Pokemon above (for those that have it) will be included as well.
Spheal and Wingull made an appearance during the Holiday loading screen, so it’s highly likely that the water type Pokemon and their evolutions will come to the game as well.
It’s also possible that gen two Pokemon Delibird will come to the game, as its design and gift-giving attack is based off of Santa Claus. Earlier this December, Pokemon Go Hub found code in the game related to Delibird’s signature move Present.
Gen two Pokemon Stantler is also a good candidate for the holiday event since it resembles a reindeer. In fact, the Pokemon can be seen pulling Santa’s sleigh when he appeared in the Pokemon anime, according to Bulbapedia. It can also learn Take Down in the main Pokemon games, according to Bulbapedia. The move was found in the game’s code during a datamine in November. However we haven’t seen any reports yet of the Pokemon’s existence in the game.
Below is a list of the new Pokemon. We will update the list as we get definitive proof of each Pokemon’s existence.
Kyogre is likely coming soon as a level five Raid Boss. Groudon was made available shortly after the release of the 50 gen three Pokemon.
If you managed to catch one of the Pokemon above or any we missed, let us know in the comment section below.
Redditor EightBit14 caught a shiny Snorunt.
In fact, Redditor PkmnMasterHolly created a picture of all the gen three Pokemon coming to the game as well as their shiny forms.
According to Redditor Frocharocha, Wailmer requires 400 candy to evolve into Wailord. According to Redditor Scribnerd, Wailmer is also a Raid Boss.
A Pikachu wearing a Santa Claus hat will also start spawning on December 21 at 1 p.m. PST/ 4 p.m. EST. Ice type Pokemon will also start spawning more frequently.
From December 21 through December 25 at 1 p.m. PST/ 4 p.m. EST, special boxes will be offered in the in-game shop offering Super Incubators, Lure Modules, and the brand new Star Pieces which earn bonus Stardust for 30 minutes when activated. Special boxes will feature Premium Raid Passes, Super Incubators, and Star Pieces starting December 25 through January 4, 2018 at 1 p.m. PST/ 4 p.m. EST.
Niantic recently introduced AR+ support for Pokemon Go on iOS 11 on iPhone 6s and newer models. AR+ places Pokemon in a fixed point in space, more realistically superimposing them in the real world. Not only that, but there’s a new awareness mechanic where you can sneak up on Pokemon while being careful not to scare it away. Catching a Pokemon in close proximity gives you a better chance at earning Great and Excellent Throw bonuses and successfully sneaking up on Pokemon earns you an Expert Handler bonus which awards more XP and Stardust.
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