 Players met the Ultra Unlock requirements during Pokémon Go Fest 2020, so Niantic is in the middle of releasing themed weeks of content for everyone to enjoy.
Moving on from Dragon Week, players will now be dealing with Pokémon that are considered enigmas compared to other species in the world. This means increased spawn rates for specific Pokémon and changes to Egg and event raid pools. Each week will also come with a timed research task that, if you complete it before the end of the week, will reward you with extra, rare encounters. For Enigma Week, you will have the chance to encounter the alien-like Psychic-type Elgyem and Beheeyem, which are being added to the game for the first time. Shiny Unknown will also be appearing, but only Unown U, L, T, R, and A, along with Shiny Staryu, Starmie, and Deoxys, which are all new Shinies. Here are all of the increased spawns, encounters, and event raids for Enigma Week, which runs from Aug. 7 to 14. Spawn Increases
Event Eggs (All 7km Eggs)
Event Specific Raid Battles
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 Niantic recently announced that Shiny Unown will be available throughout Enigma Week. This will be the first time in Pokemon Go that all players will have access to the shiny version of this alphabetical Pokemon. We now know that Unown spelling out “ULTRA” will make an appearance as a 2 star raid boss once Dragon Week comes to an end. Previously, only those who purchased the ticket for Pokemon Go Fest 2020 were able to catch a shiny version of Unown “G” and “O” through incense spawns, as is seen here.
However, Pokmeon from raid battles typically have a 1 in 20 chance of being shiny, so battling in raids will be the best chance for most players to get their shot at a shiny Unown before it becomes unavailable again once Enigma Week ends! As you prepare for Enigma Week, here is everything you need to know: Times August 7th, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. to Friday, August 14th, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. (GMT -7) Spawns
*shiny available **shiny newly added Raids
Eggs
*shiny available  Niantic has been running PokéCoin tests in Australia since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. These limited trials have introduced to these Australian Pokémon GO trainers to new methods of accruing PokéCoins through daily tasks. Currently, the only permanent way to earn PokéCoins is by keeping Pokémon in gyms for a certain amount of time each day. Otherwise, PokéCoins must be bought through the in-game shop with actual money. Now, Niantic has announced plans to expand upon its tests by adding new tasks and stretching the location of these trials to new countries.
Changes coming to the Pokémon GO PokéCoin system. Credit: NianticIn their announcement of these upcoming expanded trials, Niantic wrote: In response to positive community feedback and these results, we're updating the current PokéCoin-rewards test for Trainers in Australia as well as expanding this test to Germany, New Zealand, and Taiwan. The update introduces Team GO Rocket–related tasks to the daily activities you can complete to earn PokéCoins. The world of Pokémon GO has more ways than ever for Trainers to play, and we're hoping to use the expanded range of activities to provide more Trainers the opportunity to earn PokéCoins. We will continue to listen to Trainer feedback as we make updates to the PokéCoin-rewards system. These new Team GO Rocket tasks, which have yet to be revealed, are following Niantic's new function for these battles in Pokémon GO, which is also a response to the lockdown. In effort to cater the game to those still in quarantine, Niantic introduced the Team GO Rocket balloon earlier this summer, where encounters with Grunts, Team Leaders, Jessie and James, or even the boss Giovanni will come to the trainer's screen, wherever they are, in six-hour increments. The success of these trails is yet to be determined, but based on the speed of the expansion of the PokéCoin test, trainers would do well to prepare for these to be implemented into Pokémon GO in the near future. Practice your battling skills and throwing technique, because the quest to gain free PokéCoin will likely turn from passive to task-based soon.  Now that we are one week into GO Battle League Season Three, Niantic has posted the current Leaderboard for Pokémon GO. This shows the top players and their ranks… and none of the top 50, not even one single trainer, is at Rank Ten. This is, of course, because the season just started, but it demonstrates with brutal clarity how difficult the ultimate GO Battle League reward of Pikachu Libre is to achieve. Now, though, with the former GO Battle League exclusive Pokémon Scraggy entering the Research Breakthrough box for the month of August, can Pokémon GO trainers hope to one day see this exclusive (and elusive) form of the iconic electric mouse outside of GBL rewards?
The Leaderboard can be explored here, with the current rankings. Currently, Pokémon that be encountered through GO Battle League are:
This means that no one in GO Battle League Season Three has yet earned the Pikachu Libre. Some inevitably will reach this ultimate rank, as we are, of course, just getting started. Considering Scraggy's role here, though, as the second-highest reward and how it's, as of August, available to any trainer, it would make sense that Pikachu will follow. Personally, my prediction would be that Niantic will hold back the wider release of Pikachu Libre for up to a full year to continue to incentive leveling up in GO Battle League. It would make sense for them to make it available at a more attainable rank such as, for example, Rank Seven, before releasing it in the wild or as a Research Breakthrough. Interest in GO Battle League is hard to gauge, but just a few months ago, Niantic allowed Legendary Pokémon encounters through PVP before stripping them from the game. In order to continue to keep players engaged in a system that, outside of Pikachu Libre, Deino, and Rufflet, has overall very poor rewards, Niantic may have to keep shifting once-exclusive rewards down to lower ranks. In any case, the race for the number one PVP player in Pokémon GO can now be tracked via the Leaderboard.  Cruel Team Go Rocket leaders can be tough to beat, so here is a quick guide on how to defeat one of the members, Cliff, in Pokemon GO.
Pokemon GO introduced these leaders back on November 5th of 2019. In order to find them, players must beat grunts at Pokestops and collect six mysterious components to make the Rocket Radar, which locates them. Cliff, one of the three leaders, is harder to beat than the typical grunt, since he also uses a shield during battle. To help players counter him, here is a list of Pokemon and moves that will be most effective when fighting him. 1. Pinsir Cliff's team starts with a Pinsir, which has a chance to be shiny. Pinsir is a bug type Pokemon, so using fire, rock, or flying types moves are typically the step in the right direction.
2. Machamp Machamp is the second Pokemon on Cliff's team and is a fighting type. Therefore, using psychic, flying, or fairy type moves will be super effective against this Pokemon.
3. Articuno Articuno, one of the legendary bird Pokemon, is an ice and flying type Pokemon. Mixing up electric, fire, rock, or steel type moves will prove to be incredibly effective against Articuno.
Hopefully, this guide helps players with an idea of how to assemble their team. Defeating any of the leaders in battle grants players an Unova Stone for beating them, which is an evolutionary item that can be used to help Gen 5 Pokemon evolve. So take advantage of this guide while it is still relevant, because Cliff will only have this team composition for the rest of the month.  Niantic has once again extended the bonuses in Pokémon GO that allow trainers to keep playing the game despite the current global situation. Though restrictions have eased in many places, the COVID-19 pandemic is not over and is, in many areas, worsening. The Pokémon GO bonuses were set to expire this week, but have been extended for thirty-three additional days. With the future uncertain, though, and Pokémon GO players adjusting to this new way of life and gameplay, how long should Niantic keep each of these bonuses? Some of them have become such integral aspects of gameplay since their introduction that removing them could be a risky move for the company. Here is what each bonus means for players, and Bleeding Cool's take on what Niantic should and, in some cases, must do.
This can, and likely will, be removed from the game in the coming months. Incense, which draws Pokémon to players wherever they are, generally lasts for thirty minutes. The current bonuses boost it to an hour. Incense is very cheap in shop, with eight available in a bundle for 250 PokéCoins. Eight incenses without the current doubled duration would yield a Pokémon every minute for four hours, for almost the same price as a Super Incubator, which would only hatch three Pokémon total from eggs. Even without the doubled time, it's currently the best deal in the shop. Increased Incense effectiveness Here is the catch, though: the one Pokémon per minute is also a bonus. This must stay in the game, as it turned Incense from a useless item that would, at best, draw six Pokémon to trainers over the course of thirty minutes to the most useful item in the shop. Niantic would be missing out on countless revenue by curbing this bonus as opposed to making it a standard part of the game. Open 1.5x as many Gifts This is staying in-game, as event boss of Niantic Michael Sterenka said in an interview with Eurogamer. "The game's expanded limit of holding and sending gifts will become standard." Hold 2x as many Gifts in your Item Bag Same as above: staying in the game. No walking requirement for the GO Battle League In the same interview, Niantic's Sterenka confirmed that this would be removed from the game in future seasons, though it is currently in place for Season Three. Walking distances, Sterenka said, will return "in a way that makes sense." This is understandable, as it ties into Pokémon GO's central philosophy of getting up and going out. While the Incense bonuses turn a useless item into an essential one, GO Battle League is still a relatively new feature, so changes like this make sense in order to tie it into the overall purpose of the game. 1/2 Hatch Distance This bonus that allows Eggs to be hatched quicker will and, though it will be missed, should go. It would make sense to remove this when restrictions are fully lifted. Boosted damage for Trainers battle remotely in raids Now, the hard part: figuring out Remote Raids in a game designed to make Pokémon GO trainers explore the world. Being able to Remote Raid allows players to instantly join any raid on their map, but Niantic should be careful about changing this. The boosted damage makes it seem as if Remote Raiders currently do more damage to Raid Bosses than trainers present at the raid, but that is not the case. Instead, it means that Remote Raiders have a 50% damage cut that Niantic is currently waiving but will bring back. This is inadvisable to say the least, as would be removing the other raiding bonuses below. Inviting friends to a raid can be done remotely Currently, Pokémon GO trainers can use Raid Invites when Remote Raiding. When Niantic ends this bonus, trainers will have to be in person at the Raid in order to invite friends. This makes Remote Raiding overall a less useful feature and will cut off interest in Raid Invites, a new feature which Niantic is raking in the funds on. Removing these two bonuses, which have boosted Friend interaction and the social aspect of Pokémon GO as well as allowing rural trainers who have struggled to complete raids in the past, would be a major mistake for the company. More trainers battling remotely allowed in raids As with the above, Remote Raids and Raid Invites should stay as is. Instead of introducing new features only to take away everything interesting about them, Niantic should create new and different incentives for Pokémon GO trainers to get out. Currently, the above bonuses are in-game for thirty-three more days. Hopefully, Niantic does the right thing, which, funny enough, is also the thing that will make them more money, and allow some of the above to become a permanent part of Pokémon GO.  Hands-on With Niantic's First Global Pokemon GO Fest
In 2019, 300,000 people descended upon parks in Chicago, U.S.; Dortmund, Germany; and Yokohama, Japan, phones in hand, to explore model environments, socialize in pop-up lounges, and most importantly, catch hundreds of virtual Pokemon. This was Pokemon GO Fest, a four-day long celebration of Niantic’s hit AR mobile game that maintains a dedicated community worldwide. 2019 was Niantic’s third Pokemon GO Fest and the first to take place in multiple cities. What the original plan was for 2020’s event, we’ll never know, but it’s safe to say Niantic wasn’t expecting that a global pandemic would transform their three-city event into a truly global, anywhere-in-the-world, ground-up reimagining of their biggest celebration ever. Pokemon GO Fest 2020 sets up an odd tug-o’-war between a game that is built around social interaction at its core, and a series of smart but hastily implemented changes designed to mediate that core interaction. I participated in this year’s festivities from July 25–26, and I came away with some thoughts on what worked and what didn’t. Virtual Team Lounge Previous events featured team lounges for Pokemon GO’s three joinable factions: Mystic, Instinct, and Valor. These lounges were central hubs during the in-person event, but this year, a virtual web-based team lounge replaced the big colored tents. The virtual lounge was intended to be a place to connect with other players and catch livestreams, but at the end of the day, a webpage that requires you to close the game doesn’t feel much like something worth doing when you’re out catching Pokemon. I found myself excited to access the virtual lounge to tune in to the kickoff livestreams featuring Niantic CEO John Hanke and other senior developers, but after those ended, my interest in the virtual lounge quickly disappeared. Unfortunately, the extent of socializing with other team members amounted to sharing Niantic-approved photographs. Its only other purpose was to view what Niantic called livestreams, but were really pre-recorded YouTube videos that could be viewed at any time. Real festivals have schedules, and since there was zero incentive to tune in to the presentations as they happened, they didn’t feel much like they were a part of the festival at all. There were some pretty funny interviews with Rian Johnson though (yes, Star Wars director Rian Johnson), so that was cool. This is how social Pokemon GO Fest was this year. Rotating Habitats One thing I was most excited about before the event was the idea of the rotating virtual habitats. In previous Go Fests, players got to explore small environments representing Pokemon habitats, where certain Pokemon could be found. I was sad that something like this would be impossible during a virtual GO Fest, but Niantic promised an interesting alternative. Every hour, the game would rotate virtual habitats, so one hour the game might be in the fire habitat, spawning more Charmanders and Tepigs, and the next hour it could be the water habitat where you’d be able to find more Squirtles. Because many of the activities during the event required players to catch specific Pokemon, being aware of the current and upcoming habitats was important. However, in reality the game provided little feedback that habitats were even a thing if you happened to miss the marketing. One would think that the game would graphically represent these changing habitats by, I don’t know, showing a different background on the battle screen, but no, the same verdant green field is present no matter what habitat you’re in. The only way that the game does communicate the current habitat is in the color if the confetti that is continuously sprinkling down over the world map. It's pretty easy to assume that the confetti is simply a cosmetic element in celebration of Pokemon GO Fest, not anything intended to communicate important gameplay. It wouldn’t even be so bad if all the habitats were as straightforward as fire, or water, but then you have habitats like battle, and friendship. What color confetti would you expect to represent these habitats? I still don’t know. Even the team lounge holds back this information. For such a heavily touted feature, it was frustratingly misimplemented, so much so that I had to rely on a fan blog to get a somewhat accurate habitat rotation schedule. A Social Game I think the strangest thing about Pokemon GO Fest 2020 was that despite all of the changes and features added to accommodate socially distant play, being somewhat social remained almost required to get the most out of the event. I was lucky enough to spend the weekend playing with my girlfriend, which meant we had a blast stomping up and down our neighborhood together, mostly due to the changes that were added to the game since COVID-19 began and the new GO Fest storyline, research quests, and Pokemon. But eventually there reached a point where continued success meant that finding other real players would be hugely helpful. Research quests requiring the completion of raids, the exchanging of gifts, and the simple desire to feel like Go Fest wasn’t just a private event for the two of us led us to one of our city’s busiest gathering spots for players. And instantly, the recollection of what was ever so special about Pokemon GO in the first place came back to us. We found a field full of strangers forming groups to help each other take down powerful raids, becoming new friends to exchange gifts, telling stories about the ones that got away, gawking at each other’s rare catches, and being part of a small but passionate community. Unfortunately, the realities of COVID only made the moment more bittersweet. Donning our masks and keeping our distance, we got what we needed and quickly left to continue playing on our own. Never Without a Goal Despite Niantic fumbling some of the GO Fest features, the core gameplay of Pokemon GO has never been more fun. Typically, it’s a game that hooks me for a few hours a month until I run out of things to do, but this weekend I found it hard to put my phone down. I actually went and purchased a 10,000/mAh battery on Saturday to ensure my phone could keep playing. GO Fest 2020 introduced a fun string of research tasks that relied on the rotating habitats, asking players to catch specific Pokemon—and there were tons of new Pokemon to catch. It felt like I was catching new Pokemon and getting shinies more often than I ever had before, and with each success came a desire to catch the next rare surprise. Despite the lackluster communication, the habitats did successfully provide a constant selection of new Pokemon to catch at least. The second half of the Go Fest gameplay experience involved Team Rocket, who has been present in the game for some time but played a major role in the weekend’s storyline. Team Rocket has been taking over random PokeStops and flying around the map in hot air balloons during the last few weeks, providing trainer battles and new rewards. During GO Fest, the battle rewards and research quests for interacting with them has been increased, leading to a satisfying loop of tasks to complete. Eventually, the interplay of constantly spawning new Pokemon, the influx of Team Rocket grunts at every stop, and a bevy of research tasks being completed every time I returned to the map screen meant that there was almost never a time I had nothing I wanted to click on. GO Fest was as fun as the game has ever been, and it even drove me to spend my first actual dollars in the game in the form of some items and bag upgrades. Gotta Catch ‘Em All Thankfully, perhaps the most important part of any Pokemon game is the catching of Pokemon, and this part GO Fest 2020 nailed it. The amount of new Pokemon to catch were fun, surprising, and diverse. The habitats gave players a constantly changing roster of Pokemon to encounter. Team Rocket battles rewarded the players with unique catch opportunities and challenges. Plus, Pokemon gained from completing research tasks were plentiful and powerful, and the final research reward of the festival was a brand-new legendary addition to the game. Not every aspect of Pokemon GO Fest 2020 met my expectations, but I commend Niantic for all the hard work they’ve done to transition Pokemon GO into the framework of social distancing. They’ve taken the challenge of redesigning Pokemon GO Fest head on, and the result was an imperfect but fun experience. I think a global GO Fest would be a hard feature to roll back if things are back to normal next year. Going to Chicago for GO Fest is not something I would ever do, but having an excuse to go explore the neighborhood with some friends and have a unique experience at the same time is something that I could see myself doing for years to come. Much of the development for this year’s GO Fest could have only started in earnest a few months ago, so many of my issues may be worked out by the time something like this needs to happen again. Most encouragingly, the things that make Pokemon GO special are still present, and I am only more interested than ever to see what Niantic is able to do for their next event.  This year’s online-only Pokémon Go Fest took place over the weekend, and since it was the first one open to all players regardless of their physical location, it’s perhaps not surprising to hear that it was the biggest one yet. Niantic says “a record number of millions of trainers” took part from 124 countries and regions around the world, catching nearly a billion pokémon in total.
The event involved new quest lines on each day, culminating in players battling Team Rocket leaders and catching Victini, a mythical pokémon that was made available in the game for the first time. Other features of the fest included new shiny pokémon and regional pokémon appearing outside their typical habitats, although not as many as might normally be found at an in-person event. The only regional addition I personally saw was Heatmor, which is normally only found in the Western hemisphere. Although the event was designed to have been possible to play from home, Niantic says players walked an average of almost 15 kilometers each. An in-game item that attracts pokémon was made more effective for the duration of the fest, and Team Rocket members could be seen in balloons that floated across the sky, but it would have been easier to complete the quest lines if you left the house. As previously announced, Niantic is using proceeds from the $14.99 ticket sales to help fund projects from Black AR creators and US NPOs working on rebuilding local communities. The company had pledged a minimum of $5 million, but ticket sales have pushed that number up past $10 million.  Pokémon Go's Rotom has previously ranked as one of the game's most elusive creatures - with Gen 4 coming and going without a Rotom appearance.
That changed in July 2020, with the arrival of Rotom as part of the Go Fest 2020 celebrations. This page explains how to finally get Rotom in Pokémon Go, which Rotom Forms are currently available, and others we know about from the mainline series. How to get Rotom with Pokémon Go Rotom was first released in Pokémon Go as part of Go Fest 2020, and thankfully can be caught from the luxury of your own home on Day 1 and Day 2 of the event - somewhat fitting for a Pokémon which takes the form of electrical appliances. First, make sure you have a Pokémon Go Fest 2020 ticket, and to wait for the event to start at 10am local time. This is required for Rotom to appear in your game. From there, you must catch Rotom in a Snapshot Photobomb. This has been how other rare Pokémon - such as Smeargle - have appeared in the game, so might be familiar to you by now. If not, here are the steps to catch Rotom in Pokémon Go:
That's essentially it - keep using the Snapshot feature until Rotom appears. If it follows previous Snapshot Pokémon appearances, then you should be able to catch five Rotom on each day of Pokémon Go Fest 2020 - making for 10 in total. What Rotom Forms are available in Pokémon Go? Rotom, known as the Plasma Pokémon, has a quality which allows it to take the appearance of different electrical appliances. The debut form of Rotom in Pokémon Go is Wash Rotom, an Electric / Water type, was made available on July 25th, 2020 as part of Pokémon Go Fest. The official Pokémon.com Pokédex entry describes Wash Rotom as: "This form of Rotom enjoys coming up with water- based pranks. Be careful with it if you don't want your room flooded." The surprise appearance of Rotom means we have no clue as to whether any other Rotom Forms will be making their way into the game in the near future - but thanks to the main games, we know what to expect when they do...  Pokemon Go Fest 2020 is kicking off this weekend, and it’s to offer some great Spawns for gamers looking to booth their collection. As confirmed by Niantic earlier this year, Pokemon Go Fest is going to be an entirely global event in a virtual format, which will allow Trainers worldwide to participate in the best stuff. Getting the most out of the new Pokemon Go event will mean snapping up a ticket, which are available in the in-app shop now.
WHEN IS POKEMON GO FEST STARTING IN JULY? Niantic has confirmed that Pokemon Go Fest 2020 will be starting on Saturday, July 25, 2020, across Android and iOS versions of the game. From what has been shared online by Niantic, the Pokemon Go start time has been set for 10 am local time, and the event will be running until 8 pm. This will be the same format shared for Pokemon Go Fest’s second day, being held on Sunday, July 26, 2020. The deadline to purchase tickets is July 26, 2020, at 6 pm local time. Keep in mind that if you purchase your ticket after the event starts, you may miss out on some of the earlier content. And as you can imagine, there’s going to be plenty of content to check out when everything does go live this weekend. POKEMON GO FEST 2020 SPAWNS Niantic has confirmed that during Pokemon Go Fest, Habitats will be in rotation hourly, making for some exciting spawn combos. Five rotating habitats themed after fire, water, grass, battle, and friendship will be in place during event hours, and each will feature different Pokémon and challenges. According to Niantic, this will be the situation during Saturday, meaning things could change when Sunday rolls around. It should also be noted that if you own a ticket when Pokemon Go Fest kicks off, then all existing spawns found on the map will turn into event spawns. Here’s what we know is happening on July 25, with Niantic keeping Sunday plans more of a secret: "Trainers can access a Special Research story that they can get only on Day 1. "Five rotating habitats—themed around fire, water, grass, battle, and friendship—will feature special Pokémon that go along with that habitat’s theme. These habitats will rotate every hour so that each habitat will be featured twice during Day 1. "Trainers will be able to work together in the Global Challenge Arena! This GO Fest–exclusive feature will be available only to ticket holders. "In the Global Challenge Arena, Trainers will have a chance to join forces in order to complete a collaborative challenge each hour. If Trainers complete a challenge, they will earn a bonus for the remainder of the hour. You can check the Global Challenge Arena screen to keep track of global progress! "Trainers will be able to encounter over 75 species of Pokémon in the wild, in raids, and by completing Special Research tasks. "Pokémon GO Fest 2020 Day 2: On Sunday, July 26, from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm local time, Trainers will enjoy...something very different! "We want the Day 2 experience to be a surprise, so ticket holders will learn what we have in store that very day. There’ll also be another Special Research story for Trainers to enjoy." More news regarding Pokemon Go Fest 2020 will be announced over the coming days by developers Niantic. |