 Every month in 2020, the Field Research tasks that can be found at PokéStops in Pokémon GO have shifted to the month's theme to match the typing of the Research Breakthrough Pokémon. This month is Ghost-themed due to Halloween, and will also feature, as always with Niantic's October events, Dark-type Pokémon. Here is a breakdown of the new and returning tasks that can be found from spinning these stops, with information about the Pokémon encounters that can be earned through completing these tasks… including some Shiny Pokémon with boosted odds.
Catching Pokémon Tasks
Poké Ball Tasks Pokémon GO brings no changes to any of these here for this month.
Pokémon Buddy & Friend Tasks
Pokémon GO Raid and PVP Tasks
Misc. Tasks This one is major, especially for Pokémon GO players who missed out last year. Yamask returns!
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 Hello Trainers!
Whether it’s autumn or spring where you are, plants are flourishing all around the world. As the seasons change, it’s good to remember to enjoy the simple pleasures of life. It’s also the perfect time for self-reflection. Who knows? Maybe you’ll realize something new about yourself! Time and Date Friday, October 9, 2020, at 8:00 a.m. to Monday, October 12, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. local time Infographic Event Features
Event Spawns Pokémon can sense when the season’s change, during the event the following Pokémon will be spawning more often in the wild. New Shiny If you’re lucky, you may even encounter a shiny Kanto Vulpix! New Pokémon Deerling, the Season Pokémon, will be making its Pokémon GO debut! The turning of the seasons changes the colour and scent of this Pokémon’s fur. Keep an eye out for its Autumn Form Deerling! New Egg hatches
 Starting on Oct. 5, Pokémon Go players will be getting a free Remote Raid Pass every Monday until Nov. 30, Niantic announced today.
This will help players get more involved in raids even if they still can’t go out and interact with them in person. A Remote Raid Pass is used to access raids that you can view on your overworld map or that pop up in the Raid section of the Nearby Screen. From there, you can complete a raid and get all of the normal rewards. You can also invite friends and be invited to raids no matter where everyone is located, which is perfect for optimizing your raid party and trying to get the most rewards by finishing the raids quickly. Everyone who gets invited will need to have a Remote Raid Pass to join, but that’s the only requirement. These offers won’t stack, so you’ll need to claim them before the next Remote Raid Pass becomes available if you don’t want to miss out on any of them. These free passes also count to your three Remote Raid Pass total, so you can’t just hold onto them indefinitely and you must have fewer than three in your inventory to claim the free pass. Make sure to check your app every Monday starting on Oct. 5 if you plan on participating in as many raids as possible.  Mega Evolution has finally arrived in Pokémon Go and with it, Mega Raids! A whole new class of Raids, Mega Raids let you and your friends challenge a Mega Evolved Pokémon. These are some of the most challenging Raids yet, but we here at iMore got your back! Mega Houndoom is the next Mega Raid to be introduced and, beginning September 29, 2020, players can challenge it to earn Mega Energy to Mega Evolve their own. Here's everything you need to know about taking on Mega Houndoom in Pokémon Go.
Who is Mega Houndoom in Pokémon Go A Dark and Fire type originally discovered in the Johto region of Gen II, Houndoom is a fiendish canine capable of inflicting severe burns with its toxic, fiery breath. When Mega Evolved, Mega Houndoom's body produces so much heat that its claws and the tip of its tail literally melt, causing Mega Houndoom constant pain. It remains a Dark and Fire type when Mega Evolved, but also gets a huge stat boost. Although this devilish dog's bite is far worse than its bark, Mega Evolution and Shadow Pokémon provide an easy road to victory. What are the best counters for Mega Houndoom in Pokémon Go? Mega Houndoom is capable of dealing Fire and Dark type damage, and has four weaknesses: Fighting, Ground, Rock, and most important, Water. Because Mega Evolved Pokémon boost the damage done by similar type attacks, players wanted to take down Mega Houndoom fast should coordinate Water type counters and Mega Blastoise for this Mega Raid. Mega Blastoise The top counter by far, Mega Blastoise is the key to taking out Mega Houndoom with just a handful of players. As a Water type, Mega Blastoise takes half damage from Mega Houndoom's Fire type attacks and will boost the damage of other players' Water type attacks. Although Mega Evolution is costly, if you follow our Mega Blastoise Mega Raid Guide, you'll be swimming in more than enough Mega Energy. Water Gun and Hydro Cannon are the ideal moveset for your Mega Blastoise. Kyogre The Water type mascot of Pokémon Sapphire, Kyogre is an excellent counter for Mega Houndoom. Although Kyogre is a Legendary Pokémon, it has been available numerous times and so many players already have one or two powered up. Kyogre takes half damage from Mega Houndoom's Fire type attacks and with Waterfall and Surf will make quick work of the hell hound. Rhyperior If you aren't able to coordinate the use of Mega Blastoise and other Water type counters, Rhyperior performs very well in this Mega Raid. Rhyperior is the final evolution of Gen I's Rhyhorn which has been featured in events and a Community Day, so most players have a few already powered up. As a Ground and Rock type, Rhyperior takes half damage from Mega Houndoom's Fire type attacks. If you're bringing Rhyperior to this fight, you'll want it to know Mud-Slap and Rock Wrecker; however, if you don't have the Community Day exclusive move or the Elite TM to spare, Stone Edge also works well. Conkeldurr Conkeldurr, a Fighting type introduced in Gen V's Unova region, makes a great counter for Mega Houndoom. Although it hasn't been in Pokémon Go long and its first stage, Timburr isn't exactly common, it does benefit from Trade Evolution leaving a lot more Candies for powering up. It resists Mega Houndoom's Dark type attacks and has no weaknesses that can be exploited in this fight. Counter and Dynamic Punch are the ideal moves for Conkeldurr. Rampardos A fossil type Pokémon first discovered in the Sinnoh region, Rampardos is a relatively easy Pokémon to evolve and power up thanks to events and eggs featuring its first stage, Cranidos. As a Rock type, Rampardos takes half damage from Mega Houndoom's Fire type attacks and with Smack Down and Rock Slide, it can deal super effective damage. Terrakion One of the Legendary Swords of Justice, Terrakion is a Rock and Fighting type who takes half damage from all of Mega Houndoom's attacks. It has been available multiple times in multiple ways, so many players have one or two already powered up. If you're bringing Terrakion to this Mega Raid, you'll want Smack Down for its fast move and Rock Slide for its charged move. Machamp A Fighting type from Gen I's Kanto region, Machamp has been in Pokémon Go since day one, featured in a number of events, and even in Raids. Although there are more powerful Fighting types, none are quite as accessible as Machamp. As if it weren't already easy enough to catch and evolve, the addition of Trade Evolution leaves even more Candies for powering up your Machamp. It takes half damage from Mega Houndoom's Dark type attacks and has no weaknesses relevant to this Mega Raid. Counter and Dynamic Punch are the ideal moveset for your Machamp. Swampert The final evolution of the Water starter from Gen III, Swampert is a Water and Ground type that performs very well in this Mega Raid. Having been featured in a Community Day and as a Shadow Pokémon, most players have at least one or two already powered up. It takes half damage from Fire type attacks and normal damage from Dark types. Mud Shot and Hydro Cannon are the ideal moveset for this fight. Kingler Kingler is a great counter for Mega Houndoom in general, but especially when used in conjunction with Mega Blastoise. Originally found in the Kanto region, Kingler has been easily accessible since day one of Pokémon Go. Although Kingler was not particularly useful at first, this Gen I Water type got a huge boost with the introduction of its signature move, Crabhammer. Paired with Bubble, Kingler can do some serious damage to Mega Houndoom and resists its Fire type attacks. Tyranitar The pseudo-Legendary of Gen II's Johto region, Tyranitar is an excellent choice for this Mega Raid, especially if you cannot coordinate the use of Mega Blastoise. Tyranitar has been widely available, featured in events, Community Day, Raids, and more. Because of its high stats and useful typing, most players have prioritized evolving and powering up an entire team of Tyranitar. As a Dark and Rock type, it takes half damage from all of Mega Houndoom's attacks and though it's not helpful yet, eventually Tyranitar will also get a Mega Evolved forme in Pokémon Go. If you're bringing Tyranitar to this fight, you'll want Smack Down and Stone Edge for the moveset. Back ups? Need to fill a spot or two on your team? Consider one of these back ups:
Shadow Pokémon? The rebalance of Shadow Pokémon rescued from Team GO Rocket make them excellent glass cannons. Not only are their stats boosted, but during special events, it's possible to change their moves. If you happen to have any of the following Pokémon with the right moveset, they will work very well in this Raid:
Note: Shadow Swampert, Shadow Tyranitar, and Shadow Machamp outperform all of the best non-Mega counters. Likewise, Shadow Omastar performs at the same level as the Pokémon in the best counters list. If you are able to coordinate the use of Mega Blastoise, it will boost the Water type attacks of Shadow Swampert, Shadow Gyarados, Shadow Omastar, Shadow Poliwrath, Shadow Blastoise, and Shadow Sharpedo, making them all perform much better. How many players does it take to beat Mega Houndoom in Pokémon Go? Although it is technically possible for two Trainers with top counters to take on Mega Houndoom, you may need four or five if you're lower level, missing the top counters, or have the weather working against you. Weather Conditions that could play into this battle include:
 Every year, Pokémon GO celebrates Halloween with a major event. Usually, longer than standard events, this late October celebration brings with it event-exclusive spawns such as Yamask, costumed Pokémon, Ghost- and Dark-types boosted in the wild and special raid bosses. Last year, Giratina Altered Forme with its Shiny release was featured as the Legendary Raid Boss in the weeks leading up to the event, with Darkrai as the event boss in its Pokémon GO debut. Now, details about the game's October 2020 content are coming out, and the event's lead-up entails, much like last year, a Giratina release: this time, featuring the Shiny release of Giratina Origin Forme. The actual Halloween event boss, which will take over raids Friday, October 23rd at 1 PM Pacific, has not yet been revealed. Niantic wrote, though, that it will be a "special Raid Boss." There are a few options as to what this Legendary Pokémon could be… but the leading theory is currently the much-anticipated return of Mewtwo.
Other than a short rotation featuring the non-Shiny-capable Armored Mewtwo, Mewtwo has been absent from Pokémon GO raids since its short stint as an EX Raid Boss in early Fall 2019 before Regigigas took over. Mewtwo's 2019 Shiny release was one of the most limited debuts of a Legendary Pokémon's Shiny form in the history of the game, leaving many players wondering when this iconic favorite would come back. There are very few "Spooky-themed" Pokémon that would fit the October festivities, but Mewtwo's Psychic-typing would certainly work with the theme. Other possibilities include:
 As October comes near, Niantic has revealed what Pokémon Go trainers can expect next month, including Raid updates, Special Research Breakthroughs and much more.
While trainers are aware of some of the usual October events in Pokémon Go, such as the annual Halloween event and the monthly Community Day, there are still some tidbits that Niantic announced that players may not know about. Whether it's which Legendary Pokémon will appear in the Level 5 Raids in October or any smaller events happening before Halloween, there's quite a bit to get through, so let's get to it. The first bit of information Niantic gave fans was which Pokémon will be the Special Research Breakthrough for the month. From Thursday, October 1, at 4 p.m. EDT to Sunday, November 1, at 4 p.m. EDT, Shedinja will be the special Pokémon encounter. To achieve the Special Research Breakthrough, trainers simply have to fill seven stamps on their research sheets. They don't have to be seven consecutive days, so fill them out at your leisure. Please note the time Shedinja will appear. Many trainers mistakenly open the Special Research Breakthrough before 4 p.m. EDT, which will give them the special Pokémon from the previous month. OCTOBER LEGENDARY RAID BOSSES Articuno is the current Pokémon found in Level 5 Raids, but starting this week the other Legendary Birds will be coming to Pokémon Go. Here's the schedule of Legendary Raid Pokémon coming to Pokémon Go in October:
Each week in October, there'll be a Raid Hour event on Wednesday at 6 p.m. local time featuring that week's Legendary Raid Boss in five-star raids. OCTOBER POKEMON SPOTLIGHT HOURS Every Tuesday in October will have a Spotlight Pokémon at 6 p.m. local time, and each hour will spotlight a different Pokémon and special bonus.
OCTOBER LIMITED RESEARCH On Saturday, October 10, from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. local time, you can complete exclusive Field Research tasks to encounter the different forms of Meowth. There will also be an exclusive Timed Research. FASHION EVENT There will be a special fashion-themed event starting Friday, October 2, that will feature Pokémon wearing different attire. The collaboration between Longchamp and Pokémon will bring a week-long event for trainers to enjoy. We'll have more information on this event closer to the start date. OTHER OCTOBER EVENTS For Halloween, trainers can expect new avatar items, a Halloween-themed cup for GO Battle League Season 4 and the annual Halloween event. There'll also be an event celebrating Niantic's anniversary and the changing of seasons. More information on these events will be revealed in the coming weeks. ‘Pokemon Go’: Top October events include shiny Origin Forme Giratina and mystery raid boss9/24/2020  October will be a part fashion and part spooky as two events dominate the month in “Pokemon Go.”
In the first part of the month, a Longchamp x Pokemon collaboration will bring plenty of dressed-up Pokemon to the forefront while the second half of the month will be dominated by ghost- and dark-type Pokemon for Halloween. With that in mind, here are some events to keep an eye on. Longchamp x Pokemon collaboration — 8 a.m. Oct. 2 to 10 p.m. Oct. 8 If you like hats on your pocket monsters, this is the event for you. During this celebration, several Pokemon will be donning fashion accessories to mark the team up. Smoochum will be hatching from 7km eggs and will wear a bow. Kirlia in raids will have a top hat and the move Draining Kiss. Not to be outdone, Shinx will also sport a top hat in raids. The rarest Pokemon will be Croagunk wearing a backward cap. It will appear via a GO Snapshot photo bomb and rarely in the wild. In addition, other costumed Pokemon will appear on the map. For those looking to complete their shiny Pokedex or looking for good Go Battle League candidates, the following Pokemon will appear more often in the wild: Mareep (shiny), Skitty (shiny), Roselia (shiny), Kricketot (shiny), Croagunk (shiny), Blitzle, Cottonnee, Minccino (shiny), Gothita and more. Lastly, Shiny Kricketot will be introduced with the event. It’s gold and stands out from the common form. This event is for collectors. It’s uncertain whether these Pokemon can evolve. Some past costumed pocket monsters couldn’t do that. My advice is to get one of each of the costumed creatures and don’t stress out about the rest. Yes, a shiny backward hat Croagunk would be cool but don’t go overboard for it. Personally, I’m hoping for a return of Strawhat Pikachu because I’m a “One Piece” fan. Legendary Raid bosses October continues the rotation of legendary birds. For those who missed them in previous years, this is the best time to get Zapdos and Moltres. They’ll likely be shiny and perhaps they will have a legacy move on them similar to what Niantic did with Articuno and Hurricane. For Zapdos, that legacy move could be Thunder Shock while Moltres could acquire Sky Attack. Here is when they are appearing: Zapdos — 1 p.m. Sept. 25 to 1 p.m. Oct. 2 Moltres — 1 p.m. Oct. 2 to 1 p.m. Oct. 9 The first new shiny since August will appear with the introduction of Origin Forme Giratina. This powerful Pokemon dominates the Master League and is a must-have for player vs. player battles. It will be worth grabbing a few when it’s in raids form 1 p.m. Oct. 9 to 1 p.m. Oct. 23. That’s a long time so trainers should take advantage of it. The last legendary raid of the month is a mystery but expect it to go in line with the Halloween theme. Pokemon Spotlight hours This event is continues to be hit and miss. They’re almost like mini-Community Days except that there isn’t a higher rate for shinies. Again going with the theme of the month, the first two spotlight hours will feature World Cap Pikachu and Original Cap Pikachu. Both are expected to have a chance to be shiny, and they will be one of the rare shinies in the game, especially the World Cap one. They will happen at 6 p.m. Oct. 6 and Oct. 13 respectively. The big spotlight hour is Shuppet at 6 p.m. Oct. 20. Players will have a better chance at getting a shiny version of the ghost-type Pokemon, but more important than that, trainers can transfer Pokemon for twice the candy. This is the time to unload any legendary or rare Pokemon that you may have been hoarding since Pokemon Go Fest 2020. Lastly, Duskull will be the star of spotlight for 6 p.m. Oct. 27. It can be shiny. Research Pokemon for the month The October Research Breakthrough will be Shedinja, the Shed Pokemon. It has a bug and ghost typing and is one of the rarer Pokemon in the game, being available once or twice a year with events. From 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Oct 10, Niantic will be holding a Limited Research event starring Meowth. Players will complete tasks to encounter the Scratch Cat Pokemon and its variant forms found in the Kanto, Alola and Galar regions. Of those three, two can be shiny. For collectors, this will be one of the best chances to catch a shiny Kanto or Alolan Meowth. Other Halloween events If this Halloween is like previous years, players should expect a chance to catch Spiritomb. The past two years it was Pokemon captured via a special research quest. It’s uncertain how it will be this year, but trainers should expect another stab at this Forbidden Pokemon. In addition, players will compete in a Go Battle League Halloweeen-themed cup. It will run from 1 p.m. Oct. 26 to 1 p.m. Nov. 3. It’s a format that only allows Poison-, Ghost-, Bug-, Dark- and Fairy-type Pokemon.  To celebrate Paris Fashion Week, Pokémon GO will be adding a new player accessory and featuring special clothed Pokémon that can be encountered in the wild and hatched from eggs. This is the latest in a small but surprising trend of high fashion crossing over with Nintendo games. Earlier this month fashion designer Carolina Sarria held a fashion show inside Nintendo's beloved Animal Crossing: New Horizons, complete with hair and makeup stylists and a virtual runway.
While the remarkable social element of Pokémon GO has become less innovative and more something to emulate for other developers over the years, the game itself is still going strong. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic keeping players in their homes, Pokémon GO is currently enjoying its best year ever, and it shows no signs of slowing down. The game is constantly getting new content and community events to give everyone a chance to participate and have fun. One such update, the details of which can be found on the Pokémon GO website, will be mingling Nintendo's iconic pocket monsters with the world of fashion. To commemorate a recent partnership with luxury brand Longchamp, Pokémon GO is releasing an in-game version of the Pikachu-printed backpack that will be available as part of the collaboration. Furthermore, in recognition of Paris Fashion Week, special costumed Pokémon will be appearing in the game. The special event will last from October 2nd to the 8th. The in-game version of the Longchamp backpack will be offered for free during that time, and players can also enjoy access to exclusive field research missions. A partnership between kid-friendly mobile game Pokémon GO and a high-end French fashion brand like Longchamp might strike some fans as odd, as the two don't seem to have much, if anything, in common. But if the result is some Pokémon wearing cute little outfits, it seems like a pretty harmless cross-promotion. It's certainly less objectionable than Pokémon GO's recent callback to everyone's least favorite meme from 2016. Pokémon GO is a mobile gaming juggernaut, and it has not lost momentum. More community days, like the recent Porygon event that took place earlier, are sure to be forthcoming, and once players can finally go back outside and explore the game's ARG elements properly, Niantic is likely to jump on the opportunity to add more content. For now, even if Pokémon GO players can't go outside, at least they can dress up nicely for the day that they can.  Niantic, The Pokemon Company, and Longchamp are teaming up to bring trainers a special new item both in-game and out. The item? A fancy new backpack to make your trainer look truly vogue, and just in time for the Paris Fashion Week.
Starting on October 2, 2020, players will be able to get their hands on a flashy backpack accessory for their in-game avatars. The backpack is designed by Longchamp, a French company known for its luxury leather goods. Featuring white text on black background as well as Pikachus for good measure, the backpack should look rather impressive on avatars. While the in-game backpack is free for players, there is another option available for those that want to take their new look to the real-world. The Longchamp store will be stocking the backpack, exactly as it appears in-game. There’s currently no listing for the backpack, but anticipate a high price to go with this unique, luxury item. The Paris Fashion Week celebrations don’t just end at the backpack. The Pokemon in-game will also be dressing up for the occasion. According to the Pokemon Go site, players can expect the following features and events in-game on Friday, October 2:
Paris Fashion Week will be a chance for those stylish Pokemon Go players out there to show the world exactly how hip they are. We’ll be sure to keep you up to date on when you can place your order as well as more news on special events in Pokemon Go.  Pokémon GO players are rejoicing because this year's community day is here and ready to offer Porygons to all. The elusive Virtual Pokémon was initially a top ticket prize at the Game Corner in Pokémon Red and Blue and is rarely seen in the wild in any portable mainline adventure. Since Pokémon GO doesn't have any casinos, the man-made pocket monster usually shows up as a rare hatchling from a 5km egg. However, today only, Porygons are all over the place and ready to be added to everyone's collections, and that's not the only even surrounding this old school Normal type.
Porygon won a fan vote in order to become the focus of community day, beating out more popular options like Charmander and Grimer. The little bird-like computer program is not usually a featured player in the overall Pokémon franchise, likely due to its role in an infamous episode of the anime based on the games that gave children seizures in Japan. Interestingly, the official Pokémon Twitter commented on the event recently, saying that "Porygon did nothing wrong." While a simple tweet likely won't get the Pokémon back onto the anime, it does show that Porygon still has a role to play in other aspects of the phenomenon. As explained on the Pokémon GO blog, catching Porygon in the wild is just one aspect of today's festivities. Yes, Porygon (and its extremely rare shiny variant) will be wandering the streets of player towns all over the country. If players already happen to have a Porygon2 handy, they can evolve it during the event to grab a PorygonZ that knows Tri Attack. This is a signature move of the Porygon family that has never before been available in Pokemon GO. For those who really love Polygon and want to secure their capture, there are a few options for purchase during the Community Day festivities. Players can cough up 1,280 Poké Coins for a box featuring a TM, three Incense, six Lucky Eggs, and 30 Ultra Balls. Incense items are active for three hours during the event, meaning players who purchase the box will be set for the entire day. In addition to that, there's a Special Research story available for $1 that lets players work alongside Professor Willow and uncover all the secrets of the virtual Pokémon and its two evolutionary forms. The story event will grant players the items needed to evolve a Porygon to PorygonZ, and those same items are also available in daily challenges. It's been a though year for anyone playing Pokémon GO to GO anywhere, so its nice to have events like the Porygon Community Day to keep the game engaging. While Niantic has made it as easy as possible to collect pocket monsters from the couch over the course of 2020, the game is still at its best when its sending people on outdoor adventures, which isn't really possible at the moment. Instead, 2020 is about spending a lot more time at home near computers and other electronics, which makes Porygon the perfect representation for this year's holiday. |