As we look into the final days of August, there's still plenty going on in Pokemon Go. This week, Niantic continues the Sword & Shield rollout, and there's a big changeover coming to the GO Battle League. If you're out catching 'mons August 22 through August 28, here's what you can expect to encounter!
Ultra Unlock Part 3 - Sword & Shield
The third and final portion of the Ultra Unlock event is continuing this week after beginning earlier this month. It runs through Tuesday of next week, August 31 at 8 pm local time.
Pokemon originally discovered in the Galar region are spawning and available in Raids and Field Research. Note: a full Raid boss listing is further down on this page.
Here's where you can find each of the new Gen 8 Pokemon:
|
Wild |
Eggs |
Wk 1 Raids (Aug 20 - 26) |
Wk 2 Raids (Aug 26 - Sept 1) |
Field Research |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Skwovet |
yes |
x |
x |
x |
yes |
|
Wooloo |
yes |
x |
x |
x |
yes |
|
Falinks |
yes |
x |
x |
x |
yes |
|
Zacian |
x |
x |
Tier 5 |
x |
x |
|
Zamazenta |
x |
x |
x |
Tier 5 |
x |
Initially, Falinks was appearing in Tier 3 Raids, but an issue with its in-game model caused Niantic to remove the Pokemon from Raids altogether and increase its spawn rate in the wild. Machamp (week 1) and Gengar (week 2) have taken its place.
If you've already found those Pokemon, there's still plenty left to do. Notably, there's new Timed Research that will grant various rewards, including encounters with Skwovet, Wooloo, and Falinks, and some other Pokemon.
There are also non-Galar Pokemon spawning in the wild, including:
- Snorlax
- Kingler
-
Trubbish
- Don't forget that Trubbish gives 750 Stardust when caught!
Additionally, the shiny forms of some Pokemon have been released:
- Galarian Meowth
- Perrserker
- Galarian Farfetch'd
- Sirfetch'd
- Galarian Weezing
- Galarian Stunfisk
The following Galarian forms are hatching from 7 km eggs:
- Galarian Meowth
- Galarian Ponyta
- Galarian Slowpoke
- Galarian Farfetch'd
- Galarian Zigzagoon
- Galarian Darumaka
- Galarian Stunfisk
You can also pick up new avatar items in the in-game shop, based on the Gym Challenge Uniforms from Sword & Shield and some new stickers, which can be purchased from the shop or found by spinning PokeStop photo discs.
Raid Boss Changes
The Ultra Unlock event runs for two weeks, but those two weeks each have their own set of raid bosses. Here's who you can expect:
Week 1: Friday, August 20, 2021, at 10 am to Thursday, August 26, 2021, at 10 am (local time)
|
Tier 1 |
Tier 3 |
Tier 5 |
Mega |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
Week 2: Thursday, August 26, 2021, at 10 am to Wednesday, September 1, 2021, at 10 am (local time)
|
Tier 1 |
Tier 3 |
Tier 5 |
Mega |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
Zacian Raid Hour and Skwovet Spotlight Hour
As with almost every other week, there will be a Pokemon Spotlight Hour and a Raid Hour happening this week. Both of them focus on the Sword & Shield rollout.
Raid Hour: Zacian will be the featured Pokemon of a Raid Hour on Wednesday, August 25 from 6 pm to 7 pm local time. There should be a Tier 5 Raid Egg hatching on top of most gyms at 6 pm, with Zacian hatching from them.
Zacian will appear in its Hero of Many Battles form, which is a pure Fairy-type. Look to Poison- and Steel-types as counters, like Metagross, Roserade, and Dialga.
Spotlight Hour: On Tuesday, August 24, from 6 pm to 7 pm local time, Skwovet will be spawning in large numbers. The bonus this time around is double transfer candy.
GO Battle Night
On Thursday, August 26, there will be a GO Battle Night celebration from 6 pm to 11:59 pm local time.
All Stardust rewards will be tripled, including ranking up, winning battles, and completing sets as part of the event. This doesn't stack with the ongoing double Stardust bonus for the current leagues in the GBL.
Additionally, you'll be able to participate in 20 full sets of battles (that's 100 in total!) instead of the typical maximum of five sets.
League Changeover/Last Days of GBL Season 8
Season 8 of the GO Battle League ends next week on Tuesday, making this week the final stretch. The current leagues ― Master League, Master League Classic, and Ultra League Premier Cup — will all come to a close on Monday, August 23 at 4 pm EDT. The GBL will then switch over to all three leagues — Great League, Ultra League, and Master League — before closing next week.
If you're interested in grabbing the Korrina avatar pose, you'll need to make sure you reach Legend rank over the next few days before the season ends!