Hoopa, Hoopa, Hoopa! Pokemon Go is all about Hoopa lately, and this week will be no different. The Season of Mischief continues, and there are some special events featuring Psychic-types and more, all in celebration of the Mythical Pokemon. The Special Research into Hoopa continues as well, with two new steps coming over the next few days.
We have the full rundown of what's going on this week, as well as a bit of a preview of what you'll see later in the month, too. Make sure to check back for all the goings-on in the world of Pokemon Go.
Also, don't forget that there is a 1-PokeCoin bundle in the shop once a week—don't let your weekly slip away!
Hoopa's Arrival
Niantic went in an interesting direction with the Special Research this time around, releasing the quest steps over a staggered period instead of all at once. Luckily, we haven't had to wait too long between steps, with the first released only a few days ago, and Steps 2 and 3 unlocking this week.
There will be a short event attached to Step 2 of the questline, taking place tomorrow (September 5) from 11 am to 5 pm local time. This event will feature spawns of Psychic-, Dark-, and Ghost-type Pokemon in the wild and from Incense. The hours will swap back and forth between Psychic-types and Ghost- and Dark-types. Here's a handy chart for a more visually, easy-to-read explanation of which spawns to expect:
Hoopa's Arrival Spawns |
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11 am to 12 pm |
12 pm to 1 pm |
1 pm to 2 pm |
Psychic |
Ghost and Dark |
Psychic |
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2 pm to 3 pm |
3 pm to 4 pm |
4 pm to 5 pm |
Dark and Ghost |
Psychic |
Dark and Ghost |
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Things don't end there, either. Most notably, there'll be a Collection Challenge that tasks you with catching the Pokemon that are attracted to Incense as part of the event. The rewards for completing the Collection Challenge include Hoopa Candy and an avatar pose called Poke Ball Lift.
Event-exclusive Field Research tasks will reward Poke Balls, Great Balls, Ultra Balls, and Rare Candies. Additionally, the entire event duration will feature a 2x transfer candy bonus. Finally, check the in-game shop for a bundle containing some Incense.
Psychic Spectacular
The Psychic Spectacular event will make its return this week. This event begins on Wednesday, September 8 at 10 am local time and runs through to Monday of next week (September 13) at 8 pm.
Perhaps the most exciting feature of the event is two new Pokemon, Inkay and Malamar, who are originally from the Kalos region. They're both Dark/Psychic-types, and Inkay has a pretty unique evolution method that will probably carry over into Pokemon Go. To evolve an Inkay into Malamar, you have to turn your console upside down while it levels up to level 30 (or higher).
The third step of the Hoopa Special Research (Misunderstood Mischief) will unlock.
There will also be a photobomb snapshot surprise and new stickers that you can find by opening gifts, spinning PokeStops, or in the shop.
The event will also feature Psychic-type Pokemon spawning in high numbers in the wild, headlining Raid battles, and appearing as the reward for Field Research tasks.
Here's who to expect:
Spawning |
Field Research Encounters |
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Here are the Pokemon you'll find in Raids:
Tier 1 |
Tier 3 |
Tier 5 |
Mega |
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Spotlight Hour and Raid Hour
Sick of Psychic-type Pokemon yet?
This week's Spotlight Hour and Raid Hour will feature Psychic-types, as well.
Spotlight Hour: This week's Spotlight Hour will feature Spoink, and it'll take place from 6 pm to 7 pm local time on Tuesday, September 7. This time around, the bonus is double catch Stardust.
Raid Hour: This week's Raid Hour is Wednesday, September 8 from 6 pm to 7 pm local time. There will be a Tier 5 Raid on at most gyms. This week features Lugia, who will know its signature move, Aeroblast. If you're looking to take down some Lugia this week, consider Dark-, Rock-, Ghost-, Ice-, and Electric-types.
Who's in Raids?
The Raid bosses will be changing over with the beginning of the Psychic Spectacular event, but until then, here's who you'll find.
Tier 1 |
Tier 3 |
Tier 5 |
Mega |
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Updates from Niantic
Niantic stayed busy this past week with new updates on its task force findings and Safari Zone reschedules. While they may not be new event beats for this week, there are still a few developments you should keep on your radar.
Task Force Findings
The results of the announced task force were published on September 1. To the delight of many, the increased Gym and PokeStop radius will be a permanent change going forward. Additionally, seasonal in-game bonuses will now apply worldwide, rather than in different capacities by region or country.
Niantic's Executive Producer, Steve Wang, outlined plans for better communication with the player base.
Here's what Wang listed in terms of communication plans:
We should be communicating and engaging more with Trainers. I hope that, with your patience and understanding, we can do better here. There are many ways we can improve, but to start, we’re making the following commitments to you:
• Starting in October, we will begin publishing a developer diary every other month to share the latest priorities, events, and features for the game.
• We are going to set up regular conversations with community leaders to continue the dialogue we began this month.
• We will continue our work on updating the Known Issues page and in those efforts, will prioritize bringing greater visibility into the status of existing bugs for Trainers.
Safari Zone Reschedules
Niantic has announced that three Safari Zone events that were postponed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic have been rescheduled.
Ticket holders will be able to access the events from wherever they are in the world. The events will run during the specific times listed on your ticket at the local time of your location. Check out the in-game news or Niantic's update post for all the information you need about the rescheduled events.
Here are the new dates:
Event |
New Date |
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Safari Zone Liverpool |
Friday, October 15 to Sunday, October 17 |
Safari Zone Philadelphia |
Friday, October 29 to Sunday, October 31 |
Safari Zone St. Louis |
Friday, November 12 to Sunday, November 14 |
The City Explorer Pass portions of the events have been removed, and the add-on tickets will also be refunded by the beginning of October.
Next Week
We'll have all the details of next week's events closer to when they start, but for now, here's a preview.
- September 13: The Go Battle League switches over to Ultra League and Ultra League Remix; Great League and Great League Remix end
- September 14: New headliners in Raids — Azelf, Mesprit, and Uxie (depending on your region) in Tier 5 Raids, Mega Houndoom in Mega Raids
- September 14: Baltoy Spotlight Hour (2x Catch XP bonus)
- September 15: Lake Guardian Raid Hour (Azelf, Mesprit, Uxie)
- September 18: Go Battle Day
- September 19: Oshawott Community Day