Pokémon GO Fest 2022 Preparation Guide

With less than a month to go for the global event, it is prep time for Pokémon GO Fest! With a global event, and three in person events, plus a final global event in August, preparation is key to making sure you can optimise your time, items, and enjoyment.

Which items to bring to GO Fest?

The most important items to bring are PokéBalls (Great and Ultra as well). That is the major thing you don’t want to run out of on the day. Potions and Revives soon fill up when raiding, so keep them to a minimum, keep your berries in check, and focus on those balls.

If your Bag Space is always about full, check why, have you been raiding a lot lately? You’d be surprised how quickly Rare Candy can fill up your bag, so get it invested in Legendaries and other rare Pokémon.

Other surprising items taking up your bag space might be an excess of Berries, (so get feeding them into gyms for stardust rather than just throwing them away), or evolution items. You don’t need a whole bunch of each evolution item, either use them or throw them, keep just a couple of each safe for evolutions.

Opening your maximum amount of gifts every day pre event will help you with your ball hoarding, so make sure you are sending out as many gifts as you can, and be sure to open your full amount each day. Make sure you hit your limit each day.

If you need more friends, check in your local groups, discords etc, post on social media, fill up that friends list and get yourself more gifts. Just popping your friend code on Twitter can grab you a bunch more friends quickly.

If you will be using a GO Plus or similar, make sure you have plenty of Pokéballs over Great Balls. It will use them up quickly, so use Great/Ultra balls to manually catch, and leave your Pokéballs for the GO Plus. Make sure you also have your GO Plus set to spin for you!

It’s key to also make sure you have any incense, star pieces or lucky eggs you might want to use, and remember you can stack them up now, so get them on at the start of the event and then you won’t have to worry about them running out during.

There are exclusive spawns for ticket holders that are incense only, so you you will need incense to get them!

Raids will be a big part of GO Fest (especially day 2), so it is worth making sure you have some coins ready to go in your bag, rather than needing to buy them on the day. Utilise those free passes where you can, but don’t miss out on raids because you needed to buy coins.

Some Pokémon may also be egg exclusive, so it may be worth trying to empty out your eggs the night before, so you have an empty egg storage ready for the event to begin. Make sure you remember to incubate once you have some eggs, and maybe buy some incubators in advance if you are hoping to hatch a shiny. Shiny rates may well be higher than usual, so it is worth hatching what you can on the day! You are likely to be doing a lot of walking either way, so make sure that infinite incubator is put to good use.

A person holding a Pokéball

Make a Shiny Checklist

Before the day itself, I’d recommend making yourself a shiny checklist of what you need from the known event spawns. Go through your Pokédex and make a note of what you are missing, you might be surprised to realise how many you need, or realise you have shinies you had forgotten about. We know that there are specific spawns featured for each themed hourly rotation, which you can see a full list of here, plus brand new shinies in the form of Numel, Shroomish, Axew, Karrablast and Shelmet.

Having a list will help you prioritise what you are going to click on in a cluster of spawns. I’m going old school and am going to make a paper list I can keep in my pocket, rather than a note on my phone, as I don’t intend to be off the app at any point. Even if I don’t use my list on the day itself, writing a list out can be a good way to remind you of what shinies you don’t have, so they are in your head as a reminder. You might be surprised to realise while you thought you had the full family for Magnemite, that you actually only have two of them, so writing that list out will help remind you of what you need.

Pokémon Storage Space

With a whopping 8 hours of play time, that is a serious amount of Pokémon to catch! Give your Pokémon storage a huge clear out and be brutal.

If you keep a living dex, make sure you only have multiples of the meta relevant Pokémon. Transfer community day shinies to Pokémon HOME or to the Professor. You are never going to need 20+ shinies of one particular Pokémon (unless it is your fave, I get it, I hoard shiny Turtwig!), it’s time to say goodbye to them.

If you can, meet up a friend and reroll trade some of your more rare Pokémon that you have saved, but you are going to have to be brutal. If you don’t have your bag space maxed out, the morning of GO Fest is the time to go for it. I wait until the morning of GO Fest to max out my bag space, because otherwise I know it’s just going to fill up without me realised. I know I can’t be trusted not to fill that space!

Do you need one of every Spinda pattern? Do you need to keep that 93% Phanpy when you have the hundo? Now is the time to get tough on your collection and get transferring. Have you hoarded a whole bunch of legendary Pokémon for trades? Sorry but it is time to let them go! You don’t need 20 of each legendary, keep your best teams of 6 if you must, but make sure you go through them, you’ll be surprised how many you have. Ultimately, they’ll all be back in raids eventually.

One to keep an eye on is also Costume Pokémon if, like me, you are a fan. I was horrified to discover I had 4 or 5 of some costume Pokémon, for no real reason! Many don’t evolve, so unless they have a gender difference (i.e. Pikachu), I cut it down to one of each.

I also recommend going through your Shadow Pokémon and purifying and transferring them. I say purify first because to hit level 50 you need a lot of platinum badges, and that is a badge you can work on passively. Mind your stardust though, I don’t recommend purifying those 5000 dust Pokémon! You don’t need to keep them all (unless you love them for AR), so get rid of what you don’t need.

Take inspiration from Marie Kondo, does this Pokémon spark joy? No? Off to Professor Willow you go!

Batteries, Chargers and Phones

If you live somewhere you can legally and safely play outside, make sure you have portable battery packs charged and charger cables at the ready. It is a long event, you are gonna need those chargers!

Even if you are playing from home, making sure you know where your chargers are and keeping an eye on that battery power can save you.

With potential for extreme heat or cold in some parts of the world, battery percentages can drop suddenly, so don’t let it get too low!

Make sure you charge overnight so your phone is ready to go, and that you have plenty of data left if you won’t be on WiFi all day.

The last thing you want to happen is to run out of data a few hours into the event!

Suitable Clothing for GO Fest

With the event taking place in summer for the Northern Hemisphere, and winter for the Southern hemisphere, there is potential for some extreme weather, so making sure you are dressed suitably is so important.

If it is spring/summer where you are right now, sun screen is key! Don’t burn or give yourself heatstroke, or you’re gonna have a bad time. Make sure you have access to cool drinks, shady spots, and wear light airy clothing that is going to keep you cool, whilst protecting your skin.

If you wear your hair in a part, make sure that part is covered in sun screen too, it’s easy to forget. Set timers to reapply and make sure you apply a good half an hour before you go out into the sun to let it sink in and work. Sunglasses and sunhats will help protect you too.

Good comfy shoes are a must no matter what the weather is. Now isn’t the time to wear brand new shoes you haven’t worn before, stick with the old faithfuls that you know aren’t going to give you blisters. Blister plasters may also be a good shout for your backpack.

If it is winter/autumn, wrap up warm! Multiple thin layers are better than one or two thick layers, and a good waterproof coat.

Sun screen is still needed in winter, that sun can be incredibly harsh, especially glancing off the snow.

Gloves you can use your phone with, and good sturdy walking boots to keep you from slipping are great too.

Keep an eye on the weather, it isn’t worth risking your health for Pokémon, so stay indoors if the weather is extreme and keep safe!

A good backpack is the best choice for carrying anything you need with you. A backpack shares the weight of whatever you are carrying across two shoulders, rather than one, making it better on your back, and easier on a long day.

Taking into consideration any local Covid-19 guidelines will also be essential, so make sure you are aware on mask mandates and other restrictions that may apply.

Food and Drink

Plan ahead for snacks, lunch and drinks, as well as bathroom breaks. Maybe lunch time is the time you go home so you can have a rest, charge your phone, and refuel with a decent lunch. Not eating and drinking over a long day, especially in hot weather, is an easy way to end up with sun stroke or pass out, so be careful.

Keep hydrated and fed and you’ll have a much more fun day. In extreme weather conditions this is even more important.

Last Minute Prep

If you are in the Western Hemisphere, you do have an advantage over other parts of the world.

With the likes of New Zealand, Australia and Japan starting so long before us, there will be a lot of available data on social media about the quest lines and what you need to do.

It’s worth checking our social media and website to see what the day entails so you can plan ahead, and keep your expectations in check. Follow us on Twitter!

Make sure you know you are following a reputable, trusted source, there are bound to be dodgy photoshops making the rounds, or people sharing photoshops of fake shinies, so check your sources.

General Tips and Tricks

Check out our GO Fest Tour Guide to find out all the details of the event, to help you plan.

If you are planning to really grind, learning the ‘Quick Catch‘ trick can be a real help (though I have to admit, as a leftie, I find it tricky, but I’ve just mastered it recently). There are a bunch of videos on how to do this on Youtube, so check them out here.

Another nifty tip is that when you have clicked on a Pokémon to shiny check it, it will turn to face you. So when you are checking a cluster, the ones you haven’t checked, won’t be facing you, so this should save you time on checking the same Pokémon twice (other than Nosepass, who always turns to face North).

Be sure to prioritise checking an incense spawn over wild spawns, as incense spawns will only last for a very short period of time, and you don’t want to miss out on that shiny check!

Prioritise your catches. Some Pokémon featured are going to be much rarer than others. Axew and Unowns B, G, U and O, along with Tropius and Torkoal are all announced featured Pokémon. Axew is an incredibly rare spawn, and Tropius and Torkoal are both regionals. If you have to limit your catches due to item issues, prioritise those you might not normally get to see in the wild. Galarian Mr. Mime, Galarian Weezing, Galarian Darumaka, Klink and Pancham will also be spawning in the wild for the first time ever. Galarian Weezing and Klink are both available shiny, so this will be a great way to get some checks and catches in!

Pokemon GO Torkoal
Pokemon GO Torkoal

Don’t forget to take your snapshots!

Keep on top of your Special Research! It is usually easier to complete on the day, rather than after the event.

If you want to meet up with your friends and local community, make sure you all know where you plan to play, and where to meet. Community makes Pokémon Go the game it is, and meeting up with your friends for the event will make it so much more fun than playing on your own. Consider your friends and their accessibility needs. Is the location wheelchair accessible? Are there benches/seating for rests? Shady spots to hide from the sun? Is there safe parking for anyone rural who has to drive in? Does it avoid crossing major roads? Chat with your fellow players who may be disabled or chronically ill, and see what you can do to support them in being able to take part in the day with your community.

Mega Evolve a Pokémon

Mega evolve a Pokémon! When you have a Pokémon as a Mega, you are rewarded with a bonus catch candy for catching any Pokémon that share the Mega typing. For example, if you have a Mega Venusaur evolved, you’ll get an extra catch candy for catching any Grass or Poison type. We would recommend picking a dual type in order to gain additional candy for two different types of Pokémon, rather than just a single typing.

The following Mega Pokémon are currently available in game, and will reward the following extra candy:

Venusaur (Mega) Grass and Poison
Charizard (Mega Y) Fire and Flying
Charizard (Mega X) Fire and Dragon
Blastoise (Mega) Water
Beedrill (Mega) Bug and Poison
Pidgeot (Mega) Normal and Flying
Slowbro (Mega) Water and Psychic
Gengar (Mega) Ghost and Poison
Gyarados (Mega) Water and Dark
Aerodactyl (Mega) Rock and Flying
Ampharos (Mega) Electric and Dragon
Steelix (Mega) Steel and Ground
Houndoom (Mega) Dark and Fire
Manectric (Mega) Electric
Altaria (Mega) Dragon and Fairy
Absol (Mega) Dark
Lopunny (Mega) Normal and Fighting
Abomasnow (Mega) Grass and Ice
Kangaskhan (Mega) Normal
Latios (Mega) Dragon and Psychic
Latias (Mega) Dragon and Psychic

 

Reminders for Ticket Holders

Some early reminders for ticket holders to not do these things before Go Fest starts in your area.

  • Don’t send any gifts: There might be an ultra unlock challenge of sending gifts.
  • Don’t open any gifts: There might be a bonus for opening gifts after completing an ultra unlock challenge. Also helps replenish Pokéballs during play.
  • No taking pictures of buddy: Early Smeargle photobombs may reduce your special event photobomb amount, or override it entirely, be warned!

Best Pokémon to Catch

With so many different Pokémon to catch, you have to have your priorities in order. We have an in-depth guide to which Pokémon you should be making sure you catch, but I’ll go over some here briefly.

Regionals

Regionals! Torkoal and Tropius will both be spawning, and as regional exclusive Pokémon, now is the time to stock up. Both will be great to keep for future trades, and Tropius has some great play in PvP. Get stocked up on the Pokémon and the candies!

Rare Spawns

In terms of rare spawns, it doesn’t get any rarer than Axew. Barely even seen in the wild, and now shiny released as well, it will be the Pokémon to keep an eye out for during the Plains hour. Other rare spawns include Galarian Weezing and Klink, both previously raid exclusives and both available shiny. For the first time in the wild we’ll also have Galarian Mr. Mime, Pancham, Galarian Darumaka and Rufflet spawning. Golett, Drilbur and Larvitar are all rarer spawns with meta relevance too. Of course, Unown is also spawning, with UBGO appearing, with B making their shiny debut. Unown is always a good Pokémon to keep extra of for future trades, and they are absolutely some of the rarest shinies available.

PvE Spawns

Galarian Darumaka, Drilbur, Larvitar, Golett, Magnemite, Mudkip, Swinub, Bergmite and Axew all have their uses in raids and are worth stocking up on for good IVs and Candy XL. If you are able to play with friends, consider keeping these to trade once the event is finished to reroll for potential lucky Pokémon!

PvP Spawns

Mudkip is a beast across all PvP leagues. Alolan Grimer is an Ultra League favourite. Karrablast, Skrelp, Tropius, Swinub, Spheal and Popplio all have Great League potential. Stock up on the Pokémon and then reroll via trades for bonus Candy XL too.

Bonus Stardust

Some Pokémon bring with them additional stardust for catching them. With Trubbish and Shroomish both spawning (and available shiny), don’t just shiny check, catch them for even more stardust!

  • Trubbish awards 750 stardust as standard, 938 in cloudy weather, 1125 with a star piece, and 1406 with both the weather boost and star piece.
  • Shroomish awards 500 stardust as standard, 625 in sunny weather, 750 with a star piece, 938 with both the weather boost and star piece.

Raids

Kyogre and Groudon are appearing in raids, and both are not only meta relevant legendaries, but also have Primal forms which we hope to see in GO in the future. On Sunday we also have a mystery Pokémon appearing in raids, so hopefully that will be something cool and meta relevant also.

Axew, Snorlax and Salamence will all be in raids. Salamence has a future Mega evolution, Snorlax is a beast and available shiny, and Haxorous (Axew’s final evolution) is a great Dragon type.

Author & tags

kittypokemonsalot
kittypokemonsalothttps://www.kittyramblesalot.com/
Turtwig obsessive, real life Psyduck, Pokémon GO AR Photographer, found footage horror fan and Pokémon GO Hub AR Queen

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