Each week there are certain events that happen in Pokémon GO: Spotlight Hours and Raid Hours. They can be incredibly beneficial for their bonuses, grinding XP, and often shiny hunting. Here’s how you can make the most out of Pokémon GO’s weekly events.
Spotlight Hour
During the Spotlight Hour, a particular Pokémon spawns more frequently in the wild. This means you will have the chance to encounter that Pokémon more frequently during the event hour compared to normal gameplay. Be sure to check out our Month Event guide, ‘This Week in Pokémon GO’ articles, or the Spotlight Hour article published each Monday to find out which Pokémon is featured, whether it is shiny eligible and what bonus will be active.
| Starts | Ends |
|---|---|
| Tuesdays at 6:00 PM local time |
Tuesdays at 7:00 PM local time |
Bonuses ⭐
In addition to increased spawns of the featured Pokémon, there is often an additional bonus for participating in the event. This bonus can vary and might include things like increased XP, Stardust, or Candy.
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2× Candy for catching Pokémon
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2× Candy for transferring Pokémon
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2× XP for catching Pokémon
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2× XP for evolving Pokémon
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2× Stardust for catching Pokémon
Making the most of Spotlight Hour
Plan Ahead
At the beginning of the month check out the Spotlight Hour Schedule. Note down any Pokémon you would like to shiny hunt (if it’s shiny eligible) and mark it in your calendar so you have time to be out and about catching Pokémon.
If you’re planning on going out for Spotlight hour, ensure you are collecting plenty of Pokéballs throughout the week, so you do not get caught short. Some trainers can catch a staggering 400 Pokémon in the hour! With this in mind, ensure you have enough room in your Pokémon storage too if you’re not transferring as you go.
Out and About
If you’re out and about during Spotlight Hour, making the most of the catching bonuses or simply shiny hunting there are a few ways to maximise your gameplay experience.
- Plan your route – similar to community days, you want to be somewhere with a dense population of spawns. These areas are usually near Pokéstops and Gyms.
- Quick catch – quick catching will allow you to skip the catch animation screen, massively reducing the time per catch to maximise the amount of Pokémon you can catch.
- Autocatcher – to help you with any ‘mon you might miss whilst you’re walking. Utilising an autocatcher will help, particularly if you’re on the move.
- Use incense – Using an incense will generate more spawns, so it’s generally a good idea to have one running if you’ve got one spare.
- Lucky Egg – if the featured Pokémon has a particularly easy ‘excellent’ circle or the bonus is catch XP then it’s worth popping a lucky egg on. If you’re catching lots, this extra XP will add up quickly.
- Star Piece – if you are working with a 2x Stardust bonus or the featured Pokémon gives extra Stardust, it would be a good idea to put a Star Piece on.
- Spacial Rend – if you are tied to a certain spot for the event, you can use a Palkia with Spacial Rend to expand your spawn radius and therefore encounter more of the featured Pokémon.
- Roar of Time – using a Dialga with Roar of Time can ‘pause’ your Lucky Egg, Star Piece and Incense for a set period of time, giving you more time to use them if you are low on resources. As a note, it isn’t worthwhile using Roar of Time for a Stardust based bonus, due to the Stardust cost for using it.
Staying In
However, you don’t always need to go out for Spotlight Hour if you’re tied up with something else or not keen on the featured Pokémon. Keep an eye on the event bonuses – many trainers save up ‘bulk’ Pokémon to mass transfer during a 2x transfer Candy event, or to evolve during 2x evolution XP. You can organise these Pokémon in your storage by giving them a tag, so you can easily find them all at once when Spotlight Hour begins.
Important Note
It goes without saying, be aware of your surroundings and follow safety guidelines when out and about during Spotlight Hour. The 6-7 p.m. event window is amazing during the summer months, but (in the UK at least) it gets dark around 4 p.m. in the winter. Do not jeopardise your health for these events: play somewhere well-lit, safe and preferably with a friend or family member!
Raid Hour
During Raid Hour the Tier 5 Legendary Raid currently in rotation, featuring powerful Legendary Pokémon, become more common in the game. This means that more Legendary Raids will hatch and be available for players to battle during the event.
| Starts | Ends |
|---|---|
| Wednesdays at 6:00 PM local time |
Wednesdays at 7:00 PM local time |
Making the most of Raid Hour
As a legendary raid grants 10,000 XP on completion, Raid Hour is a great time to grind some XP. Pop a lucky egg on to double the XP gains and complete as many raids as you can!
You can coordinate with other trainers in your local area via local chats or lighting a flare on Campfire, as defeating Tier 5 Legendary Raids often requires multiple players working together.
If you are able to get into your local town with your friends for Raid Hour, plan a route which will ensure you hit as many Gyms as possible. Check out our Raid Train Organiser’s Guide to help you prepare!
With the ready-up button, you may not have to wait around as long for the raid to start, meaning you can get to more Gyms within the hour. Remember, if you invite people to raid remotely give them time to join the lobby before everyone readies up!
If you’re not able to get out and about, or you complete all the raids in your area quickly, there is the option to raid remotely. Remember there’s a cap of 5 remote raids a day, so if you plan on using them during Raid Hour try not to do any remote raids earlier in the day.
Friendships
Raid Hour is usually when people like to coordinate Lucky Egg to level up friendship. As Raid Hour is the main XP source of the week, this is when Trainers like to put a lucky egg on. They therefore then level up their friendship at the same time to get more benefit from the one Lucky Egg. So if they’ve named their buddy something along the lines of ‘Lvl^ RH 6.CET’ this is what they mean. Make sure you check what time zone your friend is in and be ready to level up when they have noted, or message them to work out a time that suits both of you!
Final Thoughts
Spotlight Hour and Raid Hour can be really fun to get involved in. You do not have to worry about participating in every event as they are so often, but it’s a great way to get your hands on some Pokémon you’re looking for whilst benefiting from event bonuses.
Happy hunting, trainers!
