The Pokémon GO Wild Area 2024 has everyone hyped as the inaugural event brings brand-new Pokémon, mechanisms, and a refreshing extravaganza for players to enjoy! With such a grand scale and so much to experience in the two-day Global event between November 23 – 24, 2024, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed. But with some prep, you have nothing to fear!
That being said, we have knit together a comprehensive preparation guide to ensure you can make the most of this spectacle.
With the Fukuoka event done and dusted, here are some learnings for the Global spectacle:
- Both Gigantamax and Dynamax Toxtricity cost 800 MP. The GMax battles will be as challenging as usual but you’re bound to find many players in an urban area. DMax Toxtricity is of 4-Star difficulty, so having powered up DMax Excadrill and a bunch of players is pivotal to attaining victory.
- There was roughly 1/10 odds of getting Roar of Time/Spacial Rend on the Origin forms of Dialga/Palkia.
- Along with the pros of Mighty Pokémon involving their level (40-50), IVs (13/13/13 floor), and boosted shiny chances, they also come with a high flee rate and <1% catch rate. So, Safari Balls and Golden Razz/Silver Pinap Berries need to be the recipe.
Items are the main stay to stock up on for any Pokémon GO event, let alone an occasion as flamboyant as GO Wild Area! Even though you can grab more of every item during the event either through exploration, Research tasks, or the Shop, it’s important to stock up on some core items to enjoy a seamless experience.
Poké Balls
To catch ’em all, you need Poké Balls after all, and lots of them! And this includes Great and Ultra Balls as well. Keep a tab on them to ensure that you don’t run out of Poké Balls but in dire situations where you’re unable to access them, drop your Daily Incense. It instantly replenishes 30 Poké Balls, provided you have 30 or fewer.
Keep in mind that you’ll be able to get the debuting Safari Balls during the event to help you catch Mighty Pokémon. Based on the GO Wild Area Fukuoka event, these special Poké Balls will be available from hourly Timed Research as well as spinning Photo Discs. There is also an optional extra ticket available in the Pokémon GO Web Store that grants additional hourly Timed Research for more Safari Balls.
Quick tip: Safari Balls are amazing for Galarian Birds! So be sure to activate your Daily Adventure Incense and use Dialga Origin’s Roar of Time Adventure Effect.
Berries
While Berries usually fill up after Raids, remember that they’ll further make the job of catching Mighty, weather-boosted, and typically low catch rate Pokémon easier.
Speaking of Raids, if you are often stumped by your inventory bag filling up in no time, the culprit may be Rare Candies. It’s natural to be stocked beyond reproach when it comes to Rrae Candies as you find it difficult to invest them.
No worries there, as GO Wild Area is all set to feature OP Legendaries like Dialga Origin, Palkia Origin, Primal Groudon, and Primal Kyogre. These four are some of the strongest Pokémon in general, so they are perfect dumping grounds for those Rare Candies and clearing up space.
Additionally, if you opt to use the Adventure Effects of the Origin Formes, you can clear Rare Candies even more.
Keep Incense, Star Pieces & Lucky Eggs handy
This holy trinity of items has been a mainstay for players since the game’s inception, and it’s no different during GO Wild Area.
These are items you’d probably want to run during the entire course of the event to maximize your XP and Stardust gains while catching as many Pokémon as possible.
Open Gifts before the event
You can hoard Poké Balls and other useful items pre-event from the comfort of your homes simply by opening all your Gifts for the day and sending them back.
If you are in search of more friends, check in your local groups, discords etc, post on social media, fill up that friends list, and get yourself more gifts. Just putting out your friend code on Twitter and other social media can grab you many friends quickly.
Raid Passes
GO Wild Area is leaving no stone unturned in the Raids department. Aside from the Legendaries stated earlier, GO Wild Area also features Toxtricity (Amped and Low Key forms) and Snorlax with a stylish studded jacket in 4-Star Raids. Moreover, they can be shiny!
So, make sure you have some Raid Passes ready to go in your bag instead of buying too many on the day of the event. Make sure you also have Golden Razz Berries and Silver Pinap Berries with you.
Taking Toxtricity into account, there are also two other important factors to consider — Egg Incubators and Max Battles
Incubators for Egg Exclusive Pokémon
Toxtricity’s pre-evolution, Toxel will be added to the 10km Egg pool starting from the GO Wild Area event. It can be shiny!
As such, try to hatch all Eggs in your collection the day before the event (by November 22, 2024). Buy some Super Incubators to salvage the increased shiny odds and 1/2 hatch distance.
The last thing you need to worry about when playing an event like this, is not having space to catch Pokémon. This week is the time to be brutal and clear out your Pokémon storage as much as you can.
If you keep a living dex, make sure you only have multiples of the meta-relevant Pokémon. 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 rarer 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 Wild Area is the time to go for it. I’d wait until the morning of GO Wild Area to max out my bag space, because otherwise I know it’s just going to fill up without me realized. 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 98% Lapras 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!
Adventure Effects have a tremendous impact. Using Origin Forme Palkia’s Adventure Effect Spacial Rend can expand the radius at which you can encounter Pokémon, giving you access to even more spawns! Using Origin Forme Dialga’s Adventure Effect Roar of Time can increase the length of time your items last by pausing them.
If you are eager to know more about Adventure Effects, we have a full guide to Spacial Rend vs Roar of Time here.
Gigantamax Toxtricity will be hosted in Max Battles and these bouts are hardly a cakewalk. Thankfully, Drilbur is available earlier in the easy-peasy 1-Star Dmax Raids and the Simply Groundbreaking event has tons of Dribur Candy up for grabs. Keep in mind that GMax and DMax bouts cost the same during the event.
The Ground/Steel type Excadrill resists both Electric and Poison STAB attacks of GMax Toxtricity, making it the go-to counter for this challenge.
Be sure to max out Excadrill and give it Mud-Slap as the Quick Attack to use the doubly super-effective Max Quake to beat down GMax Toxtricity.
Note that the daily limit for collecting Max Particles will be increased to 3,200 for ticket holders while it’ll be 1600 for non-ticketed experience.
It is worth making sure you already have some PokéCoins in your bag, rather than needing to buy them on the day, just in case you decide to buy any premium items or boxes.
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! If you have the new GO Plus+ it can use all three types of ball, but only Pokéballs for the auto-catch option.
Another key thing with catching devices is to make sure they are connected to your account before you arrive at the event location. It may be tricky to get it to pair for the first time when potentially hundreds of other devices in the area!
The original GO Plus relies on batteries, consider changing them pre-event, while the GO Plus+ is rechargeable, so make sure it is fully charged!
With so many Raids set in stone, we would recommend switching your Buddy Pokémon to a high-level one that you have Buddy Assist activated. With Buddy Assist starting at Great Buddy Level, your Pokémon can bounce your Pokéball back to retry to catch the Pokémon after an unsuccessful throw, giving you a second chance with the same ball. This is a great help for Raids with limited balls to catch your Pokémon!
It’s also worth picking a Buddy Pokémon that isn’t spawning during the event so you don’t keep clicking on it accidentally, and that isn’t too big that it potentially hides spawns. Some field research tasks may also require you to obtain candy by walking, so if possible, pick a 1km distance Buddy.
If you’ve never used a Master Ball, you may have up to four in your storage. Or, you could have just one. Either way, it is totally fine to use a Master Ball to catch a 100IV from the Primals or Origin Forme Raids. It’s also worth noting it could be worth using one on Mighty Pokémon if it happens to be shiny to make sure the Shundo doesn’t run!
If you’re faced with a Hundo and are down to your last Premier Ball after the Raid, don’t hesitate to use a Master Ball. Don’t forget, shinies from Raids are guaranteed caches, so please don’t use a Master Ball on a Shundo!
With a heavy focus on Dynamax and Gigantamax Toxtricity, you can’t play this one solo. Check Campfire, your local group chats, Discord, and where ever else your local community organise to see if you can find a meet up. Be prepared to make some new friends, stay safe, and don’t be that person bringing a Sobble into a Gigantamax Battle please!
Global GO Wild Area will host different sets of Mighty Pokémon on each day of the two-day event. They will be between level 40 – 50, and have an IV floor of 13/13/13! This means that you can get readymade Pokémon for PvE and PvP combat.
Mighty Pokémon Saturday
Mighty Pokémon Sunday
Also, note that Mighty Pokémon have boosted shiny odds for all players, ticketed or not!
Certain Pokémon will be able to learn exclusive moves upon evolution:
- Evolve Ivysaur during the event to get a Venusaur that knows the Charged Attack Frenzy Plant
- Evolve Pidgeotto during the event to get a Pidgeot that knows the Fast Attack Gust
- Evolve Poliwhirl during the event to get a Poliwrath that knows the Fast Attack Counter
- Evolve Magikarp during the event to get a Gyarados that knows the Charged Attack Aqua Tail
- Evolve Croconaw during the event to get a Feraligatr that knows the Charged Attack Hydro Cannon
- Evolve Luxio during the event to get a Luxray that knows the Charged Attack Psychic Fangs
So, refrain from evolving high IV or shinies of the pre-evolutions stated above, just wait until the GO Wild Area event to get these moves without using Elite TMs.
Costumed Pikachu
The adorable Pop Star and Rock Star Pikachu duo are encounterable through various means.
- 6 (3 per day) from Snapshots
- 4 (2 per day) from Collection Challenges
- 1 from Special Research
So, be ready to get 11 of these Costumed Pikachu for your collection, and most importantly, they can be shiny!
Free Raid Passes
Spin Photo Discs at Gyms to grab 5 free Raid Passes per day (10 in total).
Special Trades
You can do 6 special trades per day, for an amazing 12 total, that too with reduced Stardust! So decide which mons you’d like to trade and have fun grabbing those lucky trades with your friend.
Ah, the most basic of essentials! Be sure to pack portable battery packs and charger cables as it’s going to be a long event.
With chances of the weather being extreme with the time of year, being particularly hot or cold in some parts of the world, battery percentages can plummet down out of the blue! Keep an eye on that percentage, and don’t forget that most portable chargers will charge more slowly than being plugged into a wall socket.
Be sure you charge overnight so your phone is ready to go, and that you have plenty of data on your phone plan. Running out of data a few hours into the event can be a sour experience.
The global GO Wild Area event will take place in winter for the Northern Hemisphere, and summer for the Southern Hemisphere. So, dressing appropriately is very important.
Summer prep 🏖️
- If it is summer in your location, sunscreen is vital! Don’t get yourself a sunburn or a heatstroke, and ensure quick access to cool drinks, places with adequate shade, and wear light airy clothing that is going to keep you cool and comfy.
- If you wear your hair in a part, make sure that part is covered in sunscreen 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 help.
- Good quality shoes are compulsory no matter what the weather is, as you’re likely to walk a lot. 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.
- You may also experience some quite unseasonable weather, with rain and cooler-than-expected temperatures. A raincoat/waterproof jacket would be a good idea, especially if it can fold up inside your backpack.
Winter prep 🥶
- If it is winter/autumn, wrap up warm and cozy! Multiple thin layers are better than one or two thick layers, and a good waterproof coat.
- Sunscreen is still needed in winter, that sun can still be incredibly harsh!
- Gloves you can use your phone with, and good sturdy walking boots to keep you from slipping are great too.
- 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. A bag that zips up securely for your valuables is a good idea for crowded areas, and leaving non-essential items at home.
Plan ahead for snacks, lunch and drinks, as well as bathroom breaks. Consider where you might eat lunch, and use it as an opportunity to not only refuel yourself but to charge your phone if possible. Not eating and drinking over a long day, especially in hot weather, is an easy way to end up with sunstroke 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. Refillable water bottles are your pals!
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 for the global event, there will be a lot of available data on social media about the quest lines and what you need to do.
Do keep checking GO Hub’s 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.
If you are planning to grind hard, learning the ‘Quick Catch‘ trick can be a real help. 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 prioritize 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!
For the global 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? Shade to hide from the sun? Is there safe parking for anyone rural who has to drive in? Does it avoid crossing major roads? Are there public bathrooms? 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! With a focus on Poison and Electric spawns there sadly isn’t a specific Mega that covers both of those, so we’ll instead list the ones that cover one of them so you can see which you have levelled the highest.
The following Mega Pokémon are currently available in game, and will reward the following extra candy:
Venusaur (Mega)
|
Grass and Poison |
Beedrill (Mega)
|
Bug and Poison |
Gengar (Mega)
|
Ghost and Poison |
Ampharos (Mega)
|
Electric and Dragon |
Manectric (Mega)
|
Electric |
Kyogre (Primal)
|
Water Electric and Bug |
With all these in mind, you are bound to have an unforgettable experience in the first-ever GO Wild Area event!
Grind hard, catch ’em all, stay safe, and have fun!
