Niantic’s January 2024 event schedule for Pokémon GO is packed with interesting developments, but one particular mini-event stands out for its exceptional Stardust farming potential. Amidst the Ultra Beast frenzy, the Foongus Spotlight Hour is a hidden gem that shouldn’t be overlooked.
Foongus Spotlight Hour is going to be a Stardust bonanza
Foongus
On January 30, 2024, Foongus will be appearing in large numbers from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. local time, in a Foongus Spotlight Hour mini-event. During that time, Trainers will receive 2× Stardust for catching Pokémon, doubling the regular Stardust earned from catching.
Foongus is one of the rare Pokémon that give extra Stardust on catch, rewarding 500 Stardust for every successful catch. This means, during the event, catching a Foongus can yield ten times the normal Stardust rate (1000 Stardust), which is enabled by the event’s 2× Stardust bonus.
Here’s how much Stardust you can get during Foongus Spotlight Hour in January 2024:
| Type of catch | Stardust |
|---|---|
| Regular catch | 1,000 |
| Weather boosted catch | 1,250 |
| Regular catch with Star Piece | 1,500 |
| Weather boosted catch with Star Piece | 1,875 |
The best possible scenario you can have is to catch a weather boosted Foongus with an active Star Piece. Foongus is boosted by Sunny and Cloudy weather. We surely do hope that we get some good weather during the event!
The only downside of this event is that Foongus is relatively difficult to catch, and you will probably want to use Great Balls or Ultra Balls during the event. Otherwise, you could be spending too much time attempting to catch, rather than just catching.
How much Stardust can you earn during the Foongus Spotlight Hour?
We believe that the baseline for any calculation should be 50 Foongus. You should be able to get 50 Foongus during one hour, regardless if you are using the Fast catch trick, or just catching slowly.
Here’s how much Stardust you should be able to earn during the Foongus Spotlight Hour:
| Star Piece active | Weather is Sunny or Cloudy | Stardust |
|---|---|---|
| ❌ No | ❌ No | 50,000 |
| ❌ No | ✅ Yes | 62,500 |
| ✅ Yes | ❌ No | 75,000 |
| ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | 93,750 |
- 50,000 Stardust is your minimal Stardust goal. This means you caught 50 Foongus, but there was no weather boost and you did not activate a Star Piece.
- 62,500 Stardust is your minimal goal if the in-game weather is either Sunny or Cloudy.
- 75,000 Stardust is the minimal guaranteed amount you can get. This should be easy to get if you activate two Star Pieces, regardless of in-game Weather. Star Piece increases your Stardust gain by 50%, which is an additional 25,000 Stardust over the baseline.
- and finally… 93,750 Stardust is the amount of Stardust you will get if you catch 50 Foongus, with a Star Piece active, during Sunny or Cloudy weather.
Why does Foongus give extra Stardust on Catch?
Foongus is just one of the handful Pokémon that give additional Stardust when they are caught in Pokémon GO, and this ability harkens back to the original main series Pokémon games.
In the main series games, both Foongus and, its evolution, Amoonguss can often be found holding special items. These special items are called Tiny Mushroom and Big Mushroom, and they could be sold for a large amount of in-game money.
The increased Stardust reward for catching Foongus is a direct nod to the main series games. Other Pokémon that reward additional Stardust on catch have a similar backstory, either related to held items, or their abilities, or their in-game lore.
