Pokemon GO event tricks [fire and ice UPDATE]
This afternoon the Pokemon GO Solstice Event – AKA Fire and Ice event – launched with a set of secrets. While Niantic did suggest certain XP bonuses would be appearing during this event, they did not get super specific. Now that the event has been going for a short bit, we've got the full details. This is how trainers will want to make the most of their week-long event top to bottom.
Our journey began today with a tip about the release of Lucky Eggs in the Pokemon GO in-game store for half the price they normally pop up at. This meant the game was updating – not all at once, but swiftly. Users may want to take a peek at these prices as XP is the name of the game when it comes to this special event, and an egg doubles the total.
The difficulty in this event is not in finding Fire or Ice Pokemon, it's in capturing them after they're found. The Pokemon listed by Niantic as appearing during this event – more common than usual – are not actually very common, generally. When they do appear common in an area, they're not always very easy to catch with a single Pokeball.
Charmander and Swinub have been the most common types for us so far today. Our tests have been largely in North Dakota and Southern California so far. Don't expect to be capturing Ponyta left and right just because there's a special event going on. Ponyta are just as wild and buck-wild as ever.
Fire Type Pokemon at Solstice Event:
• Charmander
• Cyndaquil
• Growlithe
• Houndour
• Ponyta
• Vulpix
• Magmar
Ice Type Pokemon at Solstice Event:
• Swinub
• Sneasel
• Cloyster
• Lapras (still rare, just slightly less so)
• Dewgong
About 20 minutes after the event began, we saw a Pokemon egg hatch. This egg provided not twice, not 4x, but 5x the amount of XP it normally would. The contents of the egg don't seem to have changed. Though we've not found any eggs since the start of the event, which would matter for the final result.
SEE MORE ABOUT: The Pokemon GO FEST birthday event series!
We've found that the XP gained from throwing Pokeballs has been given a boost, much like what Niantic suggested earlier this week. The specific bonuses seem to depend on the Pokemon being caught. Fire Type Pokemon seem to get bonuses for Curveballs and for First Throws. Ice Type Pokemon also seem to get these bonuses – but of course they're more difficult because the Ice Types in Pokemon GO right now are mostly on the extreme side of difficult to capture.
This event started at 1PM Pacific Time this afternoon – that's June 13th, 2017. The end time is set by Niantic to hit at 1PM Pacific Time on the 20th of June, 2017. Some time near the end of this party we'll also see a complete Pokemon Gym shutdown – see the Pokemon GO FEST birthday event series link above to learn more about this massive shutdown.
And get your bonus coins now – they won't be around for long! Stick around our Pokemon GO Twitter portal at @TeamPokemonGO to see all the action as it unfolds. We'll have more tips and early reveals of game updates well through the future! And memes, don't forget the Pokemon GO memes, too!