For November, Pokémon GO is releasing some new events and updating the usual Spotlight hours and Legendary Raid Bosses, as well as the Research Breakthrough encounter. Plus, November will feature the Animation Week event and a major first for the game: There will be not one, but two Community Day events.
Here's a breakdown of everything in the Pokémon GO November update and what players can expect from this jam-packed month.
Pokémon GO November Updates
The November Research Breakthrough encounter has changed from Shedninja to Togetic, which was previously available during Pokémon GO Fest. Two Legendary Raid bosses have yet to be revealed at time of writing, which may indicate a new Pokémon being added to the game.
Legendary Raid Bosses are as follows for November in Pokémon GO:
- Thursday, Nov. 5 to Monday, Nov. 16: A familiar Pokémon will return to five-star raids
- Monday, Nov. 16 to Tuesday, Nov. 24: Terrakion, Cobalion and Virizion will be available to challenge in five-star raids
- Tuesday, Nov. 24 to Monday, Nov. 30: A to-be-revealed Pokémon will be available to challenge in five-star raids
As usual, each week in November, there will be a Raid Hour event on Wednesday at 6 p.m. local time, featuring that week's Legendary Raid Boss in five-star raids.
For the month of November, Pokémon Spotlight Hour will take place every Tuesday at 6 p.m. local time and each hour will spotlight a different Pokémon and special bonus. Jigglypuff will be spotlighted Nov. 10 and players will earn double XP for catching Pokémon. The following week, Meowth will be in the spotlight and players will earn double Candy, and Barboach will be spotlighted on Nov. 24, with players earning double Candy for transferring Pokémon.
Pokémon GO November Events & Double Community Day
Partner companies Verizon, Grubhub. 7-Eleven and Matsumoto Kiyoshi will hold exclusive, in-game weekend events Nov. 7-8 in the U.S., Mexico and Japan. Players can acquire tickets from participating partners either physically or digitally, then redeem the codes on the Pokémon GO Offer Redemption website to take part in the event.
Timed Research will be available for ticket holders during the event times, offering the chance to encounter Chansey, Sunkern, Mawile, Spoink, Bronzor, Gible and Sewaddle, as well as earn items like Incense, a Star Piece and Charizard Mega Energy. Incense attracts special Pokémon including Bulbasaur, Charizard, Squirtle, Pikachu, Sableye, Patrat, Minccino, Ferroseed and various forms of Unown. Especially lucky players may even find a Shiny Ferroseed.
Related: Pokémon GO: Mega Evolution, Explained
From Friday, Nov. 6 to Thursday, Nov. 12, Pokémon GO will feature Animation Week, which based on Pokémon Journeys: The Series. Encounters and other content tie in with the main characters, Ash and Goh. Players can participate in event-exclusive Timed Research and World Cap Pikachu will appear in the wild, with the possibility of encountering a Shiny version.
Plus, from Nov. 5 to Nov. 16, Lugia will return to five-star raids, this time with the attack Aeroblast. Ivysaur, Pinsir, Snorlax, Golurk and others will also appear in raids and players may encounter the following Pokémon more frequently in the wild: Bulbasaur, Exeggcute, Cubone, Scyther, Dratini, Cyndaquil and more, with the possibility of a Shiny Cubone. Pichu, Mantyke, Riolu and Cubone will hatch from 7 km Eggs and Goh might appear in GO Snapshot. Be sure to take a snapshot during the event; Goh-inspired avatar items will be available in the shop.
For the first time ever in Pokémon GO, there will be two Community Days in the same month: Electabuzz Community Day on Sunday, Nov. 15, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. local time and Magmar Community Day on Saturday, Nov. 21, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. local time.
Each day will feature that Pokémon appearing more frequently in the wild, with a chance for a Shiny. Evolve Electabuzz during the event or up to two hours afterward to get an Electivire that knows Flamethrower and evolve Magmar during the event or up to two hours afterward to get a Magmortar that knows Thunderbolt.
There’ll be a special, one-time-purchase Electabuzz Community Day Box available for 1,280 PokéCoins, featuring an Elite Fast TM, three Super Incubators, three Incense and 30 Ultra Balls. On Magmar Community Day, there will be a similar Box available for 1,280 PokéCoins, featuring an Elite Charged TM, three Super Incubators, three Lucky Eggs and 30 Ultra Balls.
Both will feature event-exclusive Timed Research and Field Research tasks wherein players will be able to earn Sinnoh Stones and other items. Similar to other Community days, for $1 (or the equivalent pricing tier in a player's local currency), players will be able to access the Community Day-exclusive Special Research story. On their respective days, Elekid and Magby will be hatching from 2km eggs.