Not that it's a huge surprise, but Pokémon Go players managed to complete all three parts of the game's most recent Global Challenge. If you played your part, well done. The fruits of your labor are now available for you to enjoy in the form of the three-week Ultra Bonus event that runs through most of September. While there's cool stuff going on every week, we need to start with Ultra Bonus Week 1, which runs from Sept. 2 through Sept. 9 at 1 p.m. PT.
Here's everything you need to know about the Week 1 rewards and how best to take advantage of them.
What bonuses are active during Ultra Bonus Week 1?
It wouldn't be much of an Ultra Bonus without bonuses, now would it? The event is starting strong with 2x Incubator effectiveness, meaning every type of Egg takes half as much walking to hatch.
- 2 km Egg = 1km
- 5 km Egg = 2.5 km
- 7 km Egg = 3.5 km
- 10 km Egg = 5 km
Obviously, it's a great time to work on hatching multiple Eggs at once, so if you can spare the coins, it's certainly worth investigating either the Ultra Box or Adventure Box, both of which come with 10 or more Super Incubators. Even if you decide not to make a purchase, you'll want to be sure to have Adventure Sync active to get credit for any walking you do when you have the game closed and to have your unlimited use Incubator working on an Egg at all times.
Can different Pokémon be found in Eggs during Ultra Bonus Week 1?
As luck would have it (or to be more precise, the developers at Niantic), yes indeed. The big prize can be found in 10 km Eggs, which have a chance to hatch the U, L, T, R and A forms of Unown. As a result, it's a great time to crank through as many 10 km Eggs as possible when they only take 5 km to hatch,
Does Ultra Bonus Week 1 have any Shiny Pokémon?
It sure does. Both Shiny Sentret and Shiny Gligar can be found during the first week of the event. Sentret can be found in abundance just about everywhere you usually run into spawns, and thus in terms of sheer numbers alone, figures to be easier to find in Shiny form. Not very powerful, Sentret does evolve into the more useful Furret, so catching the non-Shiny Sentrets you encounter this week to save candy to evolve a Shiny Furret might not be a bad idea.
Gligar is harder to find, but from a purely anecdotal perspective, I've seen them spawn more often than normal around my town since the event began, giving the impression that their spawn rates have been boosted. Remember, too, that Gligar likes Sunny and Windy weather and can be found more often under those conditions. For both Shiny Pokémon, there's no real secret to finding them except to play often and hope, as I heard in a movie once, the odds are ever in your favor.
Do raids have different Pokémon during Ultra Bonus Week 1 too?
You're probably sensing a pattern here by now, but the answer is also yes. The first week of the Ultra Bonus event features Pokémon from the Johto region in raids, but specifically the three Legendary Dogs: Raikou, Entei, and Suicune. Raikou, in particular, is prized as one of the more powerful Electric-type Pokémon in the game, and it can be found in Tier 5 raids all week.
Here's the full list of raid bosses for Ultra Bonus Week 1:
- Tier 1: Houndour, Murkrow, Sentret, Snubull, Sunkern
- Tier 2: Alola Exeggutor, Gligar, Mawile, Pineco, Sneasel
- Tier 3: Alola Raichu, Donphan, Piloswine, Shuckle, Skarmory
- Tier 4: Absol, Alola Marowak, Tediursa, Tyranitar
- Tier 5: Entei, Raikou, Suicine
- EX Raids: Deoxys
Will any of these rewards be sticking around after Week 1?
Nope, but that's because there are completely different sets of rewards for the second or third weeks of the Ultra Bonus event. There are different Shiny Pokémon and featured raid bosses, along with changes to what can be found in Eggs. One bonus that's constant throughout, however, is the boosted Incubator effectiveness, so you'll want to keep on walking and hatching all month.
What should I do to get the most out of Ultra Bonus Week 1?
So you're the planning type, eh? That's not a bad thing when it comes to Pokémon Go events. Here's a quick recap of everything going on during Week 1 and how best to enjoy those sweet, sweet bonuses.
- Keep hatching Eggs continuously to get the maximum benefit from the 2x Incubator effectiveness bonus, and don't forget to buy more Incubators if you've got the coins.
- Look for Unown in 10 km Eggs, in its U, L, T, R, and A forms, to be precise.
- While you're doing all that walking, keep a lookout for Shiny Sentret and Shiny Gligar, both of which can be found during Week 1.
- Take part in raids, and definitely play Tier 5 raids to find the Legendary dogs Entei, Raikou, Suicine -- though Raikou is considered the big prize.
Have more questions about Ultra Bonus Week 1 in Pokémon Go?
We'd love to hear them so we can help answer them, so don't be shy: Drop any queries in the comments section below. And don't forget to visit iMore for guides to Ultra Bonus Week 2 and Week 3 later this month.
