Update: The Pokémon Go Thanksgiving Event ends today at 00:00 UTC — that's 4 p.m. Pacific and 7 p.m. Eastern. Before it ends, though, in addition to the below, there are a few things you're going to want to do!
- Hit and major spawns or nests and stock up on as many mons as you can.
- Crack a Lucky Egg and evolve everything you can evolve to take advantage of double double XP (4x XP!). Transfer anything you can to maximize your evolutions (just save enough to evolve!)
- Walk off any remaining eggs, even 10 KM ones if you can. Double XP and double Stardust for the hatches, right? (And 4x XP if you hatch while that Lucky Egg is on!)
There's only a few hours left, so make the most of them!
Pokémon Go is having its third major event this week, and it's themed for Thanksgiving in the U.S. — though don't worry, everyone around the world can participate. Starting November 23rd at 00:00 UTC and going through November 30th 00:00 UTC, you'll get double the amount of XP and Stardust for all your in-game actions.
Ditto has just be found in Pokémon Go and here's how to catch him!
Here's the breakdown of how XP should work during the event:
- Curve Ball bonus: 20 XP
- Nice Throw bonus: 20 XP
- Great Throw bonus: 100 XP
- Excellent Throw bonus: 200 XP
- Spin a PokéStop: 200 XP
- Catch a Pokémon: 200 XP
- Hatch a 2K egg: 400 XP
- Hatch a 5K egg: 1000 XP
- Add a Pokémon to your Pokédex: 1000 XP
- Evolve a Pokémon: 1000 XP
- Hatch a 10K egg: 2000 XP
- Train at a Gym: Variable x2
- Battle at a Gym: Variable x2
And Stardust:
- Catch a Pokémon: 200
- Hatch a 2K egg: Variable x2
- Hatch a 5K egg: Variable x2
- Hatch a 10K egg: Variable x2
- Defenders Bonus: 1000 per Gym
Stock up on Lucky Eggs
I know what you're thinking because we're all thinking it too — if we're already getting double XP bonuses, and Lucky Eggs double XP bonuses, then should using a Lucky Egg during the event result in quadruple bonuses?
YES AND IT DOES!
So, you may want to stock up on Lucky Eggs, especially if you want to level up. Because, with Lucky Egg, we're looking at:
- Curve Ball bonus: 40 XP
- Nice Throw bonus: 40 XP
- Great Throw bonus: 200 XP
- Excellent Throw bonus: 400 XP
- Spin a PokéStop: 400 XP
- Catch a Pokémon: 400 XP
- Hatch a 2K egg: 800 XP
- Hatch a 5K egg: 2000 XP
- Add a Pokémon to your Pokédex: 2000 XP
- Evolve a Pokémon: 2000 XP
- Hatch a 10K egg: 4000 XP
- Train at a Gym: Variable x4
- Battle at a Gym: Variable x4
That's a lot of XP! Downside is Lucky Eggs only come in bulk when you buy them, so do the match and see how much cash you're willing to spend to save time on leveling up.
Stock up on Incubators
Since you'll be getting double XP and double Stardust for hatching eggs, you'll need the Incubators to hatch them! Yeah, they cost money and disappear after three uses, but with eggs offering 2x XP and Stardust, if you were ever going to splurge, now's the time. You'll want to hit up as many Pokéstops as possible to stock up on as many eggs as possible, of course, but then you'll want to make your walking work for you double time. And why hatch two 2x eggs when you can hatch 9x at the same time?
So, if you have any extra cash to spend, spend it on incubators and reap the XP whirlwind.
Read: Top tips and tricks for hatching eggs
Do your evolutions
Everyone knows that if you really want to level up fast, you farm Pidgeys, Caterpies, and Weedle, since they only require 12 candies each to evolve, and then mass-evolve them with a Lucky Egg to get max XP. Well, with this event, max XP is doubled, so farming the aforementioned Pokémon is doubly effective for leveling.
In other words, catch as many of them as you can and then mass evolve them all with a Lucky Egg during the event. (If you get low on Pokémon storage and can't/don't want to buy more, transfer them for extra candy but keep enough to evolve!)
Read: How to use a Lucky Egg to power level your trainer
Maximize your bag and your Gyms
You're going to want max PokéBalls to catch max Pokémon during 2x time. That means you'll need to either buy bag upgrades if you have the cash, or go on a Gym train-up/take-down spree so you can use your best attackers, position your best defenders, and revive and heal everyone up to reduce your potion count, freeing up more space for balls and incubators. (Better to use them then ditch them, right?) Plus, you'll get double XP and Stardust for Gyms too!
Read: How to beat high level Gyms in Pokémon Go
Pick the right Power Ups
Pokémon Go just changed the CP levels of many Pokémon, making Snorlax, Gyrados, and Rhydon much more powerful, and taking Arcanine, Exegguctor, and Blastoise to the cleaners. That means some of the Pokémon you've been ignoring could well need considerable powering up.
First, you'll need Candy to do it, but you'll also need Stardust. So, focus on catching the right Pokémon for the right Candy, make sure you have the best potential (Amazing/Wonder), and moveset, and then use the 2x Stardust to really raise their games.
Read: How to track Pokémon using Sightings and Nearby
Get a power pack
iPhones were designed to last roughly 8-10 hours while browsing the web or checking email. They weren't designed to last that long while keeping the screen on constantly with GPS and data running. And who wants to run out of juice when 2x candy bonuses are falling out of the clouds?
So, if you're going to be out long, and you're going to be out late, you're going to want a battery case or, better still, a portable power pack. That way you can stay charged while you go, twice, three times, even four times longer than normal!
My current favorite is the mophie Power station, because it has two charging ports and tons of capacity.
Read: Best pocketable power banks to charge your iPhone on-the-go
#squadgoals and stay warm
It's getting cold on the east coast and other places, so if you're going out, make sure you dress for the weather. Jackets, gloves with capacitive fingers, the whole deal! Also, get your family and friends together! Thanksgiving especially is a time to get together in groups, and that's a perfect fit for Pokémon Go. Not only is it safer, especially at night, it's considerably more fun.
So, get in touch with your team, figure out times that work for everyone, and then go out and claim all the candy! And if you need to recruit new friends, send them here:
