Pokemon GO Trainers have been on high alert for some time now, given the large influx of incoming fall events. On top of traditional seasonal celebrations, like the expected Halloween-themed events, Niantic is treating players to a sizable number of new additions and special event bonuses.
While players have already known to expect some sort of Ghost and Dark-type Pokemon GO extravaganza this fall, few anticipated the additional sets of events speckling the weeks of October and November. Most recently, it seems that there will be a quick one-day hoorah in honor of the release of Pokemon Sword and Shield's Crown Tundra DLC.
As of last night, October 22nd, at 6 PM (PDT), Galarian Farfetch'd was reintroduced to the wilds of Pokemon GO. Trainers last had the chance to encounter this Galar native when Niantic celebrated the release of Sword and Shield's first Expansion, Isle of Armor. That said, many were disappointed to realize they were still unable to evolve the much beloved Farfetch'd variant.
Now, players not only have the ability to evolve Galarian Farfetch'd, but also have the opportunity to catch the whimsical Galarian Ponyta. The current surprise event, in celebration of Crown Tundra, allows players to meet Sirfetch'd and Galarian Ponyta/Rapidash in Pokemon GO by giving them the chance to evolve Galarian Farfetch'd, or challenge Galarian Ponyta in Raid Battles. While players can simply capture Ponyta and evolve it into Galarian Rapidash with 50 Ponyta Candy, Galarian Farfetch'd bears an entirely new form of Pokemon GO evolution.
To evolve Galarian Farfetch'd, players will need to spend some time acquainting themselves with the leek-wielder as their Buddy Pokemon. A Galarian Farfetch'd will only evolve into Sirfetch'd if a player manages to successfully land 10 Excellent Throws while traveling with them as their buddy. Upon landing the 10 throws, a player should simply offer the Pokemon 50 Farfetch'd Candy, and it will evolve.
Fortunately, this new feature comes with two helpful nuances:
- Players can check the progress of their Excellent Throws by viewing their Galarian Farfetch'd's status page, and,
- Excellent Throw progress is not lost when a player swaps their Buddy Pokemon.
So, if a player manages to land 4 Excellent Throws, but decides it's time to take another Buddy Pokemon walking for hearts and Candy, that's totally okay. Swapping Buddies will not reset the evolution progress, and a player can simply continue trying to land Excellent Throws whenever Galarian Farfetch'd next becomes their Buddy Pokemon.
Ever since the announcement of Galarian Farfetch'd, players have speculated how it may evolve. Pokemon GO has consistently had to rely on creative solutions to otherwise established Pokemon evolution methods, like those that require Elemental Stones or Trading. Considering that Galarian Farfetch'd normally evolves by landing Critical Hits in battle, fans have been particularly confident that it would feature a novel method.
Pokemon GO is available now on the App Store and Google Play.