After a week full of mysterious teasers and "accidentally sent emails" it appears that Team GO Rocket is back at it again and invading the mobile AR world of Pokemon GO. As players continue working through the Free Weekly Challenges to prepare for the upcoming GO Fest 2020 event, they are going to have the added feature of some GO Rocket grunts floating overhead in hot air balloons looking to pick a fight.
The new hot air balloon feature in Pokemon GO is very exciting in that it offers players the chance to battle a Team GO Rocket grunt or boss without actually having to find and visit a shadow Pokestop. For rural players who don't live near many POIs on the PoGO map, this is a huge quality of life improvement and will make it much easier to complete the battle-themed Tasks and Special Research. With the Battle week challenges just around the corner, that's likely no accident...
The new takeover is active now and players should encounter their first hot air balloon as soon as they log on (if they haven't already). Trainers are able to click a hot air balloon to trigger an interaction with a grunt and have a quick battle to chase off the enemy. Keep in mind that the balloons do fly away and despawn, so be sure to interact with them quickly after noticing them if you want a shot at the reward encounter.
Takeover Event Description and Features
"Mysterious balloons have popped up in the sky, and the culprit is Team GO Rocket! With these Team GO Rocket balloon invasions, you can now battle Team GO Rocket anywhere on the map. We ask that you keep an eye out for balloons in the sky and battle the Team GO Rocket Grunts and Leaders piloting them. Who knows—you may even find Giovanni! Reports show that they appear once every few hours, but could appear more often during takeovers."
1. Tap a balloon to battle Team GO Rocket: Be ready for a challenge! Tap a Team GO Rocket balloon, pick your battle party, and defeat Team GO Rocket to rescue their Shadow Pokémon. Team GO Rocket balloons will hover near you for a limited time, so be sure to check the map for balloons and tap them before they fly away!
2. Equip your Rocket Radar to encounter balloons with Team GO Rocket Leaders: When you have a Rocket Radar equipped, you can find Sierra, Cliff, or Arlo piloting a Team GO Rocket balloon.
3. Equip your Super Rocket Radar to encounter Giovanni: It appears that even the boss of Team GO Rocket himself can be found riding in a Team GO Rocket balloon! If you activate and equip a Super Rocket Radar, Giovanni’s balloon is certain to appear.
"Turns out, Professor Willow and the team leaders were on to something when they discovered those scraps of paper! With Team GO Rocket flying across the world of Pokémon GO, we’ll need as many of you as possible to help defeat them! Keep an eye out for these Rocket balloons, and continue to train. Hopefully this will be the extent of their mischief and they’ll surrender now before we have to prepare for more fights. But just in case...we might have to revisit the original plan for the GO Fest Weekly Challenge: Battle Timed Research. Stay tuned for more updates on what that Timed Research will now entail, as well as the accompanying battle-themed event."
Although the event is kicking off now, while the Skill Challenge is still active, it definitely sounds like it will somehow tie-in to the upcoming Battle Challenge Week, as well. Players will likely learn more about that in a few days when the Weekly Challenges rotate and we learn more about what tasks are ahead of the community in the coming weeks. For now, it's never a bad time to challenge a Rocket Grunt and continue honing your battle skills to prepare for whatever challenges are on the way. Once all three Free Weekly Skill Challenges are complete, it will be time for Pokemon GO Trainers to dive into this year's big GO Fest 2020 event, beginning July 25.
As trainers continue working through all of these amazing events, they may want to keep hunting down the best Unova Pokemon in the game if improving their Battle Raid rosters and completing their Pokedex is their primary goal. Be sure to check back in the near future for more Pokemon GO strategy guides, news, and updates. Until then, good luck out there, trainers!
Pokemon GO is available now in select regions on Android and iOS devices.
Source: Pokemon GO Live