Pokémon GO is heading deeper into its Twilight Trails season, with several major events already lined up for September and October. Team GO Rocket is preparing another takeover, Giovanni has a new Legendary Shadow Pokémon, and multiple Pokémon are making their debuts.
One of the biggest upcoming events is Harvest Festival: Taken Over, which runs from October 2 through October 5. Giovanni will return with Shadow Zekrom, while Shroodle will receive its Shiny debut.
Before that happens, players can jump into Mega Squads, which is already underway and runs until September 14.
Twilight Trails Continues Through the Fall
Twilight Trails is Pokémon GO’s three-month Fall and Halloween-themed season. The season features a mixture of Pokémon debuts, Mega Pokémon, returning Legendary Pokémon and limited-time events.
Mega Staraptor and Chandelure are among the planned features for the season. GO Pass rotations will also bring Kyogre, Groudon and Latios into the spotlight over the coming months.
Unsurprisingly, Twilight Trails will also include Pokémon GO’s annual Halloween celebrations.
However, Team GO Rocket will cause trouble before Halloween arrives.
Giovanni Returns With Shadow Zekrom
Harvest Festival: Taken Over runs from October 2 until October 5, bringing Giovanni and Team GO Rocket back into focus.
During the event, Giovanni will only appear at PokéStops. Players will be able to obtain a Super Rocket Radar, track him down and challenge him.
Defeating Giovanni gives Trainers an opportunity to rescue and capture Shadow Zekrom.
There is one important restriction to keep in mind. Shadow Zekrom and Purified Zekrom cannot be fused with another Pokémon.
Players hoping to add a particularly powerful Shadow Zekrom to their collection may therefore want to keep an eye on its IVs before investing resources.
Shiny Shroodle Makes Its Pokémon GO Debut
Harvest Festival: Taken Over will also introduce Shiny Shroodle for the first time.
Shroodle is a Poison/Normal-type Pokémon originally introduced in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. It eventually evolves into Grafaiai.
Its Shiny debut gives collectors another reason to participate in the October event alongside the hunt for Shadow Zekrom.
Players will also have increased odds of encountering Shiny Slugma during the event.
Rocket Leaders Get New Shadow Pokémon
The Harvest Festival GO Pass will offer another way to earn a Super Rocket Radar while also putting Team GO Rocket’s three Leaders back into the spotlight.
Their featured Shadow Pokémon will include:
- Sierra — Shadow Wimpod
- Cliff — Shadow Fomantis
- Arlo — Shadow Sandygast
Team GO Rocket will appear more frequently at PokéStops and through balloons throughout the event, giving players additional opportunities to battle Grunts and Leaders.
Frustration Can Be Removed Again
One of the most useful bonuses during Harvest Festival: Taken Over is the return of the ability to remove Frustration from Shadow Pokémon.
Players can use a Charged TM during the event to replace Frustration with another Charged Attack.
This makes the takeover particularly useful for Trainers sitting on powerful Shadow Pokémon from previous events.
Pokémon caught from one-star and three-star Shadow Raids will also have a wider variance in their Attack, Defense and HP stats, further changing the potential results from Shadow Raid encounters.
Mega Squads Introduces Maschiff and Mabosstiff
Before Giovanni arrives, Pokémon GO players have Mega Squads, running from September 8 through September 14.
The event introduces Maschiff and Mabosstiff to Pokémon GO, expanding the selection of Pokémon originating from the Paldea region.
Collectors have another debut to chase as well, with Shiny Flamigo becoming available for the first time.
Shiny Pidgey will also appear more frequently during Mega Squads.
Mega Pokémon Take Center Stage
As its name suggests, Mega Squads places additional emphasis on Mega Pokémon.
Mega Beedrill and Mega Houndoom can reach Super Max Level during the event and unlock a second Charged Attack, providing another incentive for players who regularly use the two Pokémon.
Combined with the new Paldean Pokémon and Shiny Flamigo debut, Mega Squads serves as one of the opening events for the wider Twilight Trails schedule.
A Busy Start to Pokémon GO’s Fall Season
Twilight Trails is quickly building toward one of Pokémon GO’s busiest periods of the year.
Mega Squads gives players Maschiff, Mabosstiff and Shiny Flamigo in September, while October’s Harvest Festival: Taken Over brings Giovanni back with Shadow Zekrom alongside Shiny Shroodle and another opportunity to remove Frustration from Shadow Pokémon.
With Halloween still to come and additional Mega and GO Pass rotations planned, there should be plenty more arriving throughout the remainder of the season.
