Pokemon Go Fest 2023 Checklist and Tips

As we've already discussed numerous times up until now, Mega Rayquaza is tremendously powerful, and Dragon Ascent is an amazing move. Players should plan to complete the Research Line to score a Meteorite, and then farm down Mega Rayquaza as best they can in order to farm at least the 400 required to score the initial Mega Evolution.

Important Note: Mega Rayquaza requires Dragon Ascent in order to Mega Evolve, so you're going to need to unlock a second Charged Move if you want to also give it access to Outrage or Breaking Swipe. If you don't already have the candy to do so, then it might be wise to tackle a few extra Mega Rayquaza raids along the way!

This one is strictly for Ticket holders, but Diancie is definitely a priority due to the power of Mega Diancie. It's arguably the top Rock Type Mega Evolution in the game, and could potentially rule the Fairy meta as well if ever given a Fairy Fast Move. Getting Diancie is as easy as completing the research line that comes with the ticket, and Diancie Mega Energy can be attained by raiding Carbink, who will be available as a 2-Star Raid during Go Fest.

While Mega Rayquaza definitely takes center-stage, don't forget that Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre are also excessively great. While most players have probably already got them ready to go, this is a chance to get Candy, XL Candy, and Primal Energy. If you need any of the above, then plan on hitting this duo up along the way!

Not only is Carbink important to raid for in order for ticket holders to amass Diancie Mega Energy, it's also a very pervasive Pokemon in the Great League. Carbink's mix of typing, stats, and moveset make it a real force to be reckoned with, and anyone invested in Great League play should definitely focus on trying to score a good one. It's also important to catch as many of these little diamonds in the rough as possible due to the fact that raids give a 10-IV floor, so it's going to take some trading to get a good Carbink for the Great League. It's also going to take some XL Candy to get it as close to 1500 CP as possible!

Players who attended the in-person Go Fest events earlier this month reported that Carbink was a rare spawn for Incense/Lures, but we don't yet know if this is going to be the case.

Generally Available

Ticketholder Exclusive

The global-release of Regional Pokemon/formes is always exciting, and we've got a few here. For all players, the two formes of Shellos will begin crawling out of the ocean across the globe while Heracross migrates out from South America for a rare appearance. For Ticketholders, it will be possible to have wild encounters with Pachirisu and Carnivine, but strictly from active Incense. 

Similar to Community Days, a number of Pokemon will have their Elite Moves available if evolved from their previous evolutionary stages during Go Fest. Players should get these Pokemon ready to evolve during Go Fest 2023, especially if they have any Shadows ready and waiting!

• Butterfree learns Bug Bite
• Sandslash learns Night Slash
• Clefable learns Pound
• Flygon learns Earth Power
• Salamence learns Outrage
• Metagross learns Meteor Mash
• Roserade learns Weather Ball - Fire

Generally Available Spawns

Ticketholder Incense Spawns

Most of the Pokemon on this list, such as Lickitung or Clefairy, are primarily considered priorities due to their varying degrees of PvP utility, but not all.

For this biome, we'll have the rare/regional East Sea shellos, so anyone who wants a green/blue Sea Slug should take this chance.

Heracross is on here primarily for its future Raid utility, as Mega Heracross is slated to be a genuinely great Bug Type attacker whenever we nab it. May as well farm candy and try for a high-IV individual!

Audino has a Mega Evolution coming up some day, but that's... genuinely not the reason that it's here. Under normal circumstances, Audino grants a substantial amount of Stardust when caught, so picking up this rare Pokemon every time that you see it can help your bank substantially, especially if you have a Star Piece active!

For ticketholders, the only note-worthy option available is the various formes of Unown, which is more for the sake of collecting something that otherwise tends to be pretty rare.

Generally Available Spawns

Ticketholder Incense Spawns

Not many outstanding Pokemon here, but we have a few note-worthy options mixed between PvP and PvE utility. 

Generally Available Spawns

Ticketholder Incense Spawns

Mainly a PvP-centric selection, with powerful options like Stunfisk, Ferroseed, and Snorlax taking the forefront. On the PvE side, probably the best spawn available for this period is Snover if you happen to still need a good Mega Abomasnow, Scyther if you still need Mega Scizor, or Roselia if you desperately need some Grass/Poison coverage.

Generally Available Spawns

Ticketholder Incense Spawns

Aquamarine Shores has a number of strong and rare options, and is definitely not a biome to skip. It's worth mentioning that Goomy in particular should be a target, as we're probably going to see Hisuian Goodra drop in the near future. That said, Niantic has not been great about letting existing Pokemon evolve into their regional formes, so actually utilizing an existing Goomy for Hisuian Goodra isn't a given.

If you're out to collect as many Shiny Pokemon as possible, then you're going to want to remember to turn off auto-catch on your Go Plus or equivalent device! There's nothing quite as heart-breaking as going into your records and seeing that a valuable Shiny Pokemon ran away due to a flubbed Go Plus try!

Arguably the most efficient method for racking up Stardust and XP, Quick Catching is a must for events like this. This method can yield a far higher catch-per-minute rate than just about anything else, so definitely learn how to do so if you haven't already!

Having an active Mega Evolution not only helps with raids, it's also a great way to gather more Candy and XL Candy. If you've taken stock of your personal goals and see a Pokemon listed above that you really want to stockpile candy for (like Carbink), then pick a Mega Evolution with a type that matches one of the target Pokemon's types. And don't worry about matching types for a Raid, as having any Mega Evolution will grant a bonus!

Countless websites have communities and resources to match players searching for Raids, and it's definitely a good idea to be ready given the difficulty of the Primals and Mega Rayquaza. Resources like Poke Genie have a streamlined method of getting into Remote Raids, while Niantic's Campfire is important for raids as well.