This year’s Pokemon Go Halloween event is now in full swing and it seems that the Pokemon Spiritomb is set to play a huge part this time around. Last year’s event kicked off on October 20, making it much earlier in the month than this year’s. Niantic was expected to launch the 2018 Halloween Event on October 19, but nothing ended up occurring. However, a recent tweet from the official Pokemon Twitter page subtly implied that the event was due to kick off very soon, and sure enough, Niantic followed up with the opportunity to catch Giratina, and much more!
Spooky Pokémon fact:
Should a strange light be seen flickering in an abandoned building, a Gastly might be lurking there!#PokemonHalloween https://t.co/ui3HtJ7vJA pic.twitter.com/bWZ6Q3ZymW
— Ghost-type Pokémon (@Pokemon) October 22, 2018
This event came alongside the fruits of a recent datamining session by Chrales, known well in the community for consistently producing quality information obtained from upcoming patches. Chrales notified players that a Pokemon Go Spiritomb event was on the way, as well as some Halloween-themed quests for players to complete this spooky season. However, what Niantic actually released was so much more. Here’s everything you need to know about the Pokemon Go Halloween event 2018, including details of the Spiritomb quest, the Halloween quests, and the brand new Raid Boss, the Legendary Ghost/Dragon-type Giratina.
Pokemon Go Halloween Event 2018 – Spiritomb Special Research Quest
Chrales previously leaked details of a Special Research quest involving Spiritomb on Twitter:
new Halloween special research “A Spooky Message”, with 3 parts pic.twitter.com/ROhpavhsEA
— Chrales (@Chrales) October 23, 2018
Although Spiritomb is one of Gen 4’s Ghost-types, it’s a little odd that it’s the subject of a Special Research quest, which are usually reserved for Mythical Pokemon. However, this confirms that at least one Ghost-type from Gen 4 is on its way this Halloween, just like we suggested in our Pokemon Go Gen 4 Wave 2 guide.
The Special Research quest is given by Professor Willow after he stumbles across an odd stone during his evening walk. After taking it home with him, he notices strange things happening in his lab. When he tries to figure out why using his computer, he gets an error that simply reads “108.”
Interestingly, 108 is a number that heavily resonates with Spiritomb. It is number 108 in the Sinnoh Pokedex, and its base defense and special defense are both 108. It also happens to weigh 108 KG.
However, the most interesting aspect of Spiritomb in relation to this curious number is the fact that this Pokemon is actually formed by 108 spirits combining together, which become trapped in an Odd Keystone due to their wrongdoing. The stone Professor Willow was likely an Odd Keystone, but it hasn’t got 108 spirits in it, so Spiritomb cannot manifest itself in its physical form.
Pokemon Go Halloween Event 2018 – How to Complete Spiritomb Quest
Chrales’ leak also contains information on how to complete the quest assigned by Professor Willow after he stumbles across the Odd Keystone.
Players will need to catch 108 Pokemon in order to make the Spiritomb show itself. Although Spiritomb is a Ghost/Dark-type Pokemon, it seems that any Pokemon will do. Therefore, players do not need to specifically focus on Ghost-types, despite Willow’s previous request that they study Ghost Pokemon in particular.
After the player has caught 108 Pokemon, Spiritomb will show itself as expected. Willow will remark that there has been a “spooky brush with Spiritomb,” although it is likely that players will be given the opportunity to catch this brand new Pokemon Go Pokemon as soon as they have completed the task of collecting 108 Pokemon. Perhaps this will see the launch of the other Gen 4 Ghost-types: Dusknoir, Mismagius, Drifloon, Drifblim, Froslass, and Rotom.
Rotom, however, has the potential to appear in the form of various household appliances, meaning that its release could potentially be staggered for a research quest of its own.
On top of the Spiritomb quest, players will be given standard quests as part of the Halloween event, too.
Pokemon Go Halloween Event 2018 – Pokemon Go Halloween Quests
Chrales yet again provided information about this year’s Halloween quests featured alongside the Special Research task involving Spiritomb. The quests are as follows:
- Catch X Poochyena or Houndour
- Catch X Dark-type Pokémon
- Catch X Ghost-type Pokémon
- Evolve X Duskull or Shuppet
- Transfer X Pokémon
new Halloween event quests :
– Catch {0} Poochyena or Houndour
– Catch {0} Dark-type Pokémon
– Catch {0} Ghost-type Pokémon
– Evolve {0} Duskull or Shuppet
– Transfer {0} Pokémon— Chrales (@Chrales) October 23, 2018
The best ways to complete these quests are as follows:
Pokemon Go Halloween Event 2018 – Catch Poochyena or Houndour
Poochyena and Houndour, from Generations 2 and 3 respectively, are common enough in the wild. As Dark-types, they’re more likely to appear late at night, so if you’re willing to devote some evenings to this task, you’ll experience no real issues in completing it. Each of these Pokemon will also contribute to your “Catch X Dark-type Pokemon” quest, which will give you a head-start when you go to complete that one.
Pokemon Go Halloween Event 2018 – Catch Dark-type Pokemon
This will be easy to do while you’re looking for Poochyena and Houndour. Simply catch all of the Poochyenas and Houndours that you encounter and you’ll likely have completed most, if not all of this task by the time you finish the first one. To be safe, capture all of the other Dark-types you encounter, too. Playing late in the evening will make this a walk in the park (literally).
Pokemon Go Halloween Event 2018 – Catch Ghost-type Pokémon
Ghost-types appear early in the morning and late at night, so you’ll likely bump into them on your hunt for Dark-types. Just be sure to stock up on Poke Balls before you head out, as you’ll be catching lots of Pokemon to complete these tasks. Remember that you have to catch 108 Pokemon for the Spiritomb quest anyway, so you might as well take advantage of the smaller quests first so that you can do them in tandem with the Special Research task.
Pokemon Go Halloween Event 2018 – Evolve Duskull or Shuppet
This may seem like a tough quest at first given the rarity of Ghost-types, but it’s a little easier coming up to Halloween. The closer we get to Halloween, the higher the activity of local Ghost-types will be. As you venture out to stock up on Ghost and Dark types, keep an eye out for these two Pokemon in particular. It may be better to go for Duskull, though, as Dusknoir will be released soon with the other Gen 4 Ghost Pokemon. Stocking up on Duskull candy in order to evolve your strongest Dusclops as quickly as possible could be very beneficial in the long run.
Pokemon Go Halloween Event – Transfer Pokémon
You’ve got to catch 108 Pokemon for the Spiritomb Special Research task. If you’re planning on completing that, this will be a breeze. No more what Niantic throws your way, you should have more than enough Pokemon to transfer to Professor Willow, who will crush them into candy that their cannibalistic brother and sisters can munch on in order to get big and strong.
Pokemon Go Halloween Event 2018 – How to Catch Giratina
Giratina is one of the nine Legendary Pokemon that was introduced in Pokemon Gen 4. Forming a third of the Creation Trio, with the other two-thirds comprising of Dialga and Palkia, Giratina is a powerful Ghost/Dragon-type Legendary Pokemon that quickly established itself as a force to be reckoned with in the franchise.
As a Ghost/Dragon-type, Giratina’s move pool and resistances make it quite a powerful Pokemon. Although it is yet to be seen how well its power translates to the unique Pokemon Go combat system, it is likely that Giratina will be a very valuable Pokemon worth adding to any trainer’s team.
In order to catch Giratina, you’ll need to participate in a Raid. Giratina will only be a Raid Boss temporarily, so it’s paramount that trainers prioritize catching one over everything else if they want to make sure they don’t come out of the Halloween event empty-handed.
Giratina is weak to Dark, Ice, Dragon, Ghost, and Fairy-type moves. so Pokemon like Tyranitar, Gengar, and Dragonite will make brilliant counters. If you’ve managed to catch a Rayquaza during your time with Pokemon Go, consider yourself even luckier, as the Gen 3 Trio Master is one of the best counters to Giratina out there.
Gardevoir is also a Pokemon that will fully resist Giratina’s Dragon moves, while having its own Psychic and Fairy-type moves to quickly incapacitate the Renegade Pokemon that represents antimatter in the universe.
This has been your complete breakdown of this year’s Halloween 2018 event. There are plenty of quests to complete, as well as a new Special Research task that will reward you with your first Gen 4 Ghost Pokemon. Be sure to capitalize on the surge in Ghost-activity and prioritize finding a Giratina Raid near you, as the Legendary Ghost/Dragon-type will only be available to catch for a short while, and next Halloween could favor Gen 5 Ghost-types.
