The Secrets of the Jungle event goes live today in Pokémon GO, bringing with it the release of the new Galarian Mythical Pokémon, Zarude. Let’s break down the full details of this event, which is based on the upcoming Pokémon film Secrets of the Jungle.
Here are the full details for the Secrets of the Jungle 2021 event in Pokémon GO:
Date + Time Friday, October 1, 2021, at 10:00 a.m. to Sunday, October 10, 2021, at 8:00 p.m. local time
This is the second Secrets of the Jungle tie-in event, with the last being the December 2020 offering that saw the release of Shiny Celebi through Timed Research. This time, we’re going to get an unlimited Special Research leading to an encounter with Zarude. Full details are:
A limited-time Special Research story will be available! Complete this research line to encounter Zarude and help Professor Willow learn more about the Rogue Monkey Pokémon. This is the first time that this Dark- and Grass-type Mythical Pokémon will be available in Pokémon GO. Note that you can obtain this Special Research only during the event period, but once you have it, you can complete it anytime.
That last bit is important. While the Special Research won’t disappear once it’s begun if left unfinished during the event like Timed Research does, it is important that you begin the Special Research during the event. All you need to do so is open the game during the event, confirm that you’ve received it, and then you’ll be all set.
Let’s get into the rest of the details in this Pokémon GO event:
Encounter Pokémon related to Pokémon the Movie: Secrets of the Jungle! Hoothoot, Combee, Drilbur, Cottonee, Dwebble, and more will be appearing more frequently in the wild. If you’re lucky, you might encounter a Larvitar! Explorer Pikachu will be making its return to Pokémon GO, appearing in the wild. If you’re lucky, you might encounter a Shiny Explorer Pikachu!
Larvitar has become an incredibly rare encounter. Because of this, be sure to0 use Pinap Berries in order to earn extra Candy during your catches. The best aspect of this Larvitar feature will be the ability to farm Candy XL so that you can power-up your Tyranitar. Explorer Pikachu is also a majorly big focus, as Shiny-capable costumed Pokémon are always a hot commodity.
Pokémon seen in the movie will also be appearing in raids throughout the event: Explorer Pikachu, Larvitar, Roggenrola, Foongus, and Rufflet will be appearing in one-star raids. If you’re lucky, you might encounter a Shiny Rufflet! Lickitung, Chansey, Pinsir, Ludicolo, and Flygon will be appearing in three-star raids.
Stay tuned for a full breakdown of the Secrets of the Jungle raid rotation in Pokémon GO. Rufflet is going to be the main draw of this event as it is generally a difficult accounter to acquire, with the most common way to encounter it through GO Battle League wins. Outside of that, it’s certainly a rare feature in raids.
Jessie and James will be continuing their hijinks from last year’s event. Keep an eye out for them in your snapshots, and watch for their Meowth Balloon. Jessie and James will be appearing in their Meowth Balloon until Friday, October 15, 2021, at 10:00 a.m. local time.
Stay tuned for Jessie and James battle guides to help Pokémon GO players defeat this Team Rocket duo. Also, we can now confirm ahead of the event that the Shiny Shadow Pokémon that you can encounter through Jessie and James are:
- Jessie encounter: Scyther
- James encounter: Pinsir
These are the same as the last time the duo was available. No new Shiny Shadows have been released with the two, which complicates the theory that the four new Shiny Shadows encountered during the end of September 2021 were encountered because of a shift coming to three Rocket Leaders and one of the pair.
Finally, here are the bonus features of this Pokémon GO event:
Get themed Field Research tasks from PokéStops that’ll lead to encounters with Audino, Rufflet, and more. If you’re lucky, you might encounter a Shiny Rufflet! New free avatar items will be available in the Style Shop, including the Adventure Hat and the Wailmer Water Bottle.
