Pokemon Go's Buddy Up Event is Live, Adds Regional-Exclusive Pokemon to All Areas

Pokemon Go's newest event is here and will give players a chance to add a regional-exclusive Pokemon to their collection. The "Buddy Up" event for Pokemon Go is rolling out at 8 AM local time, giving players a chance to give their Buddy Pokemon extra boosts and catch a few new Pokemon. The biggest draw of the event is the addition of Volbeat and Illumise to all areas, giving many players to catch both of the regional-exclusive Pokemon at the same times. Illumise usually only appears in North America, South America, and Africa, while Volbeat usually only appears in Europe, Asia, and Australia. During the Buddy Up event, both Pokemon should be relatively common spawns and will likely appear simply by using a Incense. Additionally, both Pokemon will have their Shiny forms appear in the event too.

Other rare Pokemon will also appear in the event, including Woobat, which was originally an event-exclusive Pokemon, Other Pokemon that will spawn more often during the event includes Alolan Meowth, Chansey, Eevee, Feebas, Lillipup, and Joltik. Several of these Pokemon require players to walk them as a Buddy in order to evolve, hence their inclusion in the event.

Other in-game bonuses during the event include Buddy Pokemon bringing players more surprising, a decrease in the distance needed to earn Buddy Candy, twice the XP for evolving Pokemon, and an increased length of time that Buddy Pokemon appear on the map. Players can also get exclusive Field Research event to earn encounters with Pokemon like Woobat, Illumise, and Volbeat, and purchase special item boxes from the in-game store.

Buddy Pokemon have been a part of Pokemon Go for years. At first, the mechanic was a way for players to gain candies for certain Pokemon, and an update last year gave players the ability to befriend their Pokemon and have them follow you around on the map. Now, players can find items for players, help them catch Pokemon, and even get a permanent CP boost to make them stronger in combat.

Pokemon Go's Buddy Up event takes place from now through April 27th.