Pokémon Go Update Adds Team Rocket Pokéstops, Shadow Pokémon And More

Pokémon Go players should be prepared for trouble upon logging into the mobile game from today. As per Niantic and The Pokémon Company’s campaign of teasers hinting at such an event, Team Rocket has finally seen fit to invade the augmented reality world. As is to be expected of Giovanni’s villainous group, they’ve already taken to commandeering various parts of the overworld, including Pokéstops.

Before we get into that, though, check out the official announcement below:

Trainers, we have an incoming message from Professor Willow: “I’ve noticed an alarming number of reports from Trainers who have found PokéStops that look…discolored?” Trainers, please report any PokéStops that look different with #PokemonGO. pic.twitter.com/oxpXR7ZlSm

— Pokémon GO (@PokemonGoApp) July 22, 2019

So, what’s so special about these so-called Rocketstops, you ask? Well, besides the obvious visual differences, visiting one will give you the chance to obtain an exclusive Shadow Pokémon. It’s still early days yet – so there may well be more to the process than currently known – but in order to go about capturing one of the mysterious ‘Mons, you’ll need a stock of Premier Balls and a battle-hardened team at your disposal.

Should you happen upon a Rocketstop, you’ll be greeted by one of the team’s number and be prompted to initiate a battle. Emerge victorious from the clash and the foot soldier will leave behind a Shadow Pokémon waiting to be caught. As is the case with Raid battles, these variants can only be captured using the aforementioned Premier Balls and have several unique properties, chief of which is a new Normal-type attack, Return.

Besides that, your main objective after having retrieved a Shadow Pokémon will be to purify it. Doing so requires the appropriate Candy and Stardust and appears to be well worth the effort. Early reports seem to imply that Purified Pokémon require fewer Candy to evolve and less Stardust to power-up.

Trainers are largely in exploration mode this early on in Pokémon Go‘s latest bumper update, but we’ll be sure to keep you posted with any and all developments as they come. Stay tuned!