Pokémon Go to kick off Lunar New Year with reward-filled special event later this month
- Pokémon Go's Lunar New Year event is set to kick off later this month
- Suitably for the Year of the Fire Horse, it includes encounters with Ponyta
- Meanwhile, there are themed collection events, free and paid timed research and other rewards
With February now in full swing, it's time for one of the few highlights of the start of the year. The Lunar New Year season! And that means exciting events in virtually any Asia-adjacent release (and many that aren't), including in Pokémon Go.
This February 17th will see the start of the Year of the Fire Horse according to the Chinese calendar. And fittingly enough, Pokémon Go will be offering up wild encounters with Ponyta and Galarian Ponyta during the event period between the 17th and 21st. Other Pokémon such as Fuecoco, Blitzle and Darumaka will also make further appearances.
Aside from this, there are the usual additions with paid Timed Research (offering goodies such as Lucky Eggs and Incense), Field Research to complete and an event-themed collection challenge that will net you an encounter with a themed Pokémon too!
New Year, new you
That's on top of event bonuses ranging from an increased chance of acquiring lucky Pokémon during your trades to PokéStops turning gold without the use of a Golden Lure module. It's all pretty enticing, although not as extensive as I might've expected. But then, that's pretty consistent with the events we usually see from Pokémon Go.Personally, the thing that surprised me most was that we didn't have more of a focus on the horse-like Pokémon during this event. Although given that others, such as Mudsdale, are Ground-type, I suppose it's better to stick to the general element theming of fire.
While it may not necessarily compare to one of the biggest celebrations of the year, we do have one of our own more significant dates coming up. Tune in tomorrow for the latest edition of the Pocket Gamer Awards and find out who's taking home the gold in a variety of categories!
