Complete guide to Pokemon Go Party Up event featuring Party Hat Wurmple, raid strategies, and bonus optimization tips
Event Introduction and Timing
Pokemon Go’s November 2023 calendar continues with the exciting Party Up event, bringing fresh raid opportunities, engaging PokeStop Showcases, and the highly anticipated return of the beloved Party Hat Wurmple variant.
The Pokemon Go Party Up event launches in late November 2023, introducing new raid challenges, showcase competitions, the comeback of Party Hat Wurmple, plus numerous additional features. This comprehensive breakdown reveals everything dedicated trainers should prepare for.
As Pokemon Go’s Fashion Week 2023 celebration concludes on November 19, Niantic immediately transitions to this vibrant party-themed event that emphasizes social gameplay mechanics.
Party Up focuses heavily on the recently introduced Party Play functionality, enabling collaborative gameplay for groups of up to four trainers who have reached level 15 or higher. This feature enhances the social dynamics of Pokemon hunting and raid battles.
Beyond the social elements, the celebration marks the reappearance of Generation 9’s starter Pokemon alongside the fan-favorite Party Hat Wurmple. Let’s explore every aspect this comprehensive Pokemon Go event delivers.
Official Pokemon Go communications confirm the Party Up festivities commence on Wednesday, November 22, 2023, at 10:00 AM local time and conclude on Monday, November 27, 2023, at 8:00 PM local time.
Featured Pokemon: Party Hat Wurmple and Gen 9 Starters
The event showcases the reappearance of wild encounters featuring Sprigatito, Fuecoco, and Quaxly, while also marking the triumphant return of the costumed Party Hat Wurmple.
This particularly popular costumed Pokemon originally debuted during the 2020 Adventure Sync Hatchathon celebration, making this only its second appearance in three years. Collectors seeking this festive Wurmple variant should prioritize hunting during the event window.
Strategic Tip: Party Hat Wurmple cannot evolve, making it primarily a collector’s item. Focus on catching multiple specimens to trade with friends who missed the original 2020 event.
Common Mistake: Many trainers overlook that costumed Pokemon like Party Hat Wurmple retain their special appearance when evolved. However, Niantic has disabled evolution for this particular costumed variant, so don’t waste candies attempting evolution.
Wild Encounter Strategies and Shiny Hunting
These Pokemon species will appear as wild spawns throughout the event duration:
Pokemon marked with an * may appear as shiny
Optimization Strategy: Use Incense during peak playing hours near PokeStops with Lures active to maximize encounters with the Gen 9 starters. These Pokemon have higher individual spawn rates during event hours compared to their normal appearance rates.
Advanced Technique: The shiny rate for most wild spawn Pokemon during events typically ranges from 1 in 500 to 1 in 512. However, some event-featured Pokemon may have boosted rates around 1 in 64. Focus your shiny hunting on species with historically boosted rates during similar events.
Field Research and Task Completion Guide
Trainers can encounter these Pokemon through completion of Field Research tasks:
Pokemon marked with an * may appear as shiny
Task Strategy: Prioritize Field Research tasks that reward encounters with Party Hat Wurmple, as this may be your most reliable method to obtain this costumed Pokemon. Remember that you can stack multiple research encounters to catch later when you have more time.
Common Pitfall: Avoid deleting difficult tasks too quickly. Some challenging Field Research tasks during events offer premium rewards like Rare Candy or Golden Razz Berries that justify the extra effort required.
Raid Boss Counters and Battle Strategies
These Pokemon will appear as raid bosses throughout the Party Up celebration:
Pokemon marked with an * may appear as shiny
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Raid Counter Strategy: For Tier 3 raids, focus on type-effective counters. Hisuian Growlithe falls quickly to Water, Ground, and Rock-type attacks. Bring Pokemon like Kyogre, Rhyperior, or Garchomp for optimal performance.
Advanced Raid Technique: Coordinate with your Party Play group to use complementary Pokemon types that cover each other’s weaknesses. The 2x XP bonus for raid victories makes this an excellent opportunity to level up quickly while farming rare Pokemon.
Common Mistake: Don’t waste Premium Raid Passes on low-tier raids unless you specifically need the Pokemon encounter. Save them for Legendary raids or Tier 5 encounters that offer better reward packages.
PokeStop Showcase Competition Guide
PokeStop Showcases featuring Sprigatito, Fuecoco, and Quaxly will be active during the Party Up event.
Showcase Strategy: Enter your largest specimens of the featured Pokemon. Size is determined by height and weight metrics, so prioritize catching numerous specimens to find ones with exceptional size characteristics.
Competition Tip: Check showcases early in the event cycle and enter Pokemon that are significantly larger than average. The scoring system favors absolute size over CP or level, making this accessible to trainers of all levels.
Common Error: Many trainers waste their best specimens in showcases with limited time remaining. Instead, enter showcases that have just begun to maximize your ranking duration and potential rewards.
Timed and Special Research Breakdown
The Party Up event includes both Timed Research and Special Research questlines.
The event-limited Timed Research challenges trainers to complete specific objectives to earn a Charged TM, Lucky Egg, Premium Raid Pass, plus encounters with Hisuian Growlithe and Party Hat Wurmple.
The Special Research represents a premium quest that brings back the Master Ball. Crucially, only trainers who haven’t completed the season-long Timed Investigation quest will qualify to receive the Master Ball through this research.
Research Strategy: Complete the free Timed Research first as it has an expiration date. The paid Special Research typically remains available indefinitely once purchased, so you can work on it at your own pace.
Master Ball Tip: If you already received a Master Ball from the Timed Investigation, consider whether the other rewards in the paid research justify the cost. The Master Ball itself won’t be available, but the additional items and encounters might still provide value.
Common Oversight: Many players forget that Timed Research disappears completely after the event ends. Prioritize these tasks over other activities to ensure you don’t miss out on the exclusive rewards.
Event Bonuses and Trading Optimization
Trainers can benefit from these enhanced bonuses during the Party Up festivities:
Additionally, the Pokemon Go Web Store will offer a Seasonal Special Box available for purchase from November 20 through November 24, 2023.
Trading Strategy: With five daily Special Trades, prioritize exchanging Pokemon that are difficult to obtain in your region or Legendaries from past events. The extra candy bonus makes this ideal for building candy stocks for rare Pokemon.
Candy XL Optimization: The enhanced Candy XL chance particularly benefits trainers level 31+. Trade Pokemon caught over 100km apart for maximum candy yields, and focus on species you’re planning to power up to level 50.
Common Mistake: Players often waste their special trades on common Pokemon. Instead, use them for species with high candy costs for evolution or powering up, or for obtaining lucky Pokemon through mass trades after using up special trades.
That covers all essential information regarding Pokemon Go’s Party Up celebration. Explore our additional Pokemon Go guides listed below for more strategic insights:
Best Pokemon in Pokemon Go | All upcoming Spotlight Hours | Current Raid bosses | Arlo counters guide | Cliff counters guide | Giovanni counters guide | Sierra counters guide | Grunt counters guide | How to catch a Ditto | What are Strange Eggs? | How to get Remote Raid Passes | Fastest way to get Best Buddy status | Pokemon Go catching tips
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