Pokémon Go fans already have a lot to look forward to with Niantic bringing in more Pokémon from the Galar region in the upcoming Ultra Unlock Part 3: Sword and Shield event. But it appears that even more content is on the way, including Power Up PokéStops, generation seven Pokémon, and more, according to a datamine of the game’s version 0.217 update.
Thanks to datamining group PokéMiners, we now know that assets for certain Pokémon from Sword and Shield have been pushed live ahead of the Ultra Unlock bonus week. Niantic has also added at least some data for basically every Pokémon from the gen eight games, along with Sun and Moon.
This type of data being added typically doesn’t mean much for Pokémon Go in the immediate future, but it does show that Niantic is preparing for future content involving gen seven and gen eight Pokémon, which will be announced in the future. PokéMiners has a full list of the posted data available to view on Pastebin.
Hoopa (Confined Form,) Skwovet, Greedent, Wooloo, Dubwool, Falinks, Zacian (Hero Form,) and Zamazenta (Hero Form) have all had 3D models added to the game’s backend. All of these Pokémon, except for Hoopa, will be included in the final Ultra Unlock event for the first time.
The other major addition is more information on what is reportedly a powered up variant of a usual PokéStop.
We still don’t know a lot about the Power Up PokéStops, but this new data shows this new feature might include four levels that players can achieve by powering up a specific location. It also shows that powered up PokéStops will give bonus rewards, like additional items, Buddy Hearts, and Pokémon spawns.
It even mentions that Raid Poké Balls can be bonuses, which means it will likely apply to Gyms too. The data also points to visible signs of level progression and special animations that will be implemented with the new mechanic for the overworld.
Other updates in the form of a new feature that will have certain quests change display colors depending on their active status, the return of Weather Ball’s confusing Normal/Rock-type variant, and more were also included. You can read more about the full data breakdown on The Silph Road Reddit.
