With the Timeless Travels season set to begin on Dec. 1, Niantic is rolling out a new event to kick things off. Along the Routes will focus on one of Pokémon Go’s newest features while introducing Shiny Hisuian Sneasel and a game-original character, Mateo. From Dec. 4 at 10am to Dec. 8 at 8pm local time, Along the Routes will task players with exploring Routes and passing along Gifts. Several rare Pokémon will also be appearing more frequently in the wild and Eggs, such as Hisuian Growlithe, Hisuian Sneasel, Feebas, Wooloo, and Pawmi. Hisuian Sneasel will be available as a Shiny for the first time during this event, too.
The other big inclusion for this event is a new NPC named Mateo, who will be appearing along certain Routes. When you near the end of a Route, you might see the Hiker-like character waiting for you with a handful of Gifts you can exchange for. While talking with Mateo, you will pick which of his Gifts to exchange from the Route endpoint, starting point, or a nearby PokéStop. Mateo’s Gift Exchange can only be done once per day.
Mateo is the first new NPC character who is original to Pokémon Go since Rhi from the GO Ultra Recon Squad, who appeared in June 2022 as part of Pokémon Go Fest 2022 festivities dealing with Ultra Beasts. Whether Mateo will play a major role outside of Routes at any point is currently unknown, but he functions as an in-game mechanic on his own, which is a fresh idea for the game.
Players are skeptical about the new event because it seems a bit short and Routes as a feature have been criticized heavily since being added to the game. Some people have also pointed out that Mateo can be seen in the Pokémon Go sixth anniversary event art from July 2022, leading to speculation about the NPC, Routes, and how Niantic may have changed the mechanic from its original concepts.
The Timeless Travels season will include plenty of other Hisuian-themed content leading up to Go Tour: Sinnoh in February.
