TL;DR
- Increased shiny Darumaka rates and lucky trade probabilities provide exceptional value
- Strategic 7km egg hatching offers the best Riolu acquisition opportunity of the season
- Multiple raid tiers featuring Regice and Mega Lopunny with shiny potential
- Lucky Wishes research requires careful path selection for optimal rewards
- Event concludes January 23rd – prioritize time-sensitive objectives first
Pokemon Go’s Lunar New Year celebration delivers substantial gameplay enhancements through exclusive research tasks, boosted encounter rates, and specialized raid rotations.
This festive occasion integrates seamlessly into Season 9: Mythical Wishes, which commenced December 1st and continues through March 1st. The seasonal narrative progresses from Winter Holiday festivities through this Lunar New Year event, culminating with Valentine’s Day celebrations in February.
Honoring 2023 as the Year of the Rabbit, Pokemon Go amplifies spawn frequencies for Buneary and Bunnelby throughout the event duration. The Lunar New Year festivities conclude January 23rd at 8:00 PM local time across all regions.
Beyond the rabbit-themed Pokemon appearances, trainers will discover significantly elevated spawn rates for fire-type species throughout the event period. These thermally-inclined creatures align symbolically with traditional Lunar New Year celebrations emphasizing prosperity and good fortune.
Fire Pokemon appearing with increased frequency include:
- Ponyta
- Magmar
- Magikarp
- Slugma
- Numel
- Combee
- Fennekin
Strategic Insight: Concentrate exploration near parks and residential areas during evening hours for optimal spawn density. Utilize Incense strategically during peak play sessions to maximize encounter opportunities with rare fire-types.
Lucky Wishes represents the centerpiece Timed Research component, offering trainers three distinct specialization paths. Each route emphasizes different gameplay mechanics: egg incubation efficiency, stardust accumulation optimization, or targeted Pokemon capture mastery.
Critical Decision Point: Your path selection determines reward structures and encounter priorities. The egg-focused track provides enhanced hatch bonuses, while the stardust path amplifies resource generation. The capture specialization enhances specific Pokemon appearance rates.
Advanced Strategy: Evaluate your current inventory needs before committing to a path. If lacking high-IV specimens, prioritize capture specialization. For PvP preparation, emphasize egg hatching for potential Riolu acquisition.
The Lunar New Year event introduces multiple overlapping bonus structures that synergize for maximum player benefit. These enhancements operate concurrently throughout the event duration.
The comprehensive bonus structure includes:
- Substantially improved Shiny Darumaka encounter probability
- Enhanced Lucky Pokemon generation rates during trading interactions
- Increased probability of achieving Lucky Friend status
- Double stardust yields from gift opening activities
- Additional Special Trade allowance, enabling two premium trades daily
Pro Tip: Coordinate Lucky Friend activations before event conclusion to maximize trade efficiency. Schedule special trades for high-value Pokemon to capitalize on the expanded daily limit.
Event-specific egg mechanics transform 7km eggs into premium acquisition vehicles. The hatch pool features Chingling, Riolu, Darumaka, Galarian Darumaka, and Scraggy with substantially improved appearance rates.
Riolu represents the most strategically valuable hatch, serving as the exclusive pre-evolution for Lucario. Since Riolu never appears in wild encounters, egg incubation provides the sole acquisition method.
Evolution Requirements: Transforming Riolu into Lucario demands 50 Riolu candies and requires establishing the Pokemon as your active buddy. This evolution pathway creates one of the game’s most sought-after combatants.
Optimization Technique: Deploy multiple incubators simultaneously during the event to accelerate Riolu acquisition. Prioritize egg inventory management to ensure continuous incubation cycles.
The raid rotation undergoes comprehensive restructuring during the Lunar New Year celebration, featuring specialized Pokemon across all difficulty tiers with selective shiny availability.
One-Star Raid Composition: Hisuian Voltorb, Shinx, Darumaka, and Galarian Darumaka. Only Galarian Darumaka possesses shiny potential within this tier.
Three-Star Raid Roster: Flareon, Shuckle, Blaziken, Druddigon, and Diggersby. Shuckle and Druddigon exclusively offer shiny encounter possibilities.
Five-Star Raid Feature: Regice, representing the legendary ice-type Titan from Hoenn region lore. This tier includes shiny variant availability, making repeated engagement strategically advantageous.
Mega Raid Spotlight: Mega Lopunny occupies the mega raid slot with shiny potential. As Buneary’s evolution, this normal/fighting dual-type represents one of the game’s limited mega evolution options.
Counter Strategy: Deploy fighting-type specialists against Regice, while ghost-types counter Mega Lopunny effectively. For comprehensive battle preparation, ensure your team compositions align with type effectiveness principles.
Action Checklist
- Evaluate and select Lucky Wishes research path based on current inventory needs
- Stockpile 7km eggs and deploy multiple incubators for Riolu farming
- Coordinate Lucky Friend trades and schedule special trades for high-value Pokemon
- Prioritize five-star raids for shiny Regice attempts
- Utilize evening hours in park areas with Incense for optimal fire-type spawns
No reproduction without permission：Game Guides Online » 2023 Lunar New Year event in Pokemon Go Maximize your Pokemon Go Lunar New Year event rewards with strategic bonuses, raid tactics, and egg hatching optimization