Pokémon GO: First Bird Pokémon Arrives!

Pokémon GO is gearing up for a busy couple of weeks with two exciting events on the horizon: the Catch Mastery event and the Mega Absol Raid Day. These events build upon the already active Festival of Colors and Might and Mastery events.

Catch Mastery: Archen Takes Flight!

The Catch Mastery event, focusing on the First Bird Pokémon, Archen, runs from March 16th, 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. local time. Get ready for increased wild spawns of Omanyte and Kabuto, with a chance to encounter their Shiny forms. Archen itself will be available as a Field Research reward, boasting an increased Shiny rate. Maximize your XP gains with double XP for Nice Throws or better, and for Curveball Throws.

A Timed Research task focusing on catching Rock-type Pokémon will also be available. Complete up to 10 sets of tasks to earn a whopping 40 Archen encounters.

Mega Absol Raid Day: Unleash Brutal Swing!

Mega Absol Raid Day arrives on March 23rd, from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. local time. This event introduces Absol's powerful new Charged Attack, Brutal Swing, permanently adding this move to Absol's arsenal (55 power in Trainer Battles, 65 power in Gyms and Raids).

To aid in your raiding efforts, the Remote Raid Pass limit increases to 20 from March 22nd, 5:00 p.m. PDT to March 23rd, 8:00 p.m. PDT. You can also snag up to five additional free Raid Passes from spinning Gym Photo Discs, for a total of six for the day.

Haven't joined the fun yet? Download Pokémon GO from the Google Play Store!

For more Pokémon GO news, check out our article on the St. Patrick's Day "Four-Leaf Clover's Song" event.