Pokémon GO is about to release its next big feature: the Rocket bosses. We will tell you what is known so far about the new villains.
What feature is it about? Pokémon GO provided the first hints about the Rocket bosses a few weeks ago. Over time, there have been more hints, and it became clear that there will soon be 3 Rocket bosses and Giovanni in the game. There is no release date yet, but it shouldn’t take too long.
In addition to the official hints, there are various indications from data miners that suggest further conclusions. We summarize all the information for you.
What Niantic has already revealed about the Rocket bosses
What kind of villains are they? The 3 Rocket bosses are not just grunts. They are portrayed by Niantic as stronger than the grunts. Niantic has published a report about each of the bosses:
- Blanche encountered Cliff, who kindly chased her away
- Spark met Sierra while trying to protect eggs from Team GO Rocket
- Candela revealed that Arlo was once a member of Team Valor
Giovanni has not yet been officially introduced, but he has already appeared several times, such as when he took over the Twitter account of Niantic.
Professor Willow and the Rocket Radar: Alongside the stories about the Rocket bosses, the Rocket Radar has been further developed. Niantic revealed that the radar can be used to find the hideouts and even the headquarters of Team GO Rocket. The Rocket bosses are expected to be found there.
What should players do then? Not much has been revealed about this yet. However, one can be sure that players will be able to challenge the 3 bosses. What Pokémon they will have and whether legendary Shadow Pokémon will finally appear in the game is not known.
A few weeks ago, the loading screen of the game was changed. There, alongside the 3 bosses, you can also see the leader of Team GO Rocket, Giovanni, standing in front of his arena.
It is also clear that a special research task will come. Recently, Niantic announced that players should assist Professor Willow in a research task. However, it hasn’t been revealed when this special research is planned.
These are the leaks surrounding the Rocket bosses
This is what was found regarding the special research: Data miners have already found the contents of the Rocket special research in the game files. Whether these are all parts remains to be seen. Here are the quests in detail:
- Defeat Team GO Rocket leader Arlo X times
- Battle the Team GO Rocket boss
- Catch a legendary Shadow Pokémon
- Release X Shadow Pokémon
- Defeat Team GO Rocket leader Cliff X times
- Defeat the Team GO Rocket boss
- Find the Team GO Rocket boss
- Defeat X Team GO Rocket grunts
- Defeat X Team GO Rocket grunts
- Win X raids
- Defeat Team GO Rocket leader Sierra X times
- Spin X PokéStops
- Spin a PokéStop X days in a row
- Use X super effective charged attacks in gym battles
- Win X trainer battles in the Great League
In line with this, the texts of the special research have been leaked. You can view these in our article on the leak in Pokémon GO.
What do these quests mean? Among other things, legendary Shadow Pokémon are mentioned here. This would be the first time they appear in the game. It is also interesting that players are expected to find the Rocket bosses beforehand. This should work with the Rocket Radar.
This is what was leaked about the Rocket Radar: One of the latest leaks shows a new map for Rocket PokéStops. This might work when using the Rocket Radar.
In general, the leaks suggest that players can find Rocket bosses with this radar. A Giovanni map was also found in the game files, which could similarly work with the radar.
What else was found? The latest update of Pokémon GO was filled with files related to Team GO Rocket. There were also decoys found, which are meant to warn the Rocket bosses when you approach.
Furthermore, a badge was found that you receive when you defeat Giovanni.
Another finding shows that players are likely to receive a reward for defeating a Rocket grunt every day. However, it is still unknown what the reward looks like.
When could the Rocket bosses come then? There is nothing standing in the way of a release from all sides. The update revealed all necessary details, and Niantic has also been actively promoting it.
Such important features are often added by Niantic on a Friday. It could be this Friday, November 8th. So far, no event is planned for that day.
However, it can’t take much longer than a week.
The legendary Pokémon Cobalion will be in raids almost all of November. Here you can find the best counters:
