‘Pokemon GO’ Update: December 12 Monsters, Features, And Everything You Need To Know

Pokemon GO‘s December 12 update just got announced, and it is partly what fans of the popular augmented reality game expected. New monsters were indeed announced, though the most recent patch only covered Pichu, Togepi, and possibly other baby Pokemon. While the absence of the rest of the Generation 2 lineup caused some disappointment among players of the popular mobile title, the announcement of a special Holiday-themed Pikachu being released into the wild was something that fans warmly welcomed.

After weeks of constant leaks and references to Gen 2 creatures through data mining activities, the Pokemon GO community has been on high alert for the rollout of the December 12 update. The date was set by Niantic itself last week, and the developer’s references to new creatures being added to the game has all but added fuel to the notion that the next 100 Pokemon would soon be released to PoGO. Alas, the rollout finally arrived, and while some Gen 2 creatures would indeed be made available, not all of the lineup would be released in the game at this time.

According to Niantic’s official announcement, new monsters such as Pichu and Togepi would be available in the game starting December 12. Unlike the Gen 1 monsters in Pokemon GO, however, the two new creatures, together with some other baby monsters, such as Smoochum, Igglybuff, Tyrogue, Magby, and Elekid, could only be acquired by hatching eggs. Considering that the new Pokemon are babies, the fact that they would be hatching from eggs actually makes perfect sense.

This has not stopped the Pokemon GO community to be somewhat underwhelmed about the contents of the December 12 update, however, as numerous players expressed their disappointment due to the absence of the rest of the Gen 2 lineup. Niantic seems to know exactly what it’s doing, however, as its official announcement of the latest update was accompanied by a statement declaring that the rest of Generation 2 would be released within the coming months. Thus, players would simply need to exercise more patience and wait it out until such time that the entire Generation 2 lineup becomes complete.

While the specifics of baby Pokemon mechanics have not been confirmed as of writing, avid PoGO players are speculating that the first of the Gen 2 monsters could only be acquired through eggs that are acquired from December 12 moving forward. This means that the baby Pokemon would most likely not hatch from eggs that have been acquired before the update. Also, numerous members of the PoGO community believe that baby Pokemon might only be hatched from 5KM and 10KM eggs, especially since they are the newest creatures in the game.

One thing that numerous Pokemon GO players have complained about is the fact that the update seems to be pushing gamers to buy incubators, which could only be acquired through in-game purchases. Eggs in Pokemon GO are hatched by walking a certain distance, and considering that it is snowing this December, it would be twice as tedious to hatch eggs through conventional means. Overall, Niantic’s decision to attach the most important part of its December 12 update to eggs and incubators has been met with widespread criticism from gamers, with many stating that the worth of a handful of new Pokemon is not really equal to the cost of walking long distances in the middle of Winter.

Apart from the introduction of baby Pokemon in the game, Niantic has also announced that a special type of Pikachu would be spawning in the game from December 12 to 29. According to the developer, the game would start featuring Holiday-themed Pikachus that are waiting to be caught. These special Pikachus would be wearing a festive hat, which would make them rarer than the common Pikachus in the game. One thing that players need to note, however, is the fact that these Holiday-themed Pikachus could only be spotted using the AR function of the game.

The month is not yet over for Pokemon GO. While the December 12 update proved to be a pretty slight and somewhat superficial patch, Niantic’s promise of rolling out the rest of Gen 2 soon, as well as other possible Holiday-themed events, are a significant step forward for the game. With Niantic seemingly having a definite plan for the future of Pokemon GO, the popular mobile title’s fans are best advised to simply put their faith in the developer once more. For now, at least, avid Pokemon GO fans could start hatching some new eggs for fresh, new baby Pokemon.

[Featured Image by Narong Jongsirikul/Shutterstock]