Pokemon GO announces the addition of two more Ultra Beasts, but there is an important catch that trainers need to be aware of.
- Blacephalon and Stakataka are region-locked Ultra Beasts coming to Pokemon GO in May, expanding the Pokedex for players globally.
- Pokemon GO players can only catch Blacephalon in the Western Hemisphere and Stakataka in the Eastern Hemisphere during specific Raid events.
- Niantic’s region exclusivity for certain Pokemon in Pokemon GO continues to spark controversy among trainers, impacting gameplay strategies.
Niantic has announced that Blacephalon and Stakataka are finally coming to Pokemon GO, but their debuts will be region-locked. Pokemon GO continues to expand its Pokedex, and this time, it will complete the addition of Ultra Beasts. With this, Pokemon GO trainers will finally be able to expand their collections by adding this remarkable group of Pokemon that debuted in Gen 6.
Ultra Beasts are a group of extradimensional Pokemon with unusual designs that make several appearances in Pokemon GO events. One of the most notable was the Ultra Beast Arrival event, where seven of the 11 Ultra Beasts appeared as a reward for Pokemon GO players who won one to seven Raids. After the debut of Poipole and Naganadel in Pokemon GO this year via new Special Research, the last two Ultra Beasts left to be added to the game were Blacephalon and Stakataka. But Niantic recently brought good news for Pokemon GO players and revealed that the duo’s debut is close to happening.
Pokemon GO announced that Blacephalon and Stakataka are finally debuting in the game, but there’s a catch: the Pokemon will be region-locked. Through its official Twitter account, Pokemon GO has revealed the calendar of events for May, confirming that the last two Ultra Beasts will be available from May 23 to June 1 in 5-star Raids. The detail is that Blacephalon will only be available to players in the Western Hemisphere, and the powerful Rock/Steel-type Stakataka will only appear in Raids for trainers in the Eastern Hemisphere.
Region Exclusivity Is Not a New Mechanic in Pokemon GO
While Pokemon GO players can find a wide range of Pokemon in the wild, several critters are only available in specific regions. Some examples include the blue, red, and yellow variants of Flabebe, the red-striped and blue-striped Basculin, and even two of the Ultra Beasts. Kartana and Celesteela returned to Pokemon GO last month, and while the first Pokemon was exclusive to the Northern Hemisphere, the second was only available in battles in the Southern Hemisphere.
Region exclusivity is a controversial aspect of Pokemon GO, with some trainers accusing Niantic of using this limitation as a way of promoting in-person Raids after the nerf on remote Raids. Niantic, for its part, shows no signs of giving up this mechanic. For players dissatisfied with Pokemon GO‘s region-exclusive critters, they can continue to take part in events and try remote Raids to increase their Pokemon collections in the augmented reality game at the best of their efforts.