Summary
- Pokemon GO is introducing the Safari Ball during the Wild Area event, making it the seventh type of ball in the game.
- The Safari Balls will be highly effective in catching powerful Pokemon, but it is unclear if they will be available after the event.
- Niantic chose to debut Safari Balls in the Wild Area event instead of the Safari Zone events that focus on region-specific Pokemon.
Pokemon GO will debuting a new kind of Poke Ball, the Safari Ball, in the game during the global launch of the Wild Area event, which is set to start on November 23. This marks the seventh type of ball introduced in the mobile augmented reality game, though only three of Pokemon GO's other six types are commonly available.
The Wild Area event in Pokemon GO has already been lined up for a regional release in Fukuoka, Japan on November 16-17 before making its worldwide debut on November 23-24. While Wild Area's dates have been known in the community since late August, precious little information has been released by developer Niantic regarding what players can expect to experience during the two-day event.
News of the Safari Balls' imminent arrival came from a post on the game's official Twitter page on October 3. The social media team doesn't seem to be revealing much about them yet, including how they will look in the mobile game, simply showing a circular silhouette next to the event's logo, though they'll likely keep the green forest camouflage look from previous Pokemon games' Safari Zones. It's also not clear if these balls will only be available during the special event or if players will have other ways to obtain them after it ends. What has been revealed is that these balls will be particularly effective and will help players catch powerful Pokemon with ease, although their exact stats when compared to more commonly found balls still haven't been revealed.
Pokemon GO is Finally Introducing Safari Balls
Interestingly, Niantic has chosen to release Safari Balls in the upcoming event and not during the Pokemon GO Safari Zone and City Safari special events. Safari Zone events were first announced in 2017 and allowed participating players who purchased digital event tickets in select cities around the world to catch region-specific Pokemon that wouldn't normally spawn in their areas. Twenty-three such events have been held since the first event in Germany, France, and Spain, with the most recent Pokemon GO Safari Zone events in September in South Korea and Indonesia.
The news of a new ball type in Pokemon GO is nothing to scoff at. The only readily available balls are the Poke Ball, Great Ball, and Ultra Ball, which players can get as level-up rewards or by spinning Poke Stops. Premier Balls can only be used after raid or Team GO Rocket battles, with Beast Balls serving a similar function when trying to capture Ultra Beasts. Pokemon GO's Master Ball is the newest ball type currently in the game, and while it's guaranteed to catch whatever it's thrown at, players have only had three opportunities to get their hands on one.
WHERE TO PLAY
Pokémon GO is an immersive open-world multiplayer RPG that enables you to live your own RPG adventure in augmented reality. Find and evolve all Pokémon and battle with other players in AR online in this multiplayer adventure RPG.
COMPLETE YOUR POKÉDEX AND INCREASE YOUR TRAINER LEVEL!
Catch your favourite Pokémon as you explore the open world in augmented reality, trade them with other Trainers, or get the chance to catch a Pokémon after winning a Raid. You can also collect Pokémon by hatching eggs through walking! Evolve your Pokémon in your Pokédex, gain levels to catch more powerful Pokémon and earn adventure rewards during a Raid in multiplayer or online PvP battle.
EXPERIENCE THE ADVENTURE IN MULTIPLAYER AND PvP!
Start your own adventure and challenge other Trainers online in PvP during epic Gym battles or in the GO Battle League. You can also enjoy multiplayer by facing off with other players in PvP battles to win rewards, or team up with other Trainers for a chance to catch Pokémon after a Raid Battle.
CREATE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE!
Customise your avatar, join one of the three teams and pick your Buddy Pokémon from your Pokédex to journey by your side in this AR adventure RPG.
SWITCH BETWEEN THE REAL WORLD AND THE VIRTUAL WORLD WITH THE AR+ MODE!
Bring the RPG to the real world and search for Pokémon in locations around you. With the AR+ mode, Pokémon appear right in front of you — Catch it with your PokéBall and add it to your Pokédex.
Catch your favourite Pokémon in AR as you explore the world and battle online with other Trainers in PvP and Raid battles.
