Pokemon GO Guide: How to Catch Santa Hat Pikachu
By Dalton Cooper 14 December 2016
For its holiday event, Niantic puts a Santa hat on Pikachu in Pokemon GO. Here’s where to find Santa Hat Pikachu in the game and the easiest way to catch it.
After a successful Halloween event, it came as no surprise when Niantic launched a Christmas event for Pokemon GO on December 12th. As part of the Christmas event, Niantic has added an alternate version of the world’s most famous Pokemon for players to catch in the wild – a Pikachu wearing a festive Santa Claus hat.
From December 12th to December 29th, fans can encounter Santa Hat Pikachu in the wild when playing Pokemon GO. Besides using lure modules and incense to increase the odds of bumping into one, there doesn’t seem to be a way to trigger its spawn. Luckily for Pokemon GO players, Santa Hat Pikachu seems fairly common, especially compared to how often regular Pikachu appears in the game. Plus, if players are close to a Santa Hat Pikachu, its portrait is seen in the upgraded nearby feature, which should make it a bit easier to track it down.
How to Catch Santa Hat Pikachu
Once Santa Hat Pikachu is found, catching the critter is challenging. Regardless of its CP level, it seems to be a bit more difficult to catch Santa Hat Pikachu than other Pokemon, so players may want to stock up on berries, Great Balls, and Ultra Balls before attempting to catch it. Otherwise, Santa Hat Pikachu may run away and players will have to start the search from scratch.
When trying to catch Santa Hat Pikachu, be sure to feed it berries, which will lower the risk of it running away, and should also make it easier to catch in general. After it has been fed some berries, start throwing the most powerful Pokeballs at it to try to catch it. Keep in mind that doing trick shots seems to increase the odds of a successful catch than just throwing the balls directly at the Pokemon.
What to Do After Catching a Santa Hat Pikachu
With Santa Hat Pikachu caught, fans will be rewarded with XP and Pikachu candy. Since Santa Pikachu seems to have a higher spawn rate than regular Pikachu, fans should catch as many as possible if they aren’t having luck finding a Raichu out in the wild or hatching one from an egg, as it will help them complete their Pokedex faster.
Of course, with more second generation Pokemon on the way for Pokemon GO in the coming months, fans will have their work cut out for them if they hope to catch ’em all. Catching as many Santa Hat Pikachu as possible will go a long way in accomplishing that goal, and in the meantime, it will be interesting to see if future Pokemon GO events see Pikachu dressed up in special costumes as well.
Pokemon GO is available now for iOS and Android mobile devices.
