You can get Regigigas early in Pokémon GO — for a price

A brand new Legendary Pokémon is coming to EX Raids next month, but players willing to fork out a few bucks will get it early.

Niantic announced today that the Legendary Pokémon Regigigas, master of the Regi trio and one of the most powerful Normal-Type Pokémon in existence, is coming to EX Raids in November. Those who don’t want to wait for them to show up, or wait for a chance at an EX Raid, have another option: they can pay for the privilege of having it early.

Early in November, an event ticket will become available for purchase, allowing players who buy it the opportunity to complete Special Research with the reward of a Regigigas. By dropping money on the ticket and completing all of the tasks on the 2nd of November between 11am and 7pm, players can get their hands on the Pokémon early, affording them what could be a huge advantage in taking down raids and gyms.

Tickets cost $7.99 USD, adjusted for local currency, meaning it should be around $12 AUD over here — and unlike all previous items in Pokémon GO, these tickets cannot be purchased with coins. In addition to the Regigigas, trainers who purchase the pass will also receive 10 additional Raid Passes, a Sinnoh Stone, a Unova Stone, and an exclusive avatar pose that cannot be obtained any other way.

For those willing to wait, Regigigas will still appear in EX Raids at a currently undisclosed time in November. Regirock, Registeel, and Regice will also appear in regular raids from the 1st to the 4th of November, where they can also be encountered in their Shiny forms. During the same period, Geodude, Magnemite, Swinub, Aron, and Spheal will appear more frequently in the wild, while Aerodactyl, Shuckle, Sneasel, Snorunt, Beldum, and Skarmory can be found in eggs, the last of which can also be Shiny.

This kind of paid early access to a Legendary Pokémon is a bit concerning for some players, with many wondering if this is just the start of a more aggressive and exclusionary approach to monetisation within the game. Rural players, in particular, without access to EX Raids might also feel pressured to spend money on the game to get access to a Pokémon that would otherwise be unavailable to them.

What this means in the long-term for Pokémon GO remains to be seen, but we’ll continue to keep you updated on anything important. In other Pokémon GO news, a Halloween event has been announced, with a tonne of spooky new content, which you can see in the video below.