The Pokémon GO Wild Area 2024 event has set up a flurry of excitement among trainers as they get introduced to the concept of the Safari Zone and will even get access to the famed Safari Balls in the mobile game.

To those who haven’t been acquainted with the mainline games, these Safari additions are entirely new. And, to those who have played them, this is a slice of nostalgia!

Just what is significant about the Safari Zone and Safari Balls? Strap your seatbelts as you’re going on a Safari!

What is a Safari Zone?

A real-life Safari is a specialised expedition to observe, photograph, and learn about animals in a dedicated reserve land. A Safari Zone is technically on the same page, as Trainers can come to these areas to catch rare wild Pokémon.

There are four regions with official Safari Zones in the games:

• Kanto: North of Fuchsia City

• Johto: North of Route 48

• Hoenn: North of Route 121

• Sinnoh: North of Pastoria City

Kanto Safari Zone. Source: Pokémon anime

Here’s how a Safari Zone looked like in the main series games:

Safari Zones & how they apply in Pokémon GO

• Safari Zones tend to have an entry fee (imagine this to be the price of your Wild Area ticket).

• Distinct areas with a selective range of rare wild Pokémon. In the Wild Area, you will be able to find and catch Mighty Pokémon, stronger, larger, and more aggressive versions that are akin to Apex Pokémon. These distinct areas are split into hours in the event.

• Safari Zones also tend to have a step limit, literally the number of steps you can take in the area. The Pokémon GO event would likely implement this through walking Field Research tasks?

• A core aspect is the fact that trainers do not battle the rare Pokémon they come across. Rather, they need to just catch them without battling. This is the very basic part of Pokémon GO anyway!

Starting from the Unova region, Safari Zones have ceased to exist in any of the following games. However, Niantic has taken some liberty in Pokémon GO’s Wild Area event, as it includes the likes of other Gen mons like Tyrantrum, Dragalge, and Eelektross in the wild. On that note, keep in mind that Kalos’ Friend Safari is loosely a Safari Zone on its own.

Safari Balls in Pokémon GO

Safari Zones are also renowned for giving trainers a host of special items that would help them catch the Pokémon found in the Zone. One of them is the Safari Ball.

In the Wild Area event, Pokémon GO players can catch the raging Mighty Pokémon easily by using the Safari Ball. In the mainline games, you get 30 of these when you enter the Zone, and they were your best bet to catch rare Pokémon like Dratini.

In the games not having a Safari Zone, players could receive the Safari Ball as a reward for completing certain quests. For instance, in the latest Teal Mask and Indigo Disk DLCs of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, you could obtain this Ball by registering 120 Pokémon in the Kitakami and Blueberry Pokédex respectively.
Source: Pokémon Scarlet & Violet

In the Indigo Disk DLC, you could also get Safari Balls from the Item Printer.

While the Safari Ball began with a 2x catch multiplier in Gen 1, the latest catch multiplier in the Scarlet and Violet DLCs has been 1.5x

This catch bonus is obviously going to be reflected during the Wild Area event, as the official blog for the extravaganza clearly states: Debuting globally during this event, GO Safari Balls are highly effective Poké Balls that make capturing Pokémon much easier. Try using one when encountering a mighty Pokémon!

Remember that all unused Safari Balls will disappear from your item bag at the end of the Wild Area event, running from November 23 to November 24, 2024, at 6:15 pm local time.

The introduction of Safari Ball and an area reminiscent of Safari Zones is a great incentive for trainers and could lay the basis for grander events of this type in the future. 

Until then, have fun trainers!

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