Once upon a time, Pokemon Go released entire generations of Pokemon into the wild on a single day. But as the game threatens to catch up with currently available Pokemon, the influx of new critters to catch has slowed down considerably. 2024 has been a year where Pokemon debuts are increasingly more difficult for players to enjoy, thanks to many new introductions being locked into Raids or Eggs, rather than available to catch in the wild. But the latest Pokemon debut announcement has fans raising their eyebrows about what’s to come for the game in 2025.
Baking and dog enthusiasts alike will no doubt be excited to learn that the puppy Pokemon Fidough will soon be available in Pokemon Go. Or at least, it will probably soon be available, depending on whether or not players meet the challenge to unlock it. For the first time in Pokemon history, this January debut event is locked behind not a Raid, not an Egg, but a Global Challenge.
The Fidough Fetch event arrives the first weekend of the new year, running from January 3rd to January 7th, 2025. And what an interesting start to the year in Pokemon Go it will be, asking players to meet a Global Challenge before they’ll be able to add Fidough to their in-game collection.
Global Challenges aren’t new to Pokemon Go, though this usage of them is. These challenges set a large, community goal for players to meet in order to unlock some kind of prize. Historically, that’s usually been new rewards or bonuses during specific events. However, the Fidough Fetch event will ask players to meet certain base requirements before Fidough, and its evolution Dachsbun, will actually debut in Pokemon Go.
There are a total of 6 reward levels for the Fidough Fetch event, each asking players to hit a certain number of Nice Curveball Throws collectively to unlock the bonuses. The exact number of Nice Curveballs that will be required for each level has not been revealed, potentially leaving Niantic room to pivot if it takes the community longer than anticipated to hit the earlier levels. Here are the Reward tiers:
- Level 1 – Double XP for catching Pokemon
- Level 2 – Double Stardust for catching Pokemon, new event-themed Field Research, and Fidough/Dachsbun debut
- Level 3 – 2.5x XP for catching Pokemon, more event-themed Field Research, and new Wild Spawns Hisuian Growlithe and Greavard
- Level 4 – 2.5x Stardust for catching Pokemon
- Level 5 – Triple XP and triple Stardust for catching Pokemon
- Level 6 – Quadruple XP and quadruple Stardust for catching Pokemon
Clearly, earning a lot of Stardust and XP is in the cards if players manage to hit those Nice Curveball throws.
Pokemon Go Players Want to Know How to Get Fidough
Unlocking Fidough is one of the earlier rewards, presumably meaning that players should be able to meet this Global Challenge without too much trouble. However, some concerned fans have noticed that Niantic’s official post about the event doesn’t actually say how players will encounter Fidough once it debuts.
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While debuts used to be synonymous with spotting new silhouettes on the Nearby Radar in Pokemon Go, that isn’t the case these days. Recent debut Sinistea was only available in Raids, whereas Toxel could only be obtained via 10K eggs. That means players are reading the Fidough Fetch event details with a fine-toothed comb, wondering if getting their hands on the cute puppy Pokemon will have yet another layer of complexity once the Community Challenge is complete.
As players have noted, Hisiuan Growlithe is specifically noted as an additional Wild Spawn added to the pool of dog-like Pokemon appearing during the event. However, Fidough is simply listed as making its debut, not as an addition to the Wild Spawns. While that doesn’t necessarily mean Fidough will hatch from eggs or appear in Raids, it doesn’t fully rule out the possibility, either. It seems players will need to hit the specified number of Nice Curveball Throws before they’ll find out how, exactly, to fetch Fidough.
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