Pokemon GO Along the Routes event date, Mateo, Shiny Hisuian Sneasel
After kicking off the Timeless Travels season with its announcement, players are not only curious about the Along the Routes event date in Pokemon GO, but also the role that the new character Mateo will play and how to get a Shiny Hisuian Sneasel.
Thankfully, we've got all the answers right here, so read on to find out the event's start date, details on Mateo, and what you'll need to get a Shiny Hisuian Sneasel in Pokemon GO.
Along the Routes event date in Pokemon GO
Along the Routes will start on Tuesday, December 5, 2023, at 10AM, running until Friday, December 8, at 8PM local time. This was confirmed on the game's news post announcing the event.
Click to enlargeDuring that timeframe, players will be treated to a Special Research story, "A Route to New Friendships" to help learn more about Mateo and the power of exchanging Gifts, new spawns, certain Pokemon hatching from Eggs, event bonuses, Field Research counters, and even Timed Research.
What does Mateo do in Pokemon GO?
Even when Along the Routes ends, Mateo will remain a permanent part of Pokemon GO following his December 4 debut - his role being to encounter trainers at the end of Routes with Gifts you can choose to exchange from another trainer.
Click to enlargeWhilst you can only take part in Gift Exchanges with Mateo once a day, you'll have the incentive to keep coming back with the bonus of collecting new Postcards; expand your collection of Postcards from different regions enough, and you'll be able to catch varied forms of Vivillion as well.
How to get Shiny Hisuian Sneasel in Pokemon GO
Although its base form was already a part of the game, you can finally get Shiny Hisuian Sneasel in Pokemon GO when the event starts - with your best chance being by hatching from 7KM Eggs or Field Research and Time Research task encounters.
Click to enlargeThere won't be a guarantee you'll get Shiny Hisuian Sneasel through either method since there are other Pokemon mixed in as potential encounters as well, along with those being hatchable from 7KM Eggs.
What's more, the Shiny encounter rate for either method still won't have 100% odds. Nevertheless, enough attempts should hopefully see you get lucky and have you find your own Shiny Hisuian Sneasel in Pokemon GO.
7KM Egg Pokemon
For added context, you can find the complete list of Pokemon that will hatch from 7KM Eggs during GO's Along the Routes event listed below:
| Pokemon | Can it be Shiny? |
| Bonsly | Yes |
| Espurr | Yes |
| Hisuian Growlithe | Yes |
| Hisuian Sneasel | Yes |
| Sneasel | Yes |
| Togepi | Yes |
Field Research task encounters
Including Hisuian Sneasel, here's also the complete list of Pokemon you can encounter for completing the event-themed Field Research tasks:
| Pokemon | Can it be Shiny? |
| Eevee | Yes |
| Hisuian Sneasel | Yes |
| Wooloo | No |
Timed Research task encounters
As for Timed Research encounters in Along the Routes, you can find all Pokemon you might find for completing these tasks below:
| Pokemon | Can it be Shiny? |
| Feebas | Yes |
| Hisuian Sneasel | Yes |
| Pawmi | No |
| Wooloo | No |
Event bonuses for Along the Routes event
For taking part in the Along the Routes event in Pokemon GO, you'll also get the following bonuses:
- Eggs will have their Egg Hatch Distance halved when placed in an incubator
- You'll get five times as much XP when spinning a PokeStop for the first time
- You'll get three times as much XP when spinning PokeStops
- Opening Gifts will provide you with double the Stardust
For more of the latest from the game, check out the latest Pokemon GO Egg chart or how to turn Haptics off. Alternatively, have a look at our Pokemon GO guides homepage for even more essentials right here at GGRecon.
