Pokémon GO: How To Find (& Catch) Rowlet, Popplio, & Litten
Rowlet, Popplio, and Litten have all been added to Pokémon GO as part of its Alola debut event. Now, every generation except for Pokémon Sword and Shield has its starter Pokémon available in the game. At the start of Pokémon Sun and Moon, trainers are given the decision between these three starter Pokémon. This will act as the player's partner Pokémon up until the very end of their journey. In Pokémon GO, they are now finally appearing in the wild with a handful of other Alola Pokémon.
The 'Welcome to Alola' event in Pokémon GO will take place Tuesday, March 1, 2022, from 10:00 a.m. to Wednesday, March 9, 2022, at 8:00 p.m. local time. During this time period, Rowlet, Litten, Popplio, Pikipek, and Yungoos all will begin to appear in the wild more often. While all are available, only Yungoos has its Shiny form also available in the game for lucky trainers to encounter. Capturing them all is also part of a special Tropical Collection challenge. Completing it will reward trainers with an Elite Collector medal, 7,000 XP, and 15 Ultra Balls.
The best way to find and capture Rowlet, Popplio, and Litten is to be as active as possible during this event. While the full Season of Alola in Pokémon GO doesn't conclude until June 1, the "Welcome to Alola" section will only last until March 15. It's likely the spawn rates will be switched out to introduce a handful of new Pokémon, making it much more difficult to find Rowlet, Popplio, and Litten. It's especially important to grind for them now to earn enough candy to get them to their final evolutionary stages.
For starters, trainers can use an Incense in Pokémon GO to increase the spawn rate of nearby Pokémon. It's an item that only works for the trainer that used it and will last for 30 minutes before expiring. Alternatively, players can also a Lure Module on a nearby Poké Stop. This item will create a field where all nearby players will have new Pokémon spawn for them. It's a great way to build a stronger community and help out other players.
When capturing these three starter Pokémon, make sure to use as many Pinap Berries as possible. This will double the candy rewarded at the end of the encounter, saving time on earning enough candy to evolve. All three starters will need at least 25 candy each to reach their second form. On top of that, an additional 100 is required to get to that final stage. While Rowlet, Popplio, and Litten won't be removed from the game once the event is over, it'll be much harder to obtain them in the future.
Pokémon GO is available now on iOS and Android.