Will Pokemon Evolve in Pokémon HOME? A Comprehensive Guide
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The short and definitive answer is: no, Pokémon cannot evolve directly within Pokémon HOME. Pokémon HOME serves primarily as a cloud-based storage system and trading hub for your collected creatures, not as an active Pokémon game where evolution triggers can be met. Think of it as a giant digital Pokémon box, accessible across multiple games, but lacking the in-game environments and mechanics necessary for evolution.
However, that doesn’t mean Pokémon HOME is entirely irrelevant to the evolution process. It plays a crucial role in facilitating evolution, especially for Pokémon that require trading or specific items held during trading to evolve. Let’s delve deeper into how Pokémon HOME interacts with evolution and address some frequently asked questions.
How Pokémon HOME Facilitates Evolution
While Pokémon HOME itself doesn’t trigger evolutions, it offers features that are essential for evolving certain Pokémon. Primarily, this revolves around trading.
- Trading Across Distances: Pokémon HOME allows you to trade with players around the world via the mobile app. This is particularly significant for Pokémon like Feebas, which requires being traded while holding a Prism Scale to evolve into the beautiful Milotic. Without Pokémon HOME, you’d need to physically meet another player with a Nintendo Switch Online subscription or trade locally. Pokémon HOME removes that geographical barrier, making these evolutions much more accessible.
- The Wonder Box: This feature allows you to place Pokémon into a “blind trade” system. You deposit a Pokémon, and it’s automatically traded with a random player globally. While you won’t know what you’ll receive in return, the Wonder Box offers a hands-off way to trade Pokémon that need to be traded in order to evolve.
- The GTS (Global Trade System): The GTS allows you to specifically request a Pokémon in exchange for one you’re offering. This is especially useful if you’re looking for a specific evolved form and are willing to trade for it. While you can’t directly evolve a Pokémon through the GTS, you can acquire its evolved form, circumventing the need to perform the evolution yourself.
Understanding the Limitations
It’s crucial to understand the limitations of Pokémon HOME regarding evolution.
- No Leveling or In-Game Actions: Pokémon HOME does not simulate the in-game experiences that trigger many evolutions, such as leveling up, using specific items (like Evolution Stones), or battling in specific locations.
- Passive Storage: It’s a storage facility. Your Pokémon are essentially in stasis while in Pokémon HOME, awaiting transfer to a compatible game.
- Focus on Connectivity, not Gameplay: The primary purpose of Pokémon HOME is to connect different Pokémon games and facilitate trading. It is not designed as a standalone game with its own evolution mechanics.
FAQs: Evolving Pokémon and Pokémon HOME
Here are 15 frequently asked questions to further clarify the relationship between Pokémon evolution and Pokémon HOME:
1. Can you evolve Feebas on Pokemon Home?
No, you cannot directly evolve Feebas in Pokémon HOME. However, you can trade Feebas holding a Prism Scale via Pokémon HOME’s trading features to facilitate its evolution in another player’s game.
2. How do you evolve Charmander in Pokemon home?
You cannot evolve Charmander in Pokémon HOME. To evolve it, you need to transfer it to a compatible game like Pokémon Sword, Pokémon Shield, Pokémon Brilliant Diamond, Pokémon Shining Pearl, Pokémon Legends: Arceus, Pokémon Scarlet, or Pokémon Violet. Once there, level it up to level 16 to evolve it into Charmeleon, and then to level 36 to evolve it into Charizard.
3. How do you evolve Squirtle in Pokémon HOME?
Similar to Charmander, you must transfer Squirtle to a compatible game. There, it will evolve into Wartortle at level 16 and Blastoise at level 36. Pokémon HOME itself doesn’t facilitate this.
4. Does sending Pokémon to Pokémon HOME count as trading?
No, sending Pokémon to Pokémon HOME does not count as trading. It’s simply a transfer from one storage location to another. Trading occurs when you exchange a Pokémon with another player through the Pokémon HOME trading features (GTS, Wonder Box, or Friend Trade).
5. What Pokémon are not allowed in Pokémon HOME?
Certain Pokémon cannot be transferred from Pokémon GO to Pokémon HOME, including Spinda, favorited Pokémon, Buddy Pokémon, Pokémon defending Gyms, costumed Pokémon, Shadow Pokémon, and Mega-Evolved Pokémon.
6. Will Pokemon Home Pokémon listen to you?
The obedience of Pokémon depends on your progress in the game they are currently in. Once you’ve collected all eight Gym Badges in a compatible game, all of your Pokémon in that game will obey you without question. This has nothing to do with storing them in Pokemon Home.
7. Can you move Pokémon out of Pokémon HOME?
Yes, you can transfer Pokémon between Pokémon HOME and Pokémon Scarlet, Pokémon Violet, Pokémon Legends: Arceus, Pokémon Brilliant Diamond, Pokémon Shining Pearl, Pokémon Sword, Pokémon Shield, Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu!, and Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee! The Pokemon will need to be available in the receiving game’s data.
8. Why do Pokémon in home have no moves?
The status and moves of Pokémon that are unavailable in the linked game Pokémon HOME is connected to will not be displayed. For example, if you connect Pokémon HOME to Pokémon Legends: Arceus, you will not be able to see the detailed status or moves of a Zacian caught in Pokémon Sword because Zacian is not a native Pokémon in Arceus.
9. What is the Wonder Box in Pokémon HOME?
The Wonder Box is a Pokémon HOME feature that allows you to trade Pokémon randomly with other players around the world. You place a Pokémon in the Wonder Box, and it gets automatically traded, even when you’re not actively using the app.
10. Can you trade Pokémon from home to someone else?
Yes, but only on the mobile version of Pokémon HOME. The Nintendo Switch version does not support direct trading with other players.
11. Does Pokémon HOME recognize hacked Pokémon?
Pokémon HOME has a detection system for hacked Pokémon, which is generally more effective than the system used in Pokémon Bank. While it may not catch every single hacked Pokémon, it prevents most of them from being transferred.
12. What happens to your Pokémon when Pokémon HOME expires?
If your Pokémon HOME subscription expires, your Pokémon are not deleted. However, you will only be able to access a limited number of Pokémon (30) in a single box. To access all your Pokémon again, you need to renew your subscription.
13. How many Pokémon can I transfer to home?
A maximum of 25 Pokémon can be moved at once from Pokémon GO to Pokémon HOME. You select which ones you want to send, and they are all received at once in Pokémon HOME.
14. Is it safe to keep Pokémon in Pokémon HOME?
Yes, it’s generally safe to keep Pokémon in Pokémon HOME. It serves as a secure cloud storage linked to your Nintendo Account, not your Switch User, which is a safe way to prevent their loss. You can even reset a game save on one Switch account, and transfer Pokémon back in.
15. What happens when you complete the Pokedex in Pokémon HOME?
Specifically, players that finish the National Pokedex in Pokemon Home will be awarded an Original Color Magearna. Original Color Magearna is a unique form of Generation 7’s Magearna that has been colored gold and red.
Conclusion
While Pokémon HOME doesn’t directly facilitate evolution, it is an invaluable tool for trading, which is a requirement for evolving many Pokémon. It connects trainers globally, allowing them to overcome geographical limitations and complete their Pokédex. Understand its limitations and leverage its features to become the ultimate Pokémon master. To further explore the intersection of games and learning, consider visiting the Games Learning Society at GamesLearningSociety.org.