POKÉMON GO: Niantic Is Testing The City Explorer Pass This May During Safari Zone Philadelphia

In the two months since the year began Niantic has been trying out different "experiments" in Pokémon Go, their augmented reality mobile game all about lovable pocket monsters. That is is to say that they have been testing out certain additional features before deciding whether or not it is a good idea to add them to the title permanently.

There have been exciting introductions such as the Pokémon Spotlight Hour and the Mystery Bonus Hour - two features that seem to still be in the testing stage but have gone well so far. In the same breath however, there have also been implementations that were quickly pulled due to issues like the feature which gave the players the ability to rank Pokéstops and Pokémon Gyms.

Now there has been an announcement of what the newest experiment will be. Whether or not it will happen before any others is unknown to us at this time as it does not take place until May and there is plenty of time for March and April events to be announced sooner. The new feature being tested by Niantic is an item called the City Explorer Raid which costs an additional $8 when purchasing a ticket to Safari Zone Philadelphia. Its likely that the idea would be that if this goes well the pass will be available during future events as well.

Below is the list of bonuses available to trainers willing to shell out the extra Pokécoins for a City Explorer's Pass this May.

• 10 City Explorer Raids on a 72-hour timer will take place at iconic city locations that will be chosen in partnership with the Liverpool City Council. These raids will be accessible only by City Explorers. With varying levels of difficulty and a wide variety of Pokémon to battle, these raids will offer challenges that City Explorers of all levels can enjoy! Access to these raids will be included in the City Explorer Pass—no Premium Battle Passes needed.
• Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres will be available in three five-star City Explorer Raids.
• Lanturn, the Evolution of Safari Zone Liverpool’s featured Pokémon Chinchou, will be available in a two-star raid.
• The Legendary Pokémon and EX Raid Pokémon that are available in general while the Safari Zone is running will be appearing in two five-star raids.
• The other four City Explorer Raids will feature one Raid Battle each from each level of difficulty from one star to four star.
• 1/2 Hatch Distance when Eggs are placed into Incubators within the city.
• Exclusive Field Research tasks will be granted by PokéStops throughout the city.
• Regular Lure Modules will last four hours if placed by City Explorers within the city. All Trainers will benefit from those four-hour Lure Modules, not just City Explorers.
• One-hour Incense duration within the city.

If you are interested in attending the Safari Zone Philadelphia Event, tickets go on sale at 8 am EST and 5 am PST. General Admission Passes are $12 while Early Access Passes cost $18 and provide an addition two hours of playtime. The event takes place from May 8th to May 10 during Pokémon Go's patriotic weekend.

The City Explorer Pass is also only available for purchase alongside a Safari Zone Philadelphia Pass. Will you be picking one up?

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