Pokémon GO Week: Orthworm & Shadow Entei

Pokémon GO has one of those stacked weekends where three different systems all matter at once — wild spawns, Rocket content, and raids. The headline item is Orthworm, which just made its in-game debut as part of the Steeled Resolve event running from April 28 at 10 a.m. to May 4 at 8 p.m. local time. But for a lot of players, the real clock is Saturday, May 2, because Shadow Entei is taking over gyms for a three-hour Raid Day window. Basically, this is a “plan your day” week, not a casual check-in week. ### What’s actually live right now? Steeled Resolve is the main event, and it’s built around Steel-type spawns plus Orthworm’s debut. That also brings back a shot at Shiny Meltan, but only if you use a Mystery Box — which still means sending a Pokémon from GO to Pokémon HOME or one of the Let’s Go Switch games. So Orthworm is the new collectible, but Shiny Meltan is the time-limited grind target hiding inside the same event. ### Why does Orthworm matter? Orthworm is a Paldea debut, and those always draw attention because they expand the live Pokédex rather than just rotate old raid bosses. In practice, that means collectors care even if the Pokémon doesn’t instantly change raid or PvP metas. This is more about availability than power — if you want the new entry while it’s featured and easy to find, this is the window. ### What’s the deal with Shadow Entei? Shadow Entei Raid Day is the short, high-pressure part. It runs Saturday, May 2, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. local time, and gyms can hand out up to six free Raid Passes during the event. There’s also an increased chance to encounter Shiny Entei, which is the usual reason players chain as many raids as possible in that three-hour block. ### Why mention the Remote Raid limit? Because Niantic usually keeps that cap tighter, and this weekend it jumps to 20 for a limited stretch — starting Friday, May 1, at 5 p.m. and lasting until Saturday evening. That doesn’t make Shadow Raids fully remote-friendly in the same way standard legendary rotations can be, but it does give players more flexibility across the weekend if they’re juggling local play with invites and other raid targets. ### What should local players in Belmont focus on? If you’re playing locally, split the weekend by objective. Use the broader event hours to hunt Orthworm and trigger Mystery Boxes for Meltan. Then treat Saturday afternoon as raid time — gyms matter more than PokéStops for those three hours, and moving between clustered gyms will be more efficient than a one-hour appointment. ### Are there paid extras? Yes — there’s an optional $4.99 ticket for Shadow Entei Raid Day that adds eight more Raid Passes, for a daily total of 14, plus extra XP, extra Stardust, and a better shot at Rare Candy XL. You do not need it to participate, but it clearly targets players planning a full raid loop rather than one or two casual clears. ### So what’s the smart play? Start with Orthworm whenever you have downtime, because that part is flexible. Save Saturday, May 2, from 2 to 5 p.m. for Shadow Entei if raids are your priority. And if Shiny Meltan matters to you, don’t forget the Mystery Box step — that’s the one piece this event does not surface clearly enough in-game. Bottom line is that this week matters because Pokémon GO is stacking a Pokédex debut, a limited shiny chase, and a short legendary raid sprint into the same few days. If you only log in casually, you’ll still see the event. But if you want the best stuff, Saturday is the day that actually counts.