The other day it seemed like Ditto was about to be released into Pokémon GO thanks to some newly mined data after a recently, seemingly innocuous update. But in the last few hours, it’s been confirmed that Ditto is actually live, and trainers all around the world are catching him left and right as we speak.
So, how do you find him? If you know anything about Ditto, you may have guessed that he’s not just going to show up in the wild as a giant pink blob. Ditto has been inserting into Pokémon GO disguised as other Pokémon, and you won’t know if you’ve caught him until after you capture whatever he’s transformed himself into.
So far, it seems that some of the most common Pokémon are the ones secretly hiding Ditto. I have heard of Rattatas, Pidgeys, Spearows and Magikarp all turning into Dittos. He shows up not just in the wild, but if you use lures or incense as well.
If you just play casually, and put your phone down after the Pokeball clicks for a capture, you might not have even realized you caught Ditto, as this is a totally new mechanic. I’ve heard at least one story of someone casually catching Ditto without even realizing it until they checked their recent catches. But if you stick around, there’s a short cutscene where you will see Ditto reveal himself, so now you should be paying special attention to every catch you make.
You can catch multiple Dittos, which has also been confirmed, though I’m still trying to figure out how likely you are to run across him. I’ve started to burn incense myself, but no luck yet from the Pokémon that have shown up. I've seen a number of reports of people catching him, but it’s hard to measure that against the mammoth player population of the game worldwide.
Once you have a Ditto, he will automatically use transform in gyms, and copy the look and moves of whatever Pokémon you’re facing off against. Ditto is a 3 km buddy so you can increase his CP by walking, though I don’t imagine he’ll exactly be a battling powerhouse. Perhaps it’s too early to tell.
So, what better way to kick off tomorrow’s Thanksgiving event than with a little Ditto hunting? Get out there, and leave no Pidgey or Rattata unturned.
Update: I am currently 0-30 in my last catches to try and find my own Ditto. I've heard an additional report that he can transform from Zubat, so add that to the list. I can't confirm this but so far I have not heard of Ditto transforming from any Pokemon not in that "very common" list, but again, it's hard to know the global spawn rate and if that's biased because those Pokemon are so common worldwide in the first place. Stay tuned for more updates.
Update 2: After going about 0-50 in a frantic Poke-hunt last night, I finally caught my own Ditto this morning. I used incense, and the first Pokemon that spawned, a 150 CP Zubat who broke out of more balls than a 150 Zubat should, turned into a Ditto of similar CP. I think it might be more or less confirmed now that Ditto only transforms from Pidgey, Zubat, Rattata, Spearow and Magikarp, some of the most common Pokemon in the game.
I feel like Ditto isn't all that rare in the end, as 50 Pokemon isn't that many, and I know some people have caught multiples and it's not even the end of the first day yet. I have to believe that this isn't just a limited time event and that Ditto will now be added to the game permanently, but Niantic hasn't said either way. It is clever to tie this stealth Ditto release to this Thanksgiving bonus XP and Stardust event, however, as fans will be avidly hunting for him and getting bonuses (and spending money) in the process.
Other Ditto facts: Ditto is a global spawn, meaning if you and your buddy see the same Pidgey and it transforms for you, it will transform for them as well. There are no reports that Ditto can hatch from eggs yet, but I can now confirm that he can come from incense, as I wasn't sure about that before because I'd only heard limited reports and those spawns are not global.
Happy hunting, folks. If people are this excited about Ditto showing up, it's going to be interesting when the Birds and Mewtwo are unleashed at last.
Follow me on Twitter and on Facebook. Pick up my sci-fi novels, The Last Exodus, The Exiled Earthborn and The Sons of Sora, which are now in print, online and on audiobook.
Why does The Walking Dead have such lasting appeal? Find out below:
