Guide by Alex Donaldson Assistant Editor
Published on
A special Rockruff will give you access to a new form of Lycanroc - but only for early adopters who act quickly.
The Pokemon Company have done this for a while now, but fans who pick up Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon early will be able to get their hands on a rare Pokemon to thank them for their dedication: the all-new and exclusive Dusk Form of popular wolf-like Pokemon Lycanroc - though to do so you'll need to grab a special Event Rockruff and evolve it in a specific way.
On this page, we'll cover how to grab your event Rockruff and then how to evolve it into Dusk Form Lycanroc - so let's get to that!
How to get the Event Rockruff for Pokemon Ultra Sun and Moon using Mystery Gift
Mystery Gift isn't a new feature for the Sun and Moon generation of Pokemon, but makes a welcome return as a system slightly streamlined from when we last saw it. It allows players to redeem download codes or use wifi to connect to official Nintendo and Pokemon-sponsored events. Usually, this nets you some sort of special bonus in-game - and in this instance, that bonus is the special Event Rockruff.
You'll be able to access the Mystery Gift menu once you've made a few minutes' progress into the main game. Just carry on through the critical path Pokemon Ultra Sun and Moon presents to you until Professor Kuikui gives you the choice between Rowlet, Litten and Popplio. At that point, choose your starting Pokemon and as soon as the cutscene is over, save the game and reboot - something you can do way faster now thanks to Ultra Sun and Moon's streamlined save system.
Now you'll have access to the main menu, or if you're already deeper into the game you'll already have that menu when you boot the game. Just below the save file are a few options - and Mystery Gift is one of them. Hit it, and use wifi to connect your 3DS to the internet. So long as you're before January 10, you'll be able to download the Rockruff.
The Rockruff will be found in the care of a delivery man in a Pokemon Center - just travel to your nearest center and pick him up.
The Rockruff will come with one of two moves: on Pokemon Ultra Sun it'll have Fire Fang, while in Pokemon Ultra Moon it'll have Thunder Fang instead. It'll also be holding a Focus Band, an item that gives you a ten percent chance to avoid being knocked out upon taking a fatal hit.
How to get Dusk Form Lycanroc in Pokemon Ultra Sun and Moon
Lycanroc's dusk form, which exhibits a new look and, apparently, attitude, has been unveiled on Nintendo's website. As the site says, "little things don’t shake the tranquil demeanor of Dusk Form Lycanroc, but it has a well of intense fighting spirit hidden within, and as a result, it relishes combat at close quarters". Sounds good - and it looks pretty damn cool to boot.
There is a slight problem, however - Lycanroc's new dusk form is only available to players who download the Event Rockruff from the Mystery Gift system between November 17 (the games' launch day) and January 10 2018. If you've grabbed the Rockruff as described above, you're ready to get your new Dusk Form Lycanroc.
Lycanroc, which evolves from Rockruff, has previously been available in 'midday' and 'midnight' forms, depending on which version of the game you were playing. This new 'dusk' form is available in the Ultra sequels, but only for a limited time.
In order to get it, you'll want to ensure Rockruff evolves into Lycanroc between 5pm and 5:59pm local time (as in, the time your 3DS clock is set to. This will influence the evolution process, and the Dusk Form of Lycanroc is the result - but only with this special mystery gift Rockruff!
Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon are out now for the 3DS family of systems. Our Pokemon Ultra Sun and Moon review found it to be a pretty good upgrade from the original versions of Sun and Moon. A core Pokemon RPG is also in development for the Switch, but that's a while away yet.
