How to get Pokemon Go Mystery Boxes for Meltan encounters

In order to get the Mythical Meltan in Pokemon Go, trainers will need to unlock the Mystery Box. While it may be confusing at first, there’s actually a fairly easy method to farm them.

Mystery Boxes have been around in Niantic’s popular mobile app Pokemon Go for a while now, but for some players, they remain just that… a mystery. Fortunately, it’s quite easy to get your hands on them.

In this guide, we’re going to explain what Mystery Boxes are used for, how to easily find them, and the best method for farming them and catching plenty of Meltan in order to get Melmetal.

What are Mystery Boxes?

Trainers need Mystery Boxes to get Meltan in Go.

The Mystery Box is a special item that was first introduced to Pokemon Go in 2018 to celebrate the release of Let’s Go! Pikachu and Let’s Go! Eeevee. It’s required to get the Mythical creature Meltan to appear.

Meltan and its evolution, Melmetal, made plenty of noise when they were released, as it was the first new Pokemon to debut outside of the mainline games or anime. So naturally, many trainers want to catch one.

Mystery Boxes are essentially a special type of Incense, meaning they’ll attract only Meltan to your location for a total of 60 minutes. With an average of one appearing every 30 seconds, you’ll have plenty of chances to catch Meltan.

How to farm Mystery Boxes in Pokemon Go

Pokemon Home can be used to get Meltan.

When they first launched, Mystery Boxes were obtained by transferring Pokemon from Go to a copy of Let’s Go! Eevee or Let’s Go! Pikachu. Now, they can also be obtained using the free app Pokemon Home.

Here’s how to farm Mystery Boxes in Pokemon Go:

Download the Pokemon Home app.

Open the app and link it to your Pokemon Go account.

Transfer any Pokemon to the Home app.

Return to Pokemon Go and you will have a Mystery Box in your items menu.

Use the Mystery Box, and multiple Meltan will begin to spawn for 60 minutes.

Wait a week and repeat the process.

Now you know how to farm Mystery Boxes in Pokemon Go, it’s time to go and catch some Meltan!

A couple of things to note: Meltan will only appear for you, not other trainers around you. It also won’t get you a chance to encounter Shiny Meltan, as that rare variant is locked to special events.

How to get Pokemon Go Mystery Boxes during fifth anniversary

As Pokemon Go celebrates its fifth anniversary from July 6 to July 15, mystery boxes will be making a return! All you have to do is follow the steps above.

Bear in mind that the event will only last for 10 days, with Mystery Boxes only being available every 3 days. This means that over the course of the anniversary party players will be able to snag at least 3 Meltan.

How to evolve Meltan to Melmetal in Pokemon Go

Evolving Meltan into Melmetal will require 400 Candy.

Once you’ve got your hands on Meltan in Pokemon Go, your next goal will likely be getting Melmetal.

Unlike all other Mythical creatures which don’t evolve, Meltan can actually become Melmetal with the right tools. You’ll need a grand total of 400 Meltan Candy in order to evolve it into Melmetal, which is no easy task.

This is why farming Mystery Boxes is so important. The best way to stock up on Meltan Candy is to use Mystery Boxes and catch as many Meltan as you can every well, and also use Pinap Berries to get double Candy.

Of course, you can also use other methods to get more Meltan Candy, including sending a Meltan to Professor Willow and having Meltan travel around with you as your Buddy.

Shiny Meltan makes its return during the fifth anniversary celebration!

Can Meltan be shiny?

While Shiny Meltans don’t spawn when using Mystery Boxes normally, during the Fifth Anniversary Event Shiny Meltan will be available.

With three hours from July 6 to 15 to pick one up for yourself, here’s our top tips:

Run around in-game until you find Shiny Meltan.
Make sure you’ve got lots of the best Poke Ball variants, after all, we don’t want it to escape!
If you encounter a non-Shiny Meltan, leave and find another. Don’t waste time catching them, as you only have 60 minutes every 3 days.
Make sure you use Berries when you find a Shiny Meltan so it doesn’t flee before you catch it!

So that’s it for all things mysterious and Meltan! For more guides, news, and leaks check out our dedicated Pokemon Go page, as well as our Pokemon Twitter account!