Wooper's Getting a Spotlight in 'Pokémon GO'? Can You Catch a Shiny or a Paldean One?

Another week, another Spotlight Hour in Pokémon GO. Every Tuesday, the popular AR mobile game chooses a specific species of Pokémon to be featured in this hour-long event. From 6 pm to 7 pm local time, the spawn rate of a specified Pokémon will be increased, allowing players to encounter this Pokémon at a higher rate. It's a great way to farm for Stardust and Candies in order to level up a particular species. And depending on which one is highlighted, you may be able to catch a Shiny version.

Normally, the odds of you running into a Shiny version of Pokémon in Pokémon GO are about 1 in 500. While that might seem steep for the completionist Pokémon trainers out there, a Spotlight Hour presents the perfect opportunity to sift through the many encounters to find a Shiny Pokémon.

The week of Dec. 5 sees Wooper as the Spotlight Hour Pokémon. Will you be able to catch a Shiny Whooper? Here's what you should know.

Wooper was introduced in Generation II of the Pokémon franchise, starting Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal. This adorable Water/Ground type can use moves like Damp and Water Absorb with Unaware as a Hidden Ability. It can evolve into a Quagsire starting at Level 20.

Normally, its appearance is primarily blue with lavender-ish coral-like ears. A Shiny Wopper looks completely different with a pink body with and lighter orange coral ears.

When it comes to Pokémon GO, not every Pokémon will have its Shiny version available during this specified time. Thankfully, that's not the case with Wooper.

Wooper can be Shiny in Pokémon GO, meaning that you can potentially find one and add them to your collection. Spotlight Hours in Pokémon GO can also feature double bonuses on certain rewards. For Woopers, players can earn double Stardust for catching them during this hour.

But can you catch any other versions of Wooper as well?

With the November 2022 release of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet on the Nintendo Switch, many Pokémon fans have gotten well-acquainted with the ninth generation of Pokémon. That includes versions of old Pokémon that are exclusive to the Paldea region like Paldean Wooper.

This subspecies of Wooper is completely brown with lavender bone-shaped antennae on its head.

If you were hoping to catch a Paldean Wooper during the Spotlight Hour, then you might want to temper your expectations. Pokémon GO has yet to specifically put Paldean Wooper in the game. However, this presents the perfect opportunity for players to farm Candies and Stardust to hold on to for when Paldean Wooper does eventually arrive.

Wooper's Spotlight Hour in Pokémon GO takes place on Dec. 6 from 6 pm to 7 pm. local time.