Pokemon Go Reveals How to Evolve Primeape Into Annihilape

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet introduced players to Annihilape, a new evolved form for Primeape. Annihilape is currently unavailable in Pokemon Go, but that will be changing with this month's Raging Battles event. The event will start on Friday, January 19th at 10 a.m. local time, and will last through Wednesday January 24th at 8 p.m. local time. To evolve Primeape, players must defeat 30 Ghost-types or Psychic-types in battle while Primeape is their buddy Pokemon (it does not need to be used in these battles). To make that a bit easier, Team Go Rocket will be appearing more frequently at PokeStops and in balloons. 

Mankey and Primeape have both been in Pokemon Go for a very long time now, so players have had a lot of opportunities to obtain both of them. However, those that don't already have a Primeape in Pokemon Go will be happy to know that it will be appearing in three-star Raids throughout the Raging Battles event. Players can also find Mankey appearing through Field Research task encounters, or in the wild where it will appear alongside the following Pokemon: 

• Gligar
• Lickitung
• Machop
• Sableye
• Scraggy
• Sawk
• Throh

How to Evolve Primeape in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

In Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, Primeape learns the attack Rage Fist at level 35. That move did not exist prior to the current Pokemon generation, and Primeape must use it in battle at least 20 times before it can evolve. Once that's been accomplished, it will evolve into Annihilape the next time its level increases. If players have a Primeape above level 35 and it doesn't know Rage Fist, they can have it remember the move, allowing it to evolve. 

When Pokemon have unique evolutionary methods like this, it's often a challenge for Pokemon Go to faithfully replicate them. Over the years, the developers have done a pretty nice job with that, but sometimes Pokemon Go fans aren't pleased with the results. Fortunately, the developers seem to have found a method for Annihilape that feels authentic, while also working within the confines of the mobile game. 

Pokemon Go Paldean Pokemon

Over the last few months, Pokemon Go has put a major focus on Pokemon that debuted in the Paldea region from Scarlet and Violet. Things started with the previous season, Adventures Abound. While Timeless Travels has focused more on content from Pokemon Legends: Arceus, we've still seen a steady stream of Pokemon from Scarlet and Violet. In addition to Annihilape's upcoming debut, last month saw the arrival of Cetoddle and Cetitan. Pokemon Go always bounces back and forth between introducing Pokemon from various games, usually finding ones that fit within the framework of a specific season. The sheer number of Pokemon gives the game a lot of freedom in that regard, and even though Pokemon Go has more of them available than any other video game, there are still a lot more that have yet to be added! 

How do you feel about this evolution method for Primeape? Do you think it sticks closely enough to Scarlet and Violet? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!