How to get Hoopa Confined & Hoopa Unbound in Pokemon Go: Form change explained

Daniel Megarry
Hoopa changing forms into Hoopa Unbound in Pokemon Go

If you’re wondering how to get Hoopa Confined and Hoopa Unbound in Pokemon Go, we’ve got all the details you need to unlock this Mythical creature and change its form.

The Season of Mischief has come to an end, and Trainers who stuck with Pokemon Go throughout this journey have been rewarded with a new form for their Hoopa. Yes, that’s right: Hoopa Unbound has made its grand debut!

As well as a huge boost in max CP and stats, Hoopa Unbound will also change its typing, so there’s plenty of reason to add it to your collection. It’s not as simple as catching it in the wild, though, as there’s a long process to encounter it.

Below, you’ll find all the information you need to unlock Hoopa Unbound, including the cost of changing forms, as well as the differences between Hoopa Confined and Hoopa Unbound – and which one is best!


Contents


How to get Hoopa Confined in Pokemon Go

Pokemon Go Hoopa Confined best moveset

The only way Trainers have been able to get Hoopa so far in Pokemon Go was to complete the first three steps of the Misunderstood Mischief Special Research, which was part of 2021’s Season of Mischief.

If you missed out on claiming that Special Research story, there’s simply no way to get Hoopa right now. Unless Niantic brings it back for a future event, Hoopa is currently unavailable.

How to get Hoopa Unbound in Pokemon Go

Hoopa Unbound with its best moveset in Pokemon GO

You can change your Hoopa Confined into its Hoopa Unbound form by spending 50 Candy and 10,000 Stardust. This works in a similar way to evolution: simply tap on Hoopa and select ‘Change Form’.

You can also reverse this form change, if you wish, turning Hoopa Unbound back into Hoopa Confined by spending 10 Candy and 2,000 Stardust, which is a fifth of the original cost.

Before you do any of this, though, you’ll need to catch a Hoopa Confined in the Misunderstood Mischief Special Research story then complete the second task in the new Mischief Unbound Special Research story.

You’ll get the Mischief Unbound story for free if you complete the Misunderstood Mischief story, but if you don’t manage to do that in time, you can also purchase a ticket for $4.99 from the in-game Shop.

A trainer looking at a Hoopa Unbound portal in Pokemon Go
Those Hoopa portals have certainly had a big impact on the game!

What’s the difference between Hoopa Confined and Hoopa Unbound?

The main difference between Hoopa Confined and Hoopa Unbound is typing: Hoopa’s Confined form is a Psychic/Ghost-type, while its Unbound form is a Psychic/Dark-type, which will change its resistances and weaknesses.

Hoopa Unbound will also have different stats to its Confined counterpart. You can see a comparison of their individual stats below:

Form Attack Defense  Stamina Max CP
Hoopa Confined 261 187 173 3793
Hoopa Unbound 311 191 173 4530

As you can see from the table above, Hoopa Unbound gets an incredible boost to its Attack, meaning it now outranks even Mewtwo, while its Defense gets a minor boost and its max CP gets a huge increase, too.

The only thing that stays the same is its Stamina stat, which remains a low 173. This is something to take into consideration, as both forms of Hoopa are considered to be glass cannons in battle.

What are form changes in Pokemon Go?

Form changes were introduced to Pokemon Go during the 2021 Fashion Week event. The first Pokemon capable of form changing was Furfrou, which has a range of visual forms available like the Star Trim and the Dandy Trim.

Changing forms works a lot like evolution, as you’ll need to spend a set amount of Candy and Stardust to do it. The main difference is that you can change forms whenever you want to, unlike evolutions which are set in stone once they happen.

While Furfrou’s form changes were purely aesthetic, Hoopa will actually change its typing and stats. This potentially leaves the door open for other form changes in the future, such as Primal Groudon and Kyogre, which is very exciting.

About The Author

Daniel graduated from university with a degree in Journalism and English Language, before spending five years at GAY TIMES covering LGBTQ+ news and entertainment. He then made the switch to video game journalism where he produces news, features, and guides for Pokemon, Fortnite, Nintendo, and PlayStation games. Daniel also has a passion for any games with queer representation.