Meltan

Meltan is a brand new Pokémon coming soon to Pokémon GO and Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!. It's the only generation eight monster that we know about so far, and The Pokémon Company chose to announce it in a completely unprecedented manner. Right after the September Community Day concluded, Meltan appeared in the game with no name or CP, and upon catching it it would turn into a Ditto. This sent the internet raving mad.

That's all in the past now though, as we know pretty much all there is to know about Meltan. We know it evolves into Melmetal, is a Mythical Hex Nut Pokémon, and will be available in both Pokémon GO and Let's Go. In this guide, we'll go through everything we know about Meltan at this point, including its type, evolutions, and when it might appear in the game.

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Pokémon GO - Meltan

What Is Meltan?

Meltan is a brand new Steel type Pokémon just introduced in Pokémon GO. It's a Mythical Pokémon that is also described as a Hex Nut Pokémon.

Here's the official description:

Most of Meltan’s body is made from liquid metal, and its shape is very fluid. It can use its liquid arms and legs to corrode metal and absorb it into its own body.

Meltan generates electricity using the metal it absorbs from outside sources. It uses this electricity as an energy source and also as an attack that can be fired from its eye.

Clearly a curious Pokémon, Meltan is very expressive and shows an interest in all kinds of things

How Do I Catch Meltan?

The short answer is you can't – not right now. Meltan won't be available in Pokémon GO until Let's Go launches later this year, and even then the catching method is a little different to the norm.

In what can only be described as a pretty cynical move on The Pokémon Company's part, you actually have to own Let's Go to catch Meltan, Here's how it works in steps:

  1. Transfer a Pokémon from Pokémon GO to Pokémon Let's GO. You don't have to transfer it to your own copy of Let's Go, according to Eurogamer. A friend's copy might do the trick.
  2. Open a Mystery Box that you'll receive in Pokémon GO for doing so. This releases Meltans into the wild for 30 minutes, allowing you to catch them to your heart's content.
  3. After 30 minutes, the Mystery Box closes and you'll have to transfer another Pokémon to Let's Go to get another Mystery Box.

New special research tasks will also make their way into Pokémon GO shortly that relate to Meltan. That might offer another avenue for collecting the mysterious Pokémon, but we won't know until it's available in the game.

What is Melmetal?

Melmetal is Meltan's evolution, which is a first of its kind for Mythical Pokémon. None of the prior Mythical types like Mew or Celebi had evolutions.

So it makes sense then that you have to collect 400 Meltan Candy to evolve into Melmetal – a feat that might prove surprisingly easy considering how you catch Meltan. Can you game the system to collect a ton of Meltans at whim?

It seems that you can't evolve Meltan to Melmetal in Pokémon Let's Go, which is curious. Instead, you'll have to transfer it from Pokémon Go into Let's Go.

Melmetal is a Steel-type Pokémon with a signature move called Double Iron Bash. It's a Steel type too, hits twice, and makes your opponent flinch.

Melmetal

Original Story - Meltan Speculation

Where Did It Come From?

All we know so far is that this mysterious Pokémon randomly started appearing shortly after the September Community Day, and that many players have encountered it since.

What Is It?

That's as of yet unclear. It currently has no name, doesn't appear in the Pokédex, and turns into a Ditto the moment you try and catch it.

Nut Pokemon

Is It An Accident?

Initial speculation pointed towards the Nut Pokémon being a placeholder inclusion in Pokémon GO, and that releasing it into the wild was a accident on Niantic's part. This was later somewhat miscredited when Niantic's Head of Marketing Kento Suga tweeted about it.

Is It Kecleon?

So far, fan theories have pointed towards two pretty solid conclusions: that this mysterious Pokémon is Kecleon or a brand new Pokémon entirely.

Kecleon is a chameleon-like Pokémon that can take the form of its environment in order to hide, which could explain Ditto's confusion when it tries to transform into it. Dataminers found further "evidence" when they discovered that the mysterious Nut Pokémon was labeled as 'Kecleon' in the game files.

Could This Be The Mysterious New Pokémon Promised In Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee?

Almost certainly. In fact, the Pokémon itself has now appeared on the official site for Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!, and the official description claims that Pokémon GO is "key to meeting this curious new Pokémon in Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee!.

Kecleon

When Will We Find Out Exactly What This Is?

Either way, we should find out what this mysterious new Pokémon is very soon. If it is Kecleon, then Niantic can introduce it properly at any point, as Gen 3 is already available within the game. If not, well, it's not that long until Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee! launch on Nintendo Switch. Maybe then?

Either way, we'll keep on top of this fan speculation and keep this guide updated with any developments. Stay tuned.

What do you reckon this mysterious new Pokémon is? Is it Kecleon? A Brand new Pokémon? Something else entirely? Let us know what you reckon in the comments section below.