In Survival, migration portals first become due at 11:00 and stay open for 90 seconds, comets expire if you leave them uncharged, and Meowth’s visits last 45 seconds. Use these opportunities to refresh terrain or improve a run, while weighing the time and exposure against the growing horde. Milestone bosses arrive on a nominal five-minute schedule; the 45-minute Mewtwo encounter does not end Survival.
This page explains what to do when an event appears, what it changes and what it does not give you. For mode selection, all nine pact choices and Classic’s win condition, use the game-mode guide. These are source-derived 0.7.1 rules, with numerical timers on the in-run clock rather than guaranteed wall-clock appointments.
Event quick reference: action, reward and trade-off
Swipe wide tables sideways on a phone. You can move around an altar’s circle while charging it; being inside does not require standing still at its center.
| Event or encounter | What you do | Reward or result | Main limit or cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Migration portal | Reach the portal and use Interact while it is open | New terrain in the selected region, retaining the ongoing run | 90-second open window; boss encounters can delay its appearance; old loose pickups are cleared |
| Comet fragment | Enter its circle and charge it fully | One blessing choice, PokéDollars and a comet counter increment | 60-second uncharged lifetime; charging attracts waves; a used comet does not regenerate |
| Unown altar | Stay within its circle until full charge | Temporary blessing choice; gold altar gives two picks | Stronger tiers require longer exposure and can summon waves; charge drains after leaving |
| Challenge altar | Interact, then defeat the marked wave | A free Super Ball after the challenge is cleared | Extra enemies, including elites; starting is not completing |
| Cursed altar | Interact if you accept the displayed cost | A Rare-or-better item roll | Adds +15% enemy amount and +10% difficulty for the run |
| Meowth | Interact, inspect stock and buy an eligible item | A purchased item, subject to capacity and caps | Costs PokéDollars; 45-second Survival visit; rerolls also cost currency |
| Ditto | Interact, then choose one of your held eligible items | One additional copy of that item | Cannot copy above its cap; no held item means nothing to copy |
| Hypno | Interact, select a move or vitamin to forget, then finish | Frees the matching slot and returns PokéDollars | Removes the selected investment; cannot remove your last attack |
| Snorlax / Magnemite | Interact when available | Snorlax offers a blessing or gold; Magnemite draws experience | A map opportunity, not a guaranteed specific reward or boss clear |
| Milestone boss | Defeat the spawned boss | Milestone progress and a possible pact offer | Does not end the mode or automatically recruit that Pokémon |
Most encounters use the displayed Interact binding, default E on desktop. Altars charge by proximity instead. Check the prompt and current settings if controls differ; a phone uses the original game’s on-screen control. The map reference explains navigation and regions.
Migration portal: 11 minutes, 90 seconds and new terrain
Survival has no Classic Zone 1 → Zone 2 → Zone 3 → shrine progression, but it does have a separate migration system. Its first opportunity is due at 11:00. A living boss, active Mewtwo encounter or a state outside active play delays the spawn. Once spawned, the portal remains open for 90 seconds.
- Watch for the migration banner and portal marker rather than looking for a Classic victory portal.
- If you want fresh terrain, make a route to the portal before its countdown ends.
- Use Interact while active play permits migration. The transition generates terrain within the same selected region.
- After arrival, check the new surroundings and collect the free Super Ball placed near the new spawn. Continue the same run with its time pressure and current build.
Migration keeps the player’s ongoing progression rather than starting a new run. It clears the old terrain’s enemies, projectiles, loose pickups and interactables, resets the migration-related siege/idle tracking and replaces the NPC/event layout. It does not unlock Rocky Desert, award a Classic victory or reset the horde’s elapsed-time scaling. An item or experience pickup left on the old terrain should not be assumed to wait for you afterward.
Later portals are scheduled 11 minutes after the previous spawn, including a portal you ignored. That differs from 11 minutes after entering one. The actual next spawn can again wait for active boss encounters to clear.
Worked example: a boss delays the first portal until 11:20. It then closes at about 12:50 if unused, and the next opportunity is scheduled from about 22:20, subject to later delays. The phase-2 threshold at 12:00 still happens because it is a time rule; you do not need the portal to trigger it.
You can decline migration by letting the portal close. Decide whether the fresh layout is worth leaving current nearby resources, not whether migration is required to keep the clock running.
Comet fragments: start charging before they fade
The Survival scheduler first attempts a comet after 150 seconds. Later attempts use a 100–140-second interval. An existing comet, active Mewtwo encounter or an unsuitable nearby spawn can affect when one appears; these are scheduling values, not a promise of a fragment at every exact timestamp.
A spawned fragment starts with 60 seconds of uncharged lifetime. Reach its blue charging circle before it fades and stay inside until full. The lifetime countdown applies while its charge is zero; if you leave and its charge drains back to zero, it can resume fading. Starting a charge is useful, but it is not the same as completing the event.
The comet’s base full-charge time is 10 seconds in phase 1, increasing to 12.5 seconds in phase 2 and 15 seconds in phase 3. It summons additional waves while charging. You can move within the circle to avoid enemies; step out if continuing the charge would end the run. Leaving for more than 1.2 seconds begins charge loss, with a comet’s full-charge drain time of 3 seconds.
On completion, the runtime offers one blessing from up to three choices, with at least the Uncommon rarity floor, and adds PokéDollars. Its source formula is the larger of 40 and 35% of the run’s current unrounded reference item-ball cost; this is a variable reward, not a fixed 40 every time. The comet counter also increases by one. A used fragment is removed and does not use the ordinary altar regeneration cycle.
Worked example: you reach a phase-1 comet with 20 seconds left on its uncharged timer. Charging continuously needs 10 seconds, but waves make remaining inside unsafe. You may leave and lose charge rather than die for the reward. If the charge reaches zero, the remaining uncharged lifetime becomes relevant again. No blessing is earned until the charge completes.
Unown altars: charge times, tiers and regeneration
An Unown altar charges while you remain inside its circle. Its color/tier determines the base charge, minimum blessing quality and picks. Each later phase increases the base charge time by 25% per phase, capped at phase 3’s ×1.5. A golden altar is sealed for the first 90 seconds of the terrain’s stage timer before it can charge.
| Altar tier | Phase-1 charge | Phase-2 / phase-3 charge | Reward selection | Added charging pressure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ordinary | 8 seconds | 10 / 12 seconds | Pick 1 of up to 3 blessings; Common floor | No tier-specific charging wave |
| Rare, green | 14 seconds | 17.5 / 21 seconds | Pick 1 of up to 3; Uncommon floor | No tier-specific charging wave |
| Epic, purple | 22 seconds | 27.5 / 33 seconds | Pick 1 of up to 3; Rare floor | Summons waves |
| Golden | 35 seconds | 43.75 / 52.5 seconds | Pick 2 of up to 4; Epic floor | Stronger waves; initially sealed for 90 seconds |
The altar’s name and blessing floor are different fields: the green altar is named Rare Unown Altar, while its minimum blessing rarity is Uncommon. The actual displayed blessing can be better than its floor. These are temporary run-stat blessings, not a new League member, permanent Lab level or selectable specific item.
After you leave the circle, there is a 1.2-second grace interval, then charge drains. Full-charge drain times are 6 seconds for ordinary, 5 for green, 4 for purple and 3 for golden. Re-entering lets you continue from remaining charge, but repeated exits can make a long altar take much longer than its uninterrupted time.
In Survival, a used ordinary Unown altar becomes usable again after about 200 seconds, keeping its tier. A comet is explicitly excluded. Regeneration makes revisiting a known altar possible, but the growing horde and the game’s siege pressure mean staying in a small circle indefinitely is a cost. An altar does not pause enemy scaling or provide a safe waiting room.
For a practical choice, compare the current exposure with the reward. A phase-3 golden charge can require 52.5 uninterrupted seconds, while an ordinary altar needs 12. Two stronger picks may be useful, but neither is automatic if your build cannot hold that space.
Challenge and cursed altars: rewards have different conditions
Challenge altar: interact to summon its wave, then defeat the marked enemies. The source wave count is 8 + 3 × current phase, so phase 1 starts with 11, phase 2 with 14 and phase 3 with 17, including elites. The on-screen remaining count is the useful completion check. Clearing the wave produces a free Super Ball; merely activating the altar does not award it. The challenge can regenerate in Survival after its wave is resolved and a roughly 240-second recharge.
Cursed altar: interacting immediately accepts +15% enemy amount and +10% difficulty, then requests a Rare-or-better item roll. The added modifiers last for the run. That is not the same mechanic as choosing a temporary blessing at an Unown altar. Consider whether another item is worth additional pressure, and read item caps in the item reference.
Cursed Poké Ball: its free opening uses a separate reward path, adds +5% difficulty and calls a ghost ambush. Free currency cost does not mean there is no combat cost. A Gengar greed altar, where present, is a different bargain: +20% difficulty, +25% experience and +25% PokéDollar gain. The normal Survival population does not place the Classic greed altar, so do not depend on finding one in every Survival layout.
Meowth: shop before the 45-second visit ends
Survival schedules the first Meowth visit from 210 seconds, then later checks on a 300-second interval. An active Mewtwo encounter postpones an arrival, with a later retry. When the shop NPC appears, the banner states that Meowth leaves in 45 seconds.
- Reach Meowth and use Interact.
- Compare the displayed item effect and price with the build you have now.
- Buy only an item you can afford and still hold below its cap. A maxed item is not an unlimited purchase.
- If you reroll, read the new reroll price before paying again. Currency spent here is PokéDollars in this run, not Stardust for the permanent Lab.
A visit and a shop purchase are different events. The 45-second visit is an active-run timer, not 45 wall-clock seconds through every modal or pause. It is still a reason to plan a route when the arrival banner appears.
Keep the 0.7 economy mode boundary clear. In Classic, standard paid item Poké Balls request three item candidates, and repeated Meowth purchases without enough item-ball openings add shop-price pressure. The checked Survival branches retain one item candidate and do not apply that extra Classic shop-pressure factor. Survival has its own time, reroll and pact pricing; its prices are not guaranteed to remain fixed. The mode guide and items explain the distinction.
If a desired item is absent, use a suitable alternative rather than assuming an error. If you need to release a move or vitamin slot, Meowth is not the relevant NPC: look for Hypno.
Ditto: copy a held item within its stack cap
Ditto copies one of the items you already hold, rather than producing an arbitrary new item or duplicating your whole build.
- Hold at least one item, then interact with Ditto.
- Inspect the held-item cards and their current stacks.
- Choose an eligible item below its cap. A maxed card is marked Max and cannot be copied.
- Confirm the additional copy in your held items. Selecting Not now closes the menu without consuming the successful-copy action.
After a successful copy, that Ditto rests. In Survival, it can become available again after about 150 seconds. It still checks the cap on the next use. For example, an item already at its maximum cannot be duplicated just because Ditto has recharged; choose another eligible held item or leave.
This is an item-stack action. It does not add a move, vitamin type, Lab upgrade or permanent League member. Consult the complete item table before planning around repeated copies.
Hypno: forget a move or vitamin
Hypno provides the in-run way to remove a learned move or vitamin. Approach and use Interact, choose the entry to forget, then use Done when finished. The pause menu is a reference view rather than a general delete-move button.
Forgetting a move removes that learned attack and frees a move slot. The service refuses to remove your last remaining attack. Forgetting a vitamin removes that vitamin type and its accumulated effects, freeing a vitamin slot. Those slot types are separate.
The checked interface refunds PokéDollars using the forgotten entry’s current level:
| Forgotten entry | Source refund rule | Example in Survival phase 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Move | Move level × 8 × current phase | Level-3 move → 3 × 8 × 2 = 48 PokéDollars |
| Vitamin | Vitamin level × 6 × current phase | Level-4 vitamin → 4 × 6 × 2 = 48 PokéDollars |
These are run-currency refunds, not Stardust or a permanent reset. The level here is the selected move/vitamin level, not your Pokémon’s run level. Rarity-scaled vitamin effects are lost with the removed vitamin.
Worked example: Bulbasaur has Vine Whip, Razor Leaf and Sleep Powder, reaches level 7 and wants Solar Beam. At Hypno, remove a move whose role you are willing to give up. You now have room for new learning; you still need a later eligible offer. The forget action itself does not teach Solar Beam, and Refresh does not guarantee it. Use the move checker for the rest of the requirements.
Supply drops and other recurring opportunities
Survival’s first supply-drop attempt uses a 55–75-second interval; subsequent attempts use 70–95 seconds. The runtime skips a drop during active Mewtwo or when the candidate point is too close. A successful drop can be an item Poké Ball, Super Ball or a pickup such as healing, a magnet, Repel or a bomb. Follow the actual banner; the schedule is not a guaranteed named item.
Other terrain encounters add choices between bosses:
- Magnemite: interact to attract experience pickups for five seconds. Its Survival reuse timer is about 150 seconds. It attracts available experience rather than granting a fixed level total.
- Snorlax: interact for a source-defined chance of a blessing; otherwise it gives gold. Survival can reset it after about 240 seconds. You cannot choose a specific blessing in advance.
- Berries: collect for healing when useful; used berry points have a Survival reuse timer of about 120 seconds.
- Gold rocks: use their displayed Rock Smash interaction; used points have a Survival reset timer of about 180 seconds.
- Slot machines and hostile terrain: inspect the price or warning before committing. Gambling is not a guaranteed item route, and remaining on a hazard to wait for an event still exposes you to damage.
Reuse timers apply to the relevant used object on the current terrain. Migration replaces that layout, so they are not promises that an old NPC or pickup survives the transition. The normal Survival layout includes Hypno and Ditto opportunities; the exact route, distance and safely reachable timing depend on the generated terrain and the run.
Milestones, Mewtwo and the 45-minute boundary
Milestones are due every five minutes. A living boss or active Mewtwo fight delays the next spawn; active play must resume before the encounter can start. The first two use the map’s first-zone guardian pool; later guardian groups change as the schedule progresses.
| In-run target | Encounter | What follows |
|---|---|---|
| 5:00 and 10:00 | Guardian-pool milestone | Defeat it, then evaluate the offered pact |
| 15:00 | Mew | Continue the run; this is not a Classic Forest victory |
| 20:00 and 25:00 | Second-zone guardian pool | More milestone progress |
| 30:00 | Moltres; Deep Wounds also begins at 30:00 | Healing becomes less effective as time grows |
| 35:00 and 40:00 | Third-zone guardian pool | Prepare for later pressure |
| 45:00 | Mewtwo; Endless Night begins | The horde continues scaling after the encounter |
After a milestone kill, the game can offer up to three uncapped pacts. You can decline. Pacts add power and a lasting run cost, unlike a free permanent upgrade. Read all nine pact effects and caps before choosing a price that undermines your recovery or movement plan.
The other major thresholds are 12:00, when evolved enemies join phase 2, and 24:00, when final forms enter phase 3. These happen by elapsed time, independent of migration. At 45:00, Endless Night adds further minute-by-minute growth; it is not a victory trigger.
Defeating a legendary here is an encounter result. Permanent League recruitment has separate challenges, prerequisites and capture handling: follow the legendary recruitment guide. Likewise, a captured Alpha supports the current run under its own capacity rules; see Alpha and shiny Pokémon instead of treating every catch as a new selectable League member.
Sources and version scope
This reference uses the original Beta 0.7.1 public runtime, configuration and English interface, collected 19 October 2026. Timers, tier tables, recharge rules, refund formulas and event branches are source-derived, rather than recorded results of a complete Survival run. For later release notes, use updates.
The old help phrase “no zones or portals” describes the absence of Classic progression. The actual Survival migration implementation and its on-screen prompt establish the separate portal feature documented here. No 45-minute clear, every random event outcome or specific reward roll is claimed as a playtest by this site.