Should you pick catching, exploring, or battling in the Pokémon Go Fest 2022 Special Research?

Special Research rewarding a Mythical Pokémon has returned for Pokémon Go Fest 2022, this time offering the Gratitude Pokémon, Shaymin, to ticketed players that complete it. This iteration of the Special Research is highly customizable, letting players choose how they like to play the game.

The road to Shaymin begins with choosing whether you’re more interested in catching, battling, or exploring during Go Fest 2022. This will result in branching paths with difficulty level options that completely customize the Special Research to the player’s liking. Regardless of the paths chosen, all of the rewards remain the same, though the order in which they are provided varies slightly.

Should you choose the Focus on Battling, Catching, or Exploring path for Pokémon Go Fest 2022 Special Research?

If players will be participating fully in Go Fest outside, in areas with lots of PokéStops and Gyms, the catching option should be prioritized. Increased spawns and habitat rotations will help players progress through this branch with ease, and gain access to items like Rare Candies and more Poké Balls.

People that like to play in several different locations may find the exploration branch more intriguing. These quests will have players hatching a multitude of eggs and spinning PokéStops, requiring the player to be out and about. This, like the other branches, does not need to be completed just this weekend.

Battling should be chosen if players don’t have that much access to outdoor activities or PokéStops during Go Fest. This option will likely be the toughest to complete, as battles often last for a while, and many need to be completed in order to advance in the Special Research. These battles will be against other players, as well as Team Go Rocket grunts and leaders.

Completing any of these paths, regardless of the branches chosen, will eventually reward players with the Gratitude Pokémon, Shaymin, in its Land Forme. This research is only available to players with tickets for Go Fest, which can be purchased for $15 from the in-game shop.