All Along the Routes: A Route to New Friendships Special Research tasks and rewards in Pokémon Go

It’s time to meet Mateo and interact with Pokémon Go’s newest mechanic during the Along the Routes event from Dec. 5 to 8. Here you will see a few rare Pokémon spawning more frequently, have access to a bevy of bonuses, and have plenty of new research to complete. 

Since the event is mostly themed on Routes, bonuses, and encounters will benefit players who go out and explore—with PokéStop XP boosts, increased Stardust from Gifts, and halved Egg hatch distance when using Incubators. Shiny Hisuian Sneasel will be available to encounter for the first time through Eggs during this event, with other Pokémon like Pawmi, Hisuian Growlithe, and Wooloo also making appearances. 

Mateo, a researcher known for traveling the world, is also opening his Gift Exchange. That means you might encounter him at the end of any Route you are traveling on and when you do you can exchange one of your Gifts for one from a player somewhere else in the world (once per day). This is what both the “A Route to New Friendships” Special Research Story and Along the Routes Timed Research are themed around, so make sure to follow this guide for all of the tasks and rewards involved with completing them. 

Pokémon Go Along the Routes: All Research tasks and rewards and full content guide

Pokémon Go: All A Route to New Friendships Special Research tasks and rewards

Full A Route to New Friendships research tasks and rewards page one

• Explore 1km
  • Lillipup encounter
• Spin three PokéStops
  • 900 XP
• Earn a Candy exploring with your Buddy
  • Five Razz Berries
• Exchange a Gift with Mateo
  • One Incense

Total Rewards: 1,000 Stardust and 1,000 XP

Full A Route to New Friendships research tasks and rewards page two

• Catch seven Pokémon
  • 10 Poké Balls
• Spin five Poké Stops
  • 1,500 XP
• Explore 3km
  • Wooloo encounter
• Walk 1,000km while traveling Routes
  • Woobat encounter

Total Rewards: 1,000 Stardust and five Great Balls

Full A Route to New Friendships research tasks and rewards page three

• Hatch an Egg
  • Feebas encounter
• Spin 15 PokéStops
  • 2,000 XP
• Complete five Field Research tasks
  • 1,000 Stardust
• Exchange three Gifts with Mateo
  • Hisuian Sneasel encounter

Total Rewards: Three Ultra Balls and 1,000 Stardust

Full A Route to New Friendships research tasks and rewards page four

• TBD
  • TBD

Total Rewards: TBD

Pokémon Go: All Along the Routes event-exclusive Timed Research tasks and rewards

Full Along the Routes research tasks and rewards page one

• Explore 1km
  • Wooloo encounter
• Send a Gift to a Friend
  • Five Pinap Berries
• Explore 2km
  • Pawmi encounter
• Explore 5km
  • Feebas encounter
• Send three Gifts to Friends
  • One Incense
• Explore 7km
  • Hisuian Sneasel encounter

Total Reward: Hisuian Sneasel encounter, 1,500 XP, and 1,500 Stardust

Pokémon Go: All Along the Routes event-exclusive Field Research tasks and rewards

• Trade a Pokémon
  • Hisuian Sneasel encounter
• Send three Gifts and add a Sticker to each
  • Eevee encounter
• Send a Gift to a Friend
  • Five Poké Balls
• Earn a Candy walking with your Buddy
  • Five Great Balls
• Hatch an Egg
  • Wooloo encounter

Pokémon Go: All Along the Routes event bonuses and featured Pokémon

Every Along the Routes event bonuses

• Halved Egg Hatch Distance when Eggs are placed in an Incubator during the event. 
• Triple XP for all PokéStop spins and 5x XP for spinning a PokéStop for the first time.
• Double Stardust from opening Gifts. 
• Mateo appears for the first time on Routes with his Gift Exchange feature. 

Every Along the Routes boosted Pokémon spawn and Egg hatch

All Pokémon marked with an asterisk(*) can be encountered as a Shiny during this event specifically. 

• Increased wild encounters
  • Slugma*
  • Hitmontop*
  • Spoink*
  • Feebas*
  • Lillipup*
  • Woobat*
  • Emolga
  • Wooloo
  • Pawmi
• Pokémon added to 7km Egg hatch pool during event
  • Hisuian Growlithe*
  • Togepi*
  • Sneasel*
  • Hisuian Sneasel*
  • Bonsly*
  • Espurr*

You can also get more bonuses by purchasing the Eggs-pedition Access: December ticket, which is available all month and gives players some extra content—though not without some controversy around it.