Pokémon Go Road to Unova event guide with research tasks and rewards

Get ready, Trainers! The Pokémon Go “Road to Unova” event is your gateway to an epic Unova adventure, packed with legendary raids, shiny Meloetta’s debut, and exclusive timed research that will test your skills from February 24 to March 1, 2025. Whether you’re hunting rare Gen 5 legendaries or gearing up for the massive Go Tour: Unova, this event offers a treasure trove of bonuses and challenges you won’t want to miss.

Notably, any eggs put into Incubators during the event will get halved hatch distance and the remote raid limit has increased to 20 until Feb. 28. (During Go Tour: Unova, the remote raid limit will be removed entirely.)

All of this stuff is launching alongside the shiny Meloetta Special Research and the new Go Tour Pass feature, so it can be overwhelming, but as usual, we’ve got your back.

Below, we’ve detailed all the perks and bonuses for Pokémon Go’s “Road to Unova” event, including the free and paid Timed Research, boosted spawns, raids, and more.

Update (Feb. 26): Added mention of the free duplicate research giveaway in the ’Timed Research and rewards’ section.

Pokémon Go ’Road to Unova’ event Timed Research and rewards

The Pokémon Go “Road to Unova” event features multiple Timed Research quests, including a free raid-themed quest and two paid options, “Road to Unova: Raids” and “Road to Unova: Hatch,” each costing $4.99. The Raids Timed Research rewards players with encounters and candies for Gen 5 Legendary Pokémon like Reshiram, Zekrom, and Kyurem, along with avatar items such as the Black and White Joggers. The Hatch Timed Research offers encounters with regionally exclusive Pokémon like Maractus, Sigilyph, and Bouffalant, plus bonuses like double hatch XP and candy, and the Black and White Hoodie avatar item. These quests and their rewards are available only until March 2, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. local time, so players must complete them before then to claim the rewards. Additionally, there are bonuses like extra XP for raids, additional Raid Passes from spinning Gyms or PokéStops, and increased candy and Stardust rewards during the event.

There are three sets of Timed Research for this event, with one being free and the other two being paid. Let’s go over them one by one! As usual, all of these research sets expire when the Go Tour: Unova hype is over on March 2 at 6 p.m. in your local time.

’Road to Unova: Raids’ free Timed Research and rewards

This is the free research and it pretty much just gives you “free” legendaries in exchange for doing raids. It doesn’t have to be a legendary raid or anything, so you should use your two free passes a day to at least do some easy soloable raids (if you’re not heading out to nab the five-star targets), just to get some freebie Legendaries and candy.

’Road to Unova: Raids’ (free) step 1 of 1

• Win a raid (Terrakion encounter)
• Win 2 raids (Cobalion encounter)
• Win 3 raids (Virizion encounter)
• Win 4 raids (Tornadus [Therian forme] encounter)
• Win 5 raids (Thundurus [Therian forme] encounter)
• Win 6 raids (Landorus [Therian forme] encounter)
• Win 7 raids (Genesect encounter)
• Win 8 raids (Genesect [Burn] encounter)
• Win 9 raids (Genesect [Douse] encounter)
• Win 10 raids (Genesect [Shock] encounter)
• Win 11 raids (Genesect [Chill] encounter)

Rewards: 10 Reshiram Candy, 10 Zekrom Candy, 10 Kyurem Candy

Note: If you are seeing the above Timed Research duplicated and autocompleted, you’re not alone, as Twitter with the giveaway due to a bug at the start of the event. Just make sure you grab the free 11 (!) legendary encounters before Go Tour: Unova Global starts on Friday!

’Road to Unova: Raids’ premium Timed Research and rewards

This is the paid research, though confusingly enough it has the same name as the above free set. This pass costs $4.99 and gives you a whole ton of XL candy for Legendary Pokémon featured during the event. It also gives you a few bonuses including bonus 5,000 XP per completed raid, an additional candy and candy XL from Legendaries caught in raids, doubled Stardust from raids, and an additional free raid pass from spinning gym discs (up to three from two).

Is the raid premium pass worth it? Yes, but only if you are trying to power up the featured Legendary Pokémon, you care about the “Black and White Joggers” cosmetic, and/or you plan on taking advantage of the raid bonuses. The free passes you get are worth 500 coins, which is less than $5 worth of Poké Coins, so the value here mainly would come from the candy, joggers, and raid bonuses.

You can see the steps below.

’Road to Unova: Raids’ (premium) step 1 of 1

• Win a raid (5 Terrakion Candy XL)
• Win 2 raids (5 Cobalion Candy XL)
• Win 3 raids (5 Virizion Candy XL)
• Win 4 raids (5 Tornadus [Therian forme] Candy XL)
• Win 5 raids (5 Thundurus [Therian forme] Candy XL)
• Win 6 raids (5 Landorus [Therian forme] Candy XL)
• Win 7 raids (5 Genesect Candy XL)
• Win 8 raids (5 Genesect Candy XL)
• Win 9 raids (5 Genesect Candy XL)
• Win 10 raids (5 Genesect Candy XL)
• Win 11 raids (5 Genesect Candy XL)

Rewards: 10 Reshiram Candy, 10 Zekrom Candy, Black and White Joggers cosmetic

’Road to Unova: Hatch’ premium Timed Research and rewards

This set of research is also $5 and it focuses on hatching eggs to get regional Pokémon: Maractus, Bouffalant, and Sigilyph. You’ll also get some egg-related bonuses, including doubled hatch XP, doubled hatch candy, and doubled hatch Stardust.

Is the hatch premium pass worth it? No, unless you really need these Pokémon as part of your Pokédex – and even then, they’ll be obtainable via 10 km eggs during the Go Tour: Unova event.

I would only buy this ticket if you plan on hatching a lot of eggs this week or if you really like the “Black and White Hoodie” cosmetic. (Even so, I can’t genuinely recommend anyone to buy a ticket that relies so heavily on hatching eggs, which are the closest thing Pokémon Go has to loot boxes. Sure, the idea of getting a swath of Charcadet or Larvesta Candy may be exciting, but it’s all fun and games until you end up with a bunch of Carbink.)

You can see the steps below.

’Road to Unova: Hatch’ (premium) step 1 of 1

• Hatch an egg (Maractus encounter)
• Hatch 2 eggs (Bouffalant encounter)
• Hatch 3 eggs (Sigilyph encounter)
• Hatch 4 eggs (Maractus encounter)
• Hatch 5 eggs (Bouffalant encounter)
• Hatch 6 eggs (Sigilyph encounter)

Rewards: 4,000 Stardust, 1 Super Incubator, Black and White Hoodie cosmetic

Pokémon Go ’Road to Unova’ event Field Research and rewards

The Pokémon Go “Road to Unova” event features special Field Research tasks obtained by spinning PokéStops, offering encounters with Unova region Pokémon such as Snivy, Tepig, Oshawott, Roggenrola, Timburr, Karrablast, and Shelmet. Completing these tasks grants access to event-themed Pokémon encounters, including various Gen 5 legendaries through Timed Research quests. Notably, the event includes both free and paid Timed Research options, with rewards like Candy XL for legendary Pokémon and exclusive avatar items. Players can also benefit from bonuses such as halved egg hatch distances and increased Remote Raid Pass limits. The event runs until March 1, 2025, coinciding with the Go Tour: Unova Global event, making it a key period to complete research and earn unique rewards before they expire.

Spinning a PokéStop during the event period may yield one of these tasks:

• Hatch 2 eggs (Roggenrola, Timburr, Karrablast, or Shelmet encounter)
• Spin 10 PokéStops or gyms (Snivy, Tepig, or Oshawott encounter)

Pokémon Go ’Road to Unova’ event boosted spawns

The Pokémon Go ’Road to Unova’ event features significantly boosted spawns of Unova region Pokémon, including the starters Snivy, Tepig, and Oshawott, all of which have shiny variants available during the event. Their evolved forms-Servine, Pignite, and Dewott-also appear more frequently, though at lower rates. Additionally, several other Unova Pokémon such as Roggenrola, Timburr, Karrablast, Shelmet, and Larvesta hatch from 2km eggs obtained during the event. This surge in spawns offers players ample opportunities to catch and evolve these Pokémon, making it an ideal time to expand the Unova Pokédex ahead of the Go Tour: Unova.

These Pokémon will spawn more frequently during the event period:

• Snivy
• Servine
• Tepig
• Pignite
• Oshawott
• Dewott

Pokémon Go ’Road to Unova’ event egg hatches

During the Pokémon Go ’Road to Unova’ event, eggs placed in incubators hatch at half the usual distance, making it easier and faster to obtain regional Pokémon from the Unova region. The event features a special Timed Research called “Road to Unova: Hatch,” available with a $4.99 ticket, where hatching eggs rewards encounters with Unova-exclusive Pokémon such as Maractus, Bouffalant, and Sigilyph in a sequence up to six eggs hatched. Alongside these encounters, players benefit from doubled Hatch XP, Hatch Candy, and Hatch Stardust, plus exclusive items like the Black and White Joggers hoodie and a Super Incubator. Even without purchasing the ticket, players can hatch these Pokémon randomly during the event and the subsequent Go Tour: Unova. This event is a prime opportunity for trainers to expand their Pokédex and gather valuable resources efficiently.

These Pokémon have a chance to hatch from any 2 km eggs obtained during the event:

• Roggenrola
• Timburr
• Karrablast
• Shelmet
• Larvesta

Pokémon Go ’Road to Unova’ event raid targets

During the Pokémon Go ’Road to Unova’ event, the raid targets focus heavily on Unova region Legendary and Mythical Pokémon appearing in five-star raids, changing daily throughout the event. Players can encounter and battle a variety of powerful raid bosses including Terrakion, Cobalion, Virizion, the Therian forms of Tornadus, Thundurus, and Landorus, as well as Genesect in its multiple Drive forms. Additionally, the event features the Legendary dragons Reshiram, Zekrom, and Kyurem in special raid encounters tied to timed research. These raids offer increased rewards such as extra Candy, Candy XL, Stardust, and XP, along with exclusive avatar items. The event also expands remote raid limits, allowing more players to participate from afar, making it an excellent opportunity to catch rare and shiny Unova legendaries before the Go Tour: Unova begins.

Note that the five-star line-up will change every day and each day will have a raid hour that takes place from 6-7 p.m. in your local time featuring said Legendary. The following changes to the raid schedule will take place as part of the event:

’Road to Unova’ raid line-up

The Road to Unova raid line-up in Pokémon Go features a dynamic schedule of Legendary and Mythical Pokémon from the Unova region appearing in five-star raids, changing daily throughout the event. The lineup includes Genesect and its various Drive forms on February 24, the Swords of Justice trio-Cobalion, Terrakion, and Virizion-on February 25, the Therian Forme trio of Tornadus, Thundurus, and Landorus on February 26, followed by Reshiram on February 27, and Zekrom on February 28. In addition, the event offers one-star raids featuring the Unova starters Snivy, Tepig, and Oshawott, and three-star raids with Druddigon. Each day also includes a raid hour from 6 to 7 p.m. local time focusing on that day’s featured Legendary, with all five-star raid Pokémon available in shiny forms, providing excellent opportunities for collectors and battlers alike.

How can I maximize my Legendary encounters during the event

To maximize your Legendary encounters during the Pokémon Go “Road to Unova” event, follow these key strategies:

• Participate in 5-star raids frequently since Legendary Pokémon primarily appear in these raids. Use free daily raid passes and consider saving one from the previous day to do multiple raids during raid hours or raid days, which often feature Legendary bosses.

• Join Community Ambassador meetups and raid-focused events to earn free premium battle passes through timed research, allowing you more Legendary raid attempts without additional cost.

• Rank up in the Go Battle League to at least rank 20 and win three battles in each set to unlock chances at Legendary encounters as rewards, which are guaranteed catch encounters without the risk of escape.

• Prepare with Golden Razz Berries and aim for excellent curveball throws to increase your catch rate after defeating a Legendary in a raid.

• Coordinate with local players or online groups for raid meetups to efficiently defeat Legendary raid bosses, especially during events with shiny boosts.

• Keep an eye on special event research tasks and timed research that may grant encounters with Legendary Pokémon as rewards during the event.

By combining frequent raid participation, leveraging free passes from events and meetups, climbing the PvP ranks, and preparing well for catch attempts, you can significantly increase your Legendary encounters and successful captures during the event.

How can I use raid passes and meetups to increase legendary encounters

To increase your Legendary encounters using raid passes and meetups during Pokémon Go events, follow these tips:

• Use your free daily raid passes strategically: You get one free daily raid pass each day, and you can hold onto one pass from the previous day to do multiple raids during raid hours or raid days, maximizing your chances to battle Legendary Pokémon.

• Join Community Ambassador meetups: These special raid-focused meetups, found on platforms like Campfire, offer a timed research reward that grants a free premium battle pass. This pass can be saved and used later for Legendary raids, effectively giving you extra raid attempts without spending money.

• Participate in raid days and raid hours: These events often provide multiple free daily raid passes (sometimes up to five during the event window) and feature Legendary bosses with shiny boosts. Attending meetups during these times ensures you have enough players to defeat Legendary raid bosses efficiently.

• Coordinate with local players through Campfire or similar apps: Finding raid groups increases your success rate in defeating Legendary bosses, which require multiple players. Meetups also foster social play and can provide additional bonuses like exclusive field research.

• Save and combine raid passes: By holding onto your daily raid pass from the day before a raid day or raid hour, you can do two or more raids in a short period, increasing your Legendary encounters.

By leveraging free and premium raid passes earned through meetups and event bonuses, and by coordinating with other players, you can significantly boost your opportunities to encounter and catch Legendary Pokémon during the event.