Get ready, Trainers! Pokémon GO’s “Fashion Week: Taken Over” Special Research event is back, bringing a stylish showdown with Team GO Rocket and Giovanni from January 15 to March 4, 2025. Dive into a thrilling quest to rescue Shadow Palkia, face off against Rocket Leaders sporting fresh line-ups, and snag exclusive rewards-including debuting Pokémon like Shroodle and Grafaiai, plus fashionable variants of Wooper and Croagunk. This is your ultimate guide to mastering the event’s tasks, battles, and bonuses-don’t miss your chance to turn the tide against Team GO Rocket’s latest takeover!
This event is combined with the ongoing “Fashion Week” event from last week, though it does have some new perks – mainly the Team Go Rocket refresh and the addition of Shroodle and Grafaiai to the game.
Below, we list all the new perks added as part of the Pokémon Go “Fashion Week: Taken Over” event, including the Team Go Rocket research you need to complete to find Giovanni.
’Fashion Week: Taken Over’ Team Go Rocket Special Research
The “Fashion Week: Taken Over” Team GO Rocket Special Research in Pokémon GO is a five-stage quest released during the Fashion Week event from January 15 to January 19, 2025. Players are tasked with capturing Pokémon, purifying Shadow Pokémon, and battling Team GO Rocket Grunts and Leaders, culminating in a showdown with Giovanni using a Super Rocket Radar. Completing the research rewards players with XP, Stardust, and encounters with Shadow Pokémon such as Wooper, Croagunk, Absol, and the opportunity to rescue Shadow Palkia. The event also features increased Team GO Rocket appearances and the debut of new Shadow Pokémon, alongside the ability to use Charged TMs to remove Frustration from Shadow Pokémon. This Special Research does not expire once claimed, allowing players to complete it at their own pace before the next Team GO Rocket event.
’Fashion Week: Taken Over’ step 1 of 5
- Catch 15 Pokémon (5 Pinap Berries)
- Purify 2 shadow Pokémon (10 Poké Balls)
- Defeat 3 Team Go Rocket grunts (1 Mysterious Component)
Rewards: 1,500 XP, 500 Stardust, Wooper (fashionable) encounter
’Fashion Week: Taken Over’ step 2 of 5
- Catch 20 Pokémon (5 Pinap Berries)
- Purify 5 shadow Pokémon (10 Great Ball)
- Defeat 6 Team Go Rocket grunts (3 Mysterious Components)
Rewards: 2,000 XP, 1,000 Stardust, Croagunk (fashionable) encounter
’Fashion Week: Taken Over’ step 3 of 5
- Defeat Team Go Rocket leader Arlo (2,500 XP)
- Defeat Team Go Rocket leader Cliff (2,500 XP)
- Defeat Team Go Rocket leader Sierra (2,500 XP)
Rewards: 2,500 XP, 1,500 Stardust, 1 Super Rocket Radar
’Fashion Week: Taken Over’ step 4 of 5
- Find the Team Go Rocket Boss (10 Hyper Potions)
- Battle the Team Go Rocket Boss (10 Ultra Balls)
- Defeat the Team Go Rocket Boss (6 Max Revives)
Rewards: 3,000 XP, 2,000 Stardust, Absol (fashionable) encounter
After defeating Giovanni in battle, you’ll get the opportunity to catch shadow Palkia.
’Fashion Week: Taken Over’ step 5 of 5
- Claim reward! (1,500 Stardust)
- Claim reward! (1,500 Stardust)
- Claim reward! (1,500 Stardust)
Rewards: 6,000 XP, 5,000 Stardust, 3 Fast TMs
Pokémon Go ’Fashion Week: Taken Over’ Collection Challenge
The Pokémon Go “Fashion Week: Taken Over” Collection Challenge is a catch-focused event running until January 19, 2025, featuring a themed lineup of Pokémon including Gothita, Mareanie, Stunky, and several wearing fashionable costumes like Sneasel and Croagunk. Completing the challenge rewards players with 5000 Stardust and an encounter with Trubbish. This Collection Challenge is part of the larger Fashion Week event, which also includes Team Rocket takeovers, new Gen 9 Pokémon debuts, and special research quests culminating in a battle against Giovanni to rescue Shadow Palkia.
Catch the following Pokémon for a reward:
- Gothita
- Stunky
- Mareanie
- Sneasel (fashionable)
- Croagunk (fashionable)
- Wooper (fashionable)
- Absol (fashionable)
Rewards: Trubbish encounter, 5,000 Stardust
Pokémon Go ’Fashion Week: Taken Over’ event Field Research
The Pokémon Go “Fashion Week: Taken Over” event features a Team GO Rocket-themed Special Research quest available from January 15 to March 4, 2025, for trainers who completed the previous Team GO Rocket research. This Special Research involves battling Team GO Rocket grunts, leaders Arlo, Cliff, and Sierra, and ultimately Giovanni, allowing players to earn rewards such as a Super Rocket Radar and the chance to catch Shadow Palkia. The event also introduces new Shadow Pokémon including Shadow Taillow, Snivy, Tepig, Oshawott, Trubbish, and Bunnelby, alongside debuting Paldean Pokémon Shroodle and Grafaiai. Players can complete event-exclusive Field Research tasks to obtain items like Fast TMs, Charged TMs, and Mysterious Components, with additional bonuses such as increased Team GO Rocket appearances and the ability to use Charged TMs to remove the Frustration attack from Shadow Pokémon.
These tasks have a chance to appear from spinning PokéStops during the event:
- Defeat 1 Team Go Rocket grunt (1 Mysterious Component)
- Purify 3 shadow Pokémon (1 Fast TM or 1 Charged TM)
Pokémon Go ’Fashion Week: Taken Over’ boosted spawns
During the Pokémon Go ’Fashion Week: Taken Over’ event, which runs from January 15 to January 19, 2025, several Pokémon will have boosted spawn rates. These include Fashionable Wooper, Fashionable Sneasel, Fashionable Absol, Stunky, Fashionable Croagunk, Gothita, and Mareanie. The event continues to boost spawns from the original Fashion Week event, providing players with ample opportunities to catch these stylish Pokémon. Additionally, new Pokémon such as Shroodle and its evolution Grafaiai debut in 12 km eggs, adding to the excitement of the event. Team GO Rocket and Giovanni also appear more frequently, enhancing the overall event experience.
The following Pokémon will spawn more frequently during the event:
- Wooper (fashionable)
- Sneasel (fashionable)
- Absol (fashionable)
- Stunky
- Croagunk (fashionable)
- Gothita
- Mareanie
The spawns as part of the original “Fashion Week” event will continue to be boosted.
Pokémon Go ’Fashion Week: Taken Over’ 12 km eggs
During the Pokémon Go “Fashion Week: Taken Over” event, players can hatch a variety of Pokémon from 12 km eggs, including Larvitar, Sandile, Pawniard, Vullaby, Pancham, Salandit, Shroodle, and Varoom. Notably, Shroodle, a new Toxic Mouse Pokémon making its debut in this event, is exclusively available through these 12 km eggs and can be evolved into Grafaiai using 50 Shroodle Candy. These eggs are typically obtained by defeating Team GO Rocket leaders, adding a challenging yet rewarding element to the event’s gameplay.
The following Pokémon can hatch from 12 km eggs:
- Larvitar
- Sandile
- Pawniard
- Vullaby
- Pancham
- Salandit
- Shroodle
- Varoom
Pokémon Go ’Fashion Week: Taken Over’ event raid targets
During the Pokémon Go “Fashion Week: Taken Over” event, the raid schedule features special adjustments with Team Go Rocket and Giovanni making prominent appearances. Players will face new line-ups from Team Go Rocket Leaders and have the opportunity to battle and rescue Shadow Palkia, the featured Shadow Legendary Pokémon of the event. The event also introduces new Shadow Pokémon and a refreshed roster of raid targets, enhancing the challenge and rewards for trainers participating in the raids throughout the event period from January 15 to January 19, 2025.
The following changes to the raid schedule will take place as part of the event:
’Fashion Week: Taken Over’ raid line-up
During the Pokémon Go “Fashion Week: Taken Over” event, Team GO Rocket returns with a fresh raid line-up featuring their leaders Sierra, Cliff, and Arlo, who use Pokémon such as Skorupi, Cubone, and Alolan Grimer respectively. Giovanni also makes an appearance with a new team, and trainers have the chance to face these formidable foes more frequently as Team GO Rocket’s presence at Pokéstops and in balloons increases significantly. The event includes special research tasks that culminate in battles against these leaders and Giovanni, offering rewards like Stardust, XP, and encounters with Shadow Pokémon including Shadow Palkia. Additionally, players can use Charged TMs to remove the move Frustration from their Shadow Pokémon, enhancing their utility in battles.
Shadow one-star raids |
Shadow three-star raids |
|---|---|
| Nidoran-F | Electabuzz |
| Nidoran-M | Magmar |
| Totodile | Wobbuffet |
| Ralts |
How can I maximize my rewards during Pokémon Go’s Fashion Week event
To maximize your rewards during Pokémon GO’s Fashion Week event, follow these key strategies:
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Complete the “Fashion Week: Taken Over” Special Research fully, as it offers substantial rewards including XP, Stardust, exclusive encounters with fashionable Pokémon like Wooper, Croagunk, Absol, and the chance to catch Shadow Palkia after defeating Giovanni.
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Take advantage of the event bonuses such as 2× Stardust from catching Pokémon and increased chances for Trainers level 31+ to earn Candy XL, which is great for powering up your Pokémon like Dragonite and Gardevoir.
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Use Pinap Berries and Silver Pinap Berries to double or more the candy gained from catches, especially targeting higher-level or weather-boosted Pokémon to maximize XL candy gains.
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Mega Evolve Pokémon like Mega Rayquaza or Mega Pidgeot during the event to earn additional candies and XL candies for Pokémon of their types, boosting your candy farming efficiency.
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Focus on completing timed research and collection challenges, which reward encounters with fashionable and shiny Pokémon, XP, Stardust, and cosmetic items.
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Use Star Pieces to increase Stardust gains by 3× when catching Pokémon, amplifying your Stardust farming during the event.
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Prioritize catching costume and fashionable Pokémon as they count as separate species, helping you progress medals like the Tiny Pokémon Collector and Showcase Star, which can yield rare encounters such as PhD Pikachu.
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Consider purchasing the Timed Research ticket if you want to access all event spawns and rewards without extensive grinding.
By combining these approaches-completing special research, leveraging event bonuses, strategic berry and Mega Evolution use, and focusing on collection challenges-you’ll maximize your XP, Stardust, Candy XL, and unique Pokémon rewards during Fashion Week.
What are the most effective ways to complete the Special Research tasks quickly
To complete Pokémon GO Special Research tasks quickly and efficiently, use these proven strategies:
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Always keep an open research slot and discard tasks you can’t finish promptly to avoid clutter and focus on achievable objectives.
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Plan your route in an area dense with PokéStops to maximize spinning and task collection, especially during events when quests are generally easier.
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Save encounters for skill-shot or encounter-related tasks, and use quick catch techniques to speed up captures.
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Walk a 1 km buddy and incubate eggs in intervals to efficiently complete walking and hatching tasks simultaneously.
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For gym battle tasks, use a battle party with one low-CP Pokémon and empty slots to faint quickly, finishing the quest faster than prolonged battles, especially against tough defenders like Blissey.
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Pay attention to tasks with red double arrows; completing these will count as double progress, effectively speeding up task completion.
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Utilize moves seen from opposing Pokémon in battles to fulfill move-specific defeat tasks without extra effort, as the move just needs to be observed, not used by you.
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Stay consistent and focus on completing tasks that align with your current location and available Pokémon to avoid unnecessary detours or wasted time.
By combining these tactics-efficient task management, optimized routes, strategic battling, and leveraging task mechanics-you can significantly accelerate your Special Research progress in Pokémon GO.
