Pokémon Go’s “A Grim Beginning” quest forces a tough call: Dark or Fairy path? One choice unlocks shadowy powerhouses like Umbreon, the other fairy charmers such as Sylveon-pick wrong, and regret shadows your team.
‘A Grim Beginning’ Special Research quest steps
The ‘A Grim Beginning’ Special Research quest in Pokémon Go introduces Trainers to Galarian Zigzagoon’s evolution line and offers a choice between two themed paths: Dark or Fairy. The quest includes several stages with tasks such as catching Dark-type or Fairy-type Pokémon, powering up your Pokémon, and battling in raids or the GO Battle League. Completing each step rewards items like Stardust, XP, and encounters with Pokémon tied to your chosen path, leading up to an Obstagoon encounter and themed rewards that match your Dark or Fairy alignment.
This quest can be activated starting on Nov. 15 at 10 a.m. until Nov. 16 at 6 p.m. in your local time, so long as you bought the event pass. Once you start it, it will never expire, so you can take your time completing these steps.
Step 1 of 6
- Catch 10 Pokémon (2,000 XP)
- Spin 5 PokéStops or gyms (1 Poffin)
- Take snapshots of 3 different wild Pokémon (Dynamax Ralts encounter)
Rewards: Impidimp encounter, 1 Lucky Egg, 1 Incense
After this step, you’ll be prompted to pick between dark- or fairy-type. You can see our guidance on which one to pick in the section below.
Step 2 of 6
- Catch 30 Pokémon (1,000 Stardust)
- Make 5 nice throws (10 Ultra Balls)
- Use an Incense (10 Impidimp Candy)
- Take snapshots of 3 different wild Pokémon (Cacnea/Dedenne encounter)
Rewards: 1 Star Piece, 1 Poffin, 1 Lucky Egg
You’ll get the Cacnea if you picked dark and the Dedenne if you picked fairy.
Step 3 of 6
- Evolve 3 dark-/fairy-type Pokémon (3 Pinap Berries)
- Earn a candy exploring with a dark-/fairy-type as your buddy (10 Ultra Balls)
- Earn 3 hearts with a dark-/fairy-type buddy (1 Fast TM)
Rewards: 1,000 Stardust, 3 Rare Candy, 3 Nanab Berries
Step 4 of 6
- Catch 6 different species of dark-/fairy-type Pokémon (3 Pinap Berries)
- Power up dark-/fairy-type Pokémon 15 times (10 Ultra Balls)
- Use a dark-/fairy-type charged attack in 3 battles (1 Fast TM)
Rewards: Dark/Fairy medal, mighty Obstagoon/Gardevoir encounter, 2 Premium Battle Passes
You’ll get the Obstagoon if you pick the dark path and Gardevoir if you pick the fairy path.
Step 5 of 6
- Win a Gigantamax Battle (3 Silver Pinap Berries)
- Win 2 shadow Raids (3 Golden Razz Berries)
- Level Up a Max Move (800 Max Particles)
Rewards: Bewear (wilderness cape) encounter, 1 Lucky Egg, 1 Star Piece
Step 6 of 6
- Claim reward! (1,000 XP)
- Claim reward! (1 Super Incubator)
- Claim reward! (1 Poffin)
Rewards: Go Wild Area 2025 pose, 3 Candy XL, Gigantamax Grimmsnarl
Thanks to Leek Duck for confirming the information above.
Choose a path outcome: Should you pick Dark Detective or Fairy Fanatic?
Players face a key decision in Pokémon Go’s “A Grim Beginning” quest: Dark Detective or Fairy Fanatic. Dark Detective strengthens battles against Ghost, Psychic, and Dragon foes with boosted Dark-type attacks and encounters like Umbreon. Fairy Fanatic counters Dark, Dragon, and Fighting types through Fairy moves and catches such as Sylveon. Pick Dark for offensive power in PvP and raids; choose Fairy to handle common threats and build a balanced team. Your path shapes rewards and future steps.
The main bonus that differs here is whether you get a boost from mighty dark- or fairy-type Pokémon.
If you pick dark, then each dark-type mighty Pokémon you catch will give you a Candy XL and an additional 1,000 Stardust. The same goes for fairy-type mighty Pokémon, if you pick fairy.
If you are going for pure meta-relevance, you’ll want to pick dark.
While the fairy-type side would boost the candy gains for Gardevoir, there aren’t really any other fairy-type Pokémon outside of it that serves too much meta relevance. Meowscarada is good, but… comparatively to the list of dark-types you can use, it’s not good enough to make up the gap.
The dark-type mighty Pokémon are all vastly stronger than the fairy-type options, with Tyranitar (and its Mega Evolution) being one of the strongest Pokémon in the game. Mega Houndoom and Mega Absol are also pretty good.
The mighty Gardevoir you get from the fairy path is probably going to be more useful than the mighty Obstagoon, but if you’re playing throughout the event, you should run into quite a few of these anyway.
If you’re going for Gigantamax future-proofing, then consider picking fairy.
We know that Hatterene does get a Gigantamax form down the line, and if you want to start stocking up on Hatenna Candy XL, now wouldn’t be a terrible time to do so. Gigantamax Hatterene is the definitively fairy-type Max Battle attacker, if you’re into Max Battles.
What are the exact rewards for Dark path in A Grim Beginning quest
A Grim Beginning Dark Path Rewards
The Dark path in Pokémon Go’s “A Grim Beginning” Special Research offers themed encounters and items focused on Dark-types, culminating in shared final rewards.
Step 1 (Pre-Choice, Shared)
Tasks: Catch 10 Pokémon, spin 5 PokéStops/gyms, snapshot 3 wild Pokémon.
Rewards: 2,000 XP, Impidimp encounter, 1 Egg, 1 Incense, 1 Lucky Egg.
Step 2 Rewards
1 Star Piece, 1 Poffin, 1 Lucky Egg (plus encounters like Cacnea).
Step 3 Rewards
1,000 Stardust, 3 Rare Candies (or Candies per some sources), 3 Nanab Berries.
Step 4 Rewards
Dark Detective Medal, Mighty Obstagoon encounter, 2 Premium Battle Passes.
Steps 5-6 Rewards (Shared Post-Choice)
Step 5: Wilderness Cape Bewear encounter, 1 Lucky Egg, 1 Star Piece.
Step 6: GO Wild Area 2025 Pose, 3 Rare Candy XL, Gigantamax Grimmsnarl encounter.
Bonus: After Step 4 medal, each Mighty Dark-type catch yields +1 Candy XL and 1,000 Stardust.
What are the exact tasks for each step in Dark path of A Grim Beginning
A Grim Beginning Dark Path Tasks
The Dark path in Pokémon Go’s “A Grim Beginning” Special Research features type-specific tasks after the shared Step 1, focusing on Dark-type Pokémon activities.
Step 1 Tasks (Pre-Choice)
Catch 10 Pokémon, spin 5 PokéStops or Gyms, take 3 snapshots of wild Pokémon.
Step 2 Tasks
Catch 30 Pokémon, make 5 Nice Throws, use an Incense (active), take snapshots of 3 wild Pokémon.
Step 3 Tasks
Evolve 3 Dark-type Pokémon, earn Candy while exploring with a Dark-type Buddy, earn 3 hearts with a Dark-type Buddy.
Step 4 Tasks
Catch 6 different species of Dark-type Pokémon, power up Dark-type Pokémon 15 times.
Step 5 Tasks (Shared)
Win a Gigantamax Battle, win 2 Shadow Raids, level up a Max Move.
Step 6 Tasks (Shared)
Claim Reward x3.
