Embark on a thrilling journey in Pokémon Go’s special research quest, A Paldean Adventure, where your choice of companion-Sprigatito, Fuecoco, or Quaxly-shapes your unique path through the Paldea region. Will you bond with the playful Grass-type Sprigatito, the fiery Fuecoco, or the spirited Water-type Quaxly? Each path offers distinct challenges and rewards, making your decision a defining moment in this Gen 9 celebration.
The “A Paldean Adventure” Special Research will run until the end of the season, meaning you have until Dec. 1 to claim. Once you log in and begin, it’ll stick around forever in your Special quest tab, so there is no urgency in finishing every step – which is just as well as the requirements are pretty steep.
The quest debuted as part of the similarly named “A Paldean Adventure” event, which concluded on Sunday, Sept. 10, before transitioning into the “Ultra Unlock: Paldea” event. It also saw fellow Gen 9 debutant Lechonk its own quest, “Lechonk’s Adventure.”
’A Paldean Adventure’ Special Research quest steps
The “A Paldean Adventure” Special Research quest in Pokémon Go is a limited-time, branching special research available until December 1st, 2023. Players begin by completing initial tasks such as catching Pokémon and then must choose one of three paths, each centered around a Paldean starter Pokémon: Sprigatito, Fuecoco, or Quaxly. This choice is permanent and determines the specific challenges and rewards, including encounters and evolution tasks, that players will face throughout the quest. Each path consists of five steps involving activities like catching Pokémon, spinning PokéStops, evolving the chosen starter, and exploring specific distances. Rewards include XP, Stardust, special Pokémon encounters, and items like Poké Balls and Lucky Eggs. The quest is designed to be completed at a relaxed pace, allowing players to bond with their chosen starter while progressing through varied challenges tailored to their selection.
The headline of the event is Special Research “A Paldean Adventure,” which you have until Dec. 1 to claim.
“A Paldean Adventure” step 1 of 5
- Catch 8 Pokémon (20 Poké Balls)
Rewards: 900 XP, 900 Stardust
At this point, you will choose a path between which starter – Fuecoco, Sprigatito, or Quaxly – you want to adventure with.
You can read our thoughts on which to pick in the next section, otherwise, the steps that follow are:
“A Paldean Adventure” step 2 of 5
- Catch 3 Pokémon (3 Poké Balls)
- Take a snapshot of a wild Pokémon (300 Stardust)
Rewards: Fuecoco, Sprigatito, or Quaxly encounter, 900 XP
“A Paldean Adventure” step 3 of 5
- Spin 50 PokéStops or Gyms (20 Razz Berries)
- Catch 200 Pokémon (15 Pinap Berries)
- Send 60 Gifts to friends (25 Poké Balls)
- Evolve Fuecoco, Sprigatito, or Quaxly (1,000 XP)
- Earn a heart with your buddy on 7 different days (3,000 XP)
Rewards: Lechonk encounter, 900 XP
“A Paldean Adventure” step 4 of 5
- Explore 30 km (5 Mysterious Components)
- Catch 400 Pokémon (25 Great Balls)
- Earn 40 Candies walking your buddy (9 Golden Razz Berry)
- Evolve Floragato, Crocalor, or Quaxwell (2,000 XP)
- Visit PokéStops on 14 different days (6,000 Stardust)
Rewards: Pawmi encounter, 900 XP
“A Paldean Adventure” step 5 of 5
- Explore 80 km (25 Ultra Balls)
- Catch 100 difference species of Pokémon (2 Rocket Radars)
- Complete 150 Field Research tasks (5 Silver Pinap Berries)
- Power up Pokémon 50 times (50 Fuecoco, Sprigatito, or Quaxly Candy)
- Catch a Pokémon on 14 different days (9,000 Stardust)
Rewards: 1 Lucky Egg, 900 XP
Choose a path outcomes: Which starter out of Fuecoco, Sprigatito, and Quaxly should you adventure with?
When choosing which starter to adventure with in Pokémon Go’s “A Paldean Adventure” special research quest, your decision will shape the challenges and rewards you encounter. The three starters-Sprigatito (Grass-type), Fuecoco (Fire-type), and Quaxly (Water-type)-each offer unique evolution lines and encounters. While the quest steps are largely similar across paths, the key difference lies in evolving your chosen starter, which requires gathering candy specific to that Pokémon. For example, choosing Sprigatito means evolving it into Floragato and then Meowscarada, while Fuecoco evolves into Crocalor and Skeledirge, and Quaxly into Quaxwell and Quaquaval. The best choice is subjective and often depends on which starter you prefer or have already collected candy for, as this will speed up evolution challenges. Notably, Quaxly’s final evolution, Quaquaval, is praised for strong stats in PvP and raids, making it a solid pick for competitive play, whereas Fuecoco’s Skeledirge offers excellent move coverage, and Sprigatito’s Meowscarada has a high Attack stat suited for raids. Ultimately, pick the starter you find coolest or cutest, as the quest is designed to be completed over several weeks regardless of path.
Unlike Pokémon Scarlet and Violet – where starters are much harder to come by, and your choice ideally takes into account which type will give you the greatest advantage over early level gyms – choosing Fuecoco, Sprigatito, or Quaxly in Pokémon Go is simply a case of whichever you prefer.
The quest choice not only dictates which starter you’ll receive in an encounter at the end of step 2, but which you need to evolve in steps 3 and 4, and finally, who you will receive 50 candy for in step 5.
The other consideration beyond the above is that whichever you choose in this research step will have a higher-than-average set of stats, with an “IV floor” of 10/10/10 (out of a possible max of 15/15/15). This means you are guaranteed to get a moderately powerful version of that Pokémon, so if you plan to have one as part of your battle party, then opt for that.
That said, you catch more starters easily through Field Research and eggs with similar IV floors as part of the event, not to mention the possibility of getting good stats through wild catches and a dose of luck. In other words – this is by far not your only chance to get a Gen 9 starter with good IVs.
To summarize, the “choose a path” quest won’t offer anything exclusive, so opt for your favorite out of the three. (For us, it’s the grass starter. Always the grass starter.)
’A Paldean Adventure’ event Collection Challenges
The “A Paldean Adventure” event in Pokémon Go features four distinct Collection Challenges centered around the Paldean starters Sprigatito, Fuecoco, Quaxly, and Lechonk. Each challenge requires players to catch specific Pokémon from the Paldea region, with three challenges involving three Pokémon each and one involving two. Completing these challenges rewards players with Stardust, encounters with special Pokémon like Lechonk, and other valuable items. This event offers an excellent opportunity to expand your Gen 9 Pokémon collection while earning useful rewards through catching, evolving, and exploring.
As well as the above quest, there are also four Collection Challenges to complete until the end of the Ultra Unlock: Paldea event on Friday, Sept. 15:
Spigatito Collection Challenge
- Spigatito
- Hoppip
- Lechonk
Rewards: 1,000 Stardust, Lechonk encounter
Fuecoco Collection Challenge
- Fuecoco
- Houndour
- Lechonk
Rewards: 1,000 Stardust, Lechonk encounter
Quaxly Collection Challenge
- Quaxly
- Buizel
- Lechonk
Who should I adventure with to maximize rewards in Pokémon Go
To maximize rewards in Pokémon Go’s Buddy Adventure, the key is to focus on building a strong relationship with your Buddy Pokémon by earning hearts through various activities such as walking together, battling, playing, feeding berries, taking snapshots, visiting new PokéStops, and following routes together.
For the best overall benefits, choose a Buddy you plan to interact with frequently and aim to reach Best Buddy status, which grants a CP boost equivalent to your Pokémon being one level higher, along with other perks like catch assist and item finding. You can speed up this process by using Poffins to make your Buddy “excited,” which doubles the hearts earned per activity.
Regarding which Pokémon to adventure with to maximize rewards specifically in the A Paldean Adventure or similar quests, while personal preference plays a role, Grookey (or its Paldean equivalent Sprigatito) is often recommended as the best path for solid rewards and gameplay benefits. However, you can switch Buddies daily to earn perks across multiple Pokémon, which helps maximize candy and other rewards overall.
In summary:
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Pick a Buddy you will consistently engage with.
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Use Poffins to excite your Buddy for faster heart gain.
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Perform all heart-earning activities daily.
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Consider Grookey/Sprigatito for strong rewards in path quests.
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Switch Buddies to spread benefits if you have multiple favorites.
Which Pokémon are best for maximizing Candy and CP boosts during Buddy Adventure
To maximize Candy and CP boosts during Buddy Adventure in Pokémon Go, consider the following:
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Best Pokémon for Candy: Pokémon that require 1 km walking distance as Buddy are ideal for faster Candy accumulation. Examples include many Gen 1 Pokémon like Caterpie, Weedle, Pikachu, and Gen 9 Pokémon such as Lechonk, Tarountula, and Tandemaus. Walking these Pokémon as your Buddy will earn Candy more quickly.
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Pokémon that benefit most from CP Boost: The CP Boost gained at Best Buddy status is equivalent to powering up the Pokémon twice (or one level up). This boost is especially valuable for high-CP Pokémon used in raids, PvP, or those that can Mega Evolve. Examples include Snorlax, Chansey (Blissey), Machop (Machamp), and Dratini (Dragonite). Mega-evolvable Pokémon and high-IV “hundos” also benefit greatly from this boost.
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Pokémon that evolve via Buddy Candy: Some Pokémon require Buddy Candy to evolve, such as Eevee, Feebas, Pancham, Spritzee, Togepi, and the Gen 2 starters (Chikorita, Cyndaquil, Totodile). Buddying these Pokémon not only helps evolve them but also grants Candy and CP boost benefits.
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General strategy: Choose Pokémon you want to power up or evolve, especially those useful in raids or PvP, and walk them as your Buddy to accumulate Candy faster. Use Poffins to excite your Buddy and earn hearts quicker, advancing to Best Buddy status for the CP boost and other perks.
In summary, to maximize Candy and CP boosts, pick 1 km Buddy Pokémon you want to evolve or power up, especially those with raid or PvP utility, and focus on reaching Best Buddy status for the CP boost in battles.
