In Pokémon Go’s latest Beloved Buddies event, trainers face a pivotal choice: team up with Candela or Arlo, each offering a unique path with distinct rewards and challenges. Will you embrace Candela’s PvP-focused journey, complete with social tasks and the chance to catch Dunsparce, or opt for Arlo’s PvE-centric route, featuring Rocket Radar and powerful Pokémon like Scizor? Your decision will shape your gameplay experience and determine which exclusive Pokémon and rewards you earn before the event ends.
Which path should you pick? Candela or Arlo?
When deciding between Candela or Arlo in Pokémon Go’s Beloved Buddies Timed Research, your choice should align with your playstyle and goals. Choose Candela if you prefer PvP battles and don’t mind social tasks like making friends and trading Pokémon; her path rewards you with Dunsparce, useful in Great League PvP, and Poffins to boost buddy affection. On the other hand, Arlo’s path is better suited for PvE players and solo trainers, offering easier tasks without social requirements, plus valuable rewards like a Rocket Radar for tracking Team Go Rocket leaders, and strong Pokémon such as Cubone (which evolves into Marowak) and Scizor, a powerful bug-type attacker. Overall, Arlo’s path tends to provide more practical rewards with less effort, making it the preferred choice for many players.
After the first step of the free research, there’ll be a branched choice: Should you pick Candela or Arlo?
If you want a PvP-relevant Pokémon and Poffins, you should pick Candela. Candela offers a meta-relevant Great League PvP pick: Dunsparce. However, this isn’t super hard to come across (the spawns are boosted for Dunsparce during this event, too), so this shouldn’t be too much of a determining factor when it comes to picking Candela.
If you want a more PvE-oriented Pokémon and a Rocket Radar, you should pick Arlo. You’ll get a Cubone, which evolves into Marowak, a decent Great League PvP contender, and a Scizor, which can Mega Evolve into a pretty good bug-type attacker. Arlo also offers a Rocket Radar, so if you’re hunting down Giovanni and the Team Go Rocket leaders, this is pretty useful.
Notably unlike past branched research, the steps are actually different based on which person you choose. Candela requires adding a new friend and trading Pokémon to another player, so if you’re an introvert or a solo player, these may be walls that will prevent you from finishing the research. In this case, you should pick Arlo’s path.
Candela and Arlo Timed Research steps and outcomes
The Candela and Arlo Timed Research in Pokémon Go’s Beloved Buddies event offers two distinct paths with unique tasks and rewards. After completing the first shared step, players choose between Candela, focusing on PvP and social gameplay, and Arlo, geared towards PvE and Rocket battles. Candela’s tasks include earning hearts with your buddy, making friends, and trading Pokémon, rewarding encounters with Dunsparce and Rapidash, along with Poffins to boost buddy affection. Arlo’s path involves catching and transferring Pokémon, defeating Team Go Rocket grunts, and culminates in encounters with Cubone, Shadow Diglett, Slowpoke, and Scizor, plus a Rocket Radar to track Team Go Rocket leaders. Each path suits different playstyles, with Candela favoring social and PvP players, and Arlo better for solo players focused on PvE and Rocket challenges.
Below, we list the steps and rewards for the “Beloved Buddies” Timed Research. Remember that you must complete the research before the event ends on Feb. 15 at 8 p.m. in your local time.
’Beloved Buddies’ step 1 of 3
- Catch 15 Pokémon (5 Ultra Balls)
- Spin 5 PokéStops or gyms (Remoraid encounter)
- Explore 2 km (Mantine encounter)
Rewards: 1,000 Stardust, 1,000 XP
After completing this step, you’ll get the choice to pick between Candela and Arlo. Doing so will impact what tasks you get as well as the rewards.
’Beloved Buddies’ step 2 of 3 (Candela)
- Earn 10 hearts with your buddy (500 Stardust)
- Earn a candy exploring with your buddy (Luvdisc encounter)
- Make a new friend (2 Poffins)
Rewards: Dunsparce encounter, 2,000 XP
’Beloved Buddies’ step 2 of 3 (Arlo)
- Catch 15 Pokémon (500 Stardust)
- Transfer 5 Pokémon (Cubone encounter)
- Defeat 3 Team Go Rocket grunts (1 Rocket Radar)
Rewards: Shadow Diglett encounter, 2,000 XP
’Beloved Buddies’ step 3 of 3 (Candela)
- Play with your buddy 5 times (10 Ultra Balls)
- Send 3 gifts to friends (500 Stardust)
- Trade a Pokémon (Shellder encounter)
Rewards: Rapidash encounter, 3,000 XP, 2,000 Stardust
’Beloved Buddies’ step 3 of 3 (Arlo)
- Catch 25 Pokémon (10 Ultra Balls)
- Transfer 15 Pokémon (500 Stardust)
- Defeat Team Go Rocket Arlo (Slowpoke encounter)
Which path offers the most exciting Pokémon encounters in Pokémon Go
The path offering the most exciting Pokémon encounters in Pokémon Go depends on your preference for rarity and PvP utility. For the Candela or Arlo choice, Candela’s path is notable for featuring Dunsparce, a meta-relevant Great League PvP pick, making it appealing for competitive players. In contrast, during the Steeled Resolve Timed Research event, Cliff’s path provides slightly rarer Pokémon encounters, including Shadow Machop and Marowak, which are harder to obtain through regular gameplay, making it more exciting for collectors and PvP enthusiasts alike. Therefore, if your goal is to encounter rarer Pokémon and gain unique rewards, Cliff’s path is generally considered the more thrilling option, while Candela’s path offers strong PvP-relevant Pokémon encounters.
Which Pokémon encounter path offers the rarest or most powerful Pokémon in Pokémon Go
Among the Pokémon Go encounter paths involving character choices, the path offering the rarest or most powerful Pokémon varies by event and player goals. For example, in the Steeled Resolve Timed Research event, Cliff’s path is considered to offer rarer and more powerful Pokémon encounters, including Shadow Machop (which evolves into the strong Shadow Machamp) and Marowak, both less common than the Pokémon on Blanche’s path like Marill and Steelix. Shadow Machop, in particular, is notably harder to obtain through regular gameplay, giving Cliff’s path an edge for players seeking rare and potent fighters.
More broadly, some of the rarest and most powerful Pokémon in Pokémon Go, such as Armored Mewtwo, Volcarona, and Rotom forms, are typically available only through special events or raids rather than specific path choices. Thus, for the rarest or most powerful Pokémon overall, event participation and raid battles are key.
In summary, for path-based encounters, Cliff’s path generally offers the rarest and most powerful Pokémon compared to Blanche’s, while the rarest legendary or mythical Pokémon require special events or raids beyond these paths.
