Pokemon Go Shadowy Skirmishes Special Research tasks & rewards

The Pokemon Go Shadowy Skirmishes Special Research story has arrived, with a bunch of Team Go Rocket-related tasks to complete and some great rewards on offer.

Team Go Rocket is taking over Pokemon Go once again in February 2023. As well as Grunts appearing more frequently at PokeStops, there’s a new Team Go Rocket-themed Special Research story to unlock.

Working through this Special Research story will lead you to battles with Arlo, Sierra, Cliff, and eventually, Team Go Rocket’s Boss Giovanni and his Shadow Registeel – which you’ll get a chance to catch if you can defeat it.

Below, you’ll find everything you need to know to unlock the Shadowy Skirmishes Special Research story in Pokemon Go and details of each task.

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Pokemon Go Shadowy Skirmishes Special Research tasks & rewards

Here are all of the tasks and rewards in the Shadowy Skirmishes Special Research story:

Step 1 of 5

• Defeat 6 Team Go Rocket Grunts – Heloptile encounter
• Make 3 Nice Curveball Throws in a row – Helioptile encounter
• Earn 2 Candies exploring with your Buddy – Helioptile encounter

Rewards: 2000 XP, 15 Poke Balls & 10 Revives

Step 2 of 5

• Defeat 6 Team Go Rocket Grunts – 10 Hyper Potions
• Catch 4 Shadow Pokemon – 10 Poke Balls
• Purify 2 Shadow Pokemon – 10 Pinap Berries

Rewards: 2000 XP, 15 Great Balls & 1 Rocket Radar

Step 3 of 5

• Defeat Team Go Rocket Leader Arlo – 1500 XP
• Defeat Team Go Rocket Leader Cliff – 1500 XP
• Defeat Team Go Rocket Leader Sierra – 1500 XP

Rewards: 2500 XP, 1000 Stardust & 1 Super Rocket Radar

Step 4 of 5

• Find the Team Go Rocket Boss – 5 Max Potions
• Battle the Team Go Rocket Boss – 20 Ultra Balls
• Defeat the Team Go Rocket Boss – 5 Max Revives

Rewards: 3000 XP, 1 Lucky Egg & 2 Golden Razz Berries

Step 5 of 5

• Claim Reward! – 2500 XP
• Claim Reward! – 2500 XP
• Claim Reward! – 2500 XP

Rewards: 5000 XP, 2500 Stardust & 2 Silver Pinap Berries

Special shoutout to LeekDuck for help with these details.

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How to unlock Pokemon Go Shadowy Skirmishes Special Research

Before you can access the Shadowy Skirmishes Special Research story in Pokemon Go, you’ll need to complete any other Team Go Rocket Special Research stories that you currently have active.

These are some of the previous Team Go Rocket quests that may be stopping you:

• Looming in the Shadows (November 2019)
• A Challenging Development (December 2019)
• The Take-Over Continues (January 2020)
• A Professor’s Work is Never Done (February 2020)
• The Shadowy Threat Grows (March and April 2020)
• An Inter-egg-sting Development (October 2020)
• The Higher They Fly… (March 2021)
• A Seven-Colored Shadow (June 2021)
• Silent Schemes (April 2022)
• Field Notes: Team Go Rocket (July 2022)

If you see any of these stories in your Special Research menu in Pokemon Go, you’ll need to complete them before you can get access to the Shadowy Skirmishes Special Research quest.

As soon as you complete your active Team Go Rocket Special Research story, you’ll skip the rest and jump straight to the current one, which in this case will be the Shadowy Skirmishes quest.

That’s everything you need to know about the Shadowy Skirmishes Special Research story! Check out some more Pokemon Go guides below:

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