Current Field Research

FAQ

What is Research in Pokémon GO?

Research is a feature in Pokémon GO that gives Trainers the opportunity to help Professor Willow with his Pokémon Research. Completing a Research Task will unlock rewards. The more challenging a task, the greater the reward will be.

There are two types of Research you can contribute to: Field Research and Special Research.

What is Field Research?

Field Research tasks are assigned/collected by spinning PokéStops. Trainers can only receive and complete one task from each PokéStop each day. Tasks are the same for all trainers on a given day so you can share PokéStop locations for a desirable task with others in your community.

The task will consist of an objective and a reward for completing it. Rewards range from Items to Pokémon encounters. If the task awards items, it will disclose what item and quantity on the task itself. If it’s an encounter, it won’t. Instead you can refer to the handy graphic on this page.

The first Field Research task you complete for a day will reward you with a Stamp towards unlocking a Research Breakthrough.

How do I unlock a Research Breakthrough?

You can unlock a Research Breakthrough by collect 7 Stamps. Again, Stamps are obtained from your first completed Field Research task for the day. Unlike the ‘First PokéStop of the Day’ or ‘First Catch of the Day’ streaks, you do not need to collect Stamps on consecutive days. You won’t ever lose stamps you earned because you missed a day.

Upon reaching 7 Stamps, you can open the box and earn a handful of helpful Rewards. Rewards will consist of a Pokémon encounter, XP, Stardust and will include one of the following items: Rare Candy, Pinap Berries, Ultra Balls, or Poké Balls.

What is Special Research?

Special Research is like Field Research but they can be thought of as part of the game’s Story. Like Field Research they consist of tasks that you work through to earn Rewards. However in Special Research completing a set of task will earn you additional rewards. Completing all sets of tasks in the series will earn you a more valuable reward. eg. A Mythical Pokémon encounter.

While, Trainers cannot repeat Special Research tasks, Professor Willow will occasionally seek assistance with new tasks. Special Research can also be assigned at Special Events like GO Fest in Chicago or during in-game Events like Pokémon GO Halloween 2018.

What are the CP numbers under the Pokémon in the graphic?

That is the Perfect CP value or the number a Pokémon will have on encounter from Field Research when it’s IV values are maxed out. It is helpful to know at a glance if an encounter has high IVs.

What is the Sparkle next to some Pokémon in the graphic?

The sparkle indicates that there is a chance of encountering that Pokémon in their Shiny form. The chance of encountering a Shiny from a Field Research task is 1 in 450. However they could possibly be higher for certain encounters (eg. Absol).