Pokémon GO’s Shadowy Skirmishes Special Research is up and running for players who want to tackle Team Rocket in exchange for rewards. The Special Research was added to the game as a part of the Team GO Rocket Takeover in February. While the Team GO Rocket Takeover is set to end on February 5, the Shadowy Skirmishes will remain in the players’ Special Research tab until it is concluded, meaning they do not have a time limit to actually complete it.

The Special Research, aside from items and XP, also grants players a chance to catch the Electric- and Normal-type Pokémon, Helioptile. In fact, a sum of three can be caught with Shadowy Skirmishes, and all of them have a chance of being Shiny. Although the creature was already present in the game, Pokémon GO’s Crackling Voltage event introduced Helioptile’s Shiny form, which can now be captured with the Special Research.

Related: Pokémon GO: All February 2023 Events & Rewards

General Tasks & Rewards For Shadowy Skirmishes

As noted by Game Rant, the Shadowy Skirmishes Special Research in Pokémon GO has a total of five steps, with three different tasks to complete within each one. While the first step is the only one in which players have the opportunity to capture Helioptile, the following steps reward them with important and much-needed items, from Poké Balls to rare Berries and Rocket Radars. Trainers also get Stardust and many points of XP. The ultimate prize, however, is a chance to take on the Team GO Rocket Boss Giovanni in Pokémon GO.

Shadowy Skirmishes: Part 1

Players have three separate Helioptile encounters in the first step. This means they get three chances of finding a Shiny Helioptile in Pokémon GO. This is the only step that requires walking to complete a task.

Shadowy Skirmishes: Part 2

Step 2 of Shadowy Skirmishes focuses mainly on defeating Team GO Rocket Grunts. However, even if players defeat all six, they need only to catch four Shadow Pokémon and purify two.

Shadowy Skirmishes: Part 3

Facing Arlo, Cliff, and Sierra in Pokémon GO is always challenging, mainly because their team comps can vary. In addition, they have different possible Pokémon in two of their three slots, which can be troublesome when finding counters.

Shadowy Skirmishes: Part 4

Despite not being the last step, this is the final challenge in the Shadowy Skirmishes Special Research. Players need only find and defeat Giovanni in Pokémon GO to complete the step.

Shadowy Skirmishes: Part 5

The last step in Shadowy Skirmishes is just a round of rewards for players. They must only claim their rewards to complete it.

Pokémon GO’s Shadowy Skirmishes can be completed at any moment, not only during Crackling Voltage or throughout the Team GO Rocket Takeover. What changes if players tackle the Special Research later are the team comps for the Team GO Rocket Leaders. Players may be unable to catch Giovanni's Shadow Registeel in Pokémon GO since he also changes his team comp.

More: Pokémon GO: All Legendary & Mega Raids in February 2023

Source: Game Rant

• 

  Pokemon GO

  Released:

  2016-07-06

  Developer:

  The Pokemon Company, Nintendo, Niantic

  Genre:

  Augmented Reality, RPG

  Platform:

  Android, iOS

  Publisher:

  Niantic, Nintendo

  ESRB:

  E

  Franchise:

  Pokemon