Pokemon Go: Looming in the Shadows research tasks and rewards guide

The new Team Rocket leaders are finally in Pokemon Go and along with their introduction comes a brand new special research quest: Looming in the Shadows.

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Before we begin, it’s important to note that you’ll need to complete the previous Team Rocket related special research quest, “A Troubling Situation” before this new one becomes available.

• Read More: You can encounter Giovanni more than once in Pokemon Go

The Looming in the Shadows quest is broken into six stages and it is already looking tricky. Five days has passed since the quest has been available, so the “Spin a PokeStop 5 days in a row” task has now been completed by some trainers. This means we now have the full list of tasks and rewards:

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Looming in the Shadows tasks list

Looming in the Shadows 1/6

• Spin 10 PokeStops – 500 XP
• Defeat 3 Team GO Rocket Grunts – 500 XP
• Catch 1 Shadow Pokemon – 500 XP
• Rewards: 500 Stardust, 10 PokeBalls and 10 Razz Berries

Looming in the Shadows 2/6

• Spin a PokeStop 5 days in a row – 750 XP
• Purify 15 Shadow Pokemon – 750 XP
• Win 5 raids – 750 XP
• Rewards: 1,000 Stardust, 3 Potions and 3 Revives

Looming in the Shadows 3/6

• Use 6 supereffective Charged Attacks in gym battles – 1,000 XP
• Win 3 Great League Trainer Battles against another trainer – 1,000 XP
• Defeat 6 Team GO Rocket Grunts – 1,000 XP
• Rewards: 1,500 Stardust, 15 Great Balls and 5 Pinap Berries

Looming in the Shadows 4/6

• Defeat Team GO Rocket Leader Arlo – 1,250 XP
• Defeat Team GO Rocket Leader Cliff – 1,250 XP
• Defeat Team GO Rocket Leader Sierra – 1,250 XP
• Rewards: 2,000 Stardust, 1 Rocket Radar and 3 Golden Razz Berries

Looming in the Shadows 5/6

• Find the Team GO Rocket Boss – 2,500 Stardust
• Battle the Team GO Rocket Boss – 1,500 XP
• Defeat the Team GO Rocket Boss – 3 Silver Pinap Berries
• Rewards: 3,000 Stardust, 1 Fast TM and 1 Charged TM

Looming in the Shadows 6/6

• Already Complete – 2,000 XP
• Already Complete – 2,000 XP
• Already Complete – 2,000 XP
• Rewards: 3 Max Revive, 20 Ultra Balls and 3 Rare Candy

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Battle Giovanni

Looming in the Shadows is one of the more tricky quests yet. Already tasks such as purifying 15 (yes 15) Shadow Pokemon is looking time consuming and expensive. You can save some Stardust by focusing on species such as Rattata and Zubat which only cost 1,000 Stardust to purify.

• Read More: Guide to the new Team GO Rocket leaders in Pokemon Go

It should be worth it though, as completing all the stages will earn you an encounter with Giovanni himself and the chance to catch a Shadow legendary Pokemon. Don’t get too excited if you find him beforehand though, Grunts are already disguising themselves as the big Team Rocket boss man.

All reports so far indicate that Giovanni’s Shadow Pokemon will be Articuno. This means Zapdos and Moltres will likely be added at a later date.

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Giovanni rewards

In addition to the opportunity of catching Shadow Articuno, defeating Giovanni will yearn other rewards. Reports so far show there will be a guaranteed 5,000 Stardust reward along with 12 Max Potions or Max Revives (in multiples of four, so you can eight of one and four of the other).

Usually when you encounter a legendary Pokemon it is a guaranteed capture. However, there is evidence that suggests Shadow Articuno can run away. This hasn’t been proven though, as it’s possible the trainer simply ran out of Premier Balls. Our advice is to take your time and don’t get complacent with the potential 18 balls you can start the encounter with.

Page last updated 15:45 EST, November 11, 2019