Pokémon Go has been preparing its new collection challenge gameplay for some time – and today we took a first look at how it will work.
This new type of challenge will provide a literal checklist of Pokémon species to catch within a limited event window, with some more difficult to find than others.
The collection challenges will be on the Today screen of Pokémon Go, designating them as Timed Research. There will also be a new profile medal – Elite Collector – to complete several medals.
The first collection challenge is scheduled to air for everyone tomorrow, January 5, at the beginning of the game’s Unova event. Some players took a look at it today as part of a test / error by developer Niantic, and this is how it works.
As posted on TheSilphRoad’s top Pokémon reddit, capturing a species will eliminate it from your list. Early evidence suggests that you will have to physically acquire each species – you can’t just let another player switch them, and evolved Pokémon will need to be found new, rather than dug up from your existing collection.
To begin with, Unova’s collection challenge seems relatively simple, although with the associated event we haven’t started yet, we’re not sure how common the spawns of rarer creatures like Ferroseed will be. Fortunately, there is nothing here that specifically requires you to use incubators to hatch eggs or attack passes.
Collection challenges are the first gameplay addition to Pokémon Go in 2021 and will be an integral part of the next Pokémon Kanto Tour event. This is set to challenge players to catch each creature of the 151 original species in the game, with all 151 species available in their Shiny variations – many for the first time.