As part of the ticketed bonus to Pokémon Go‘s 2026 Wild Area event, players can start a set of Special Research Tasks called “Streets to Skies.” During this research, you’ll need to pick between steel- or dragon-type Pokémon, with your pick having a slight impact on your rewards.
If you bought the ticket, make sure to start the research by opening your Special Research screen during the event on Nov. 14 or 15. Once you have the research started, it’ll be unlocked permanently, so you can take your time completing it. That being said, it’ll be much easier to complete the research during this event.
Below, we explain whether you should pick steel or dragon in the Pokémon Go 2026 Wild Area Special Research and the steps and rewards for the research itself.
Choose a path outcome: Should you pick steel or dragon?
This year, the differences between the research are pretty small. No matter what, you’ll get Gigantamax Duraludon at the end, with the main difference being what bonuses you’ll get for the remainder of the event:
- If you pick Steel Scholar, you’ll get an additional candy XL and 1,000 Stardust per caught steel-type mighty Pokémon.
- If you pick Dragon Defender, you’ll get an additional candy XL and 1,000 Stardust per caught dragon-type mighty Pokémon.
Both steel- and dragon-types have their uses. If you pick steel, you can focus on powering up Metagross (and thus, Mega Metagross), which is probably the most “meta” pick of the two. However, a case could be made for picking dragon. Since paid ticket holders get a “chance” to find mighty Latios and Latias, opting for the dragon side will net you bonus candy for them — but only if you’re lucky enough to even find and catch them. Additionally, you’ll get more candy for Hydreigon and Haxorus, which is also pretty good.
Additionally, if you pick steel, you’ll get an encounter with a mighty Metagross, whereas picking dragon will net you an encounter with a mighty Hydreigon. Given what we explain above, picking steel is the more meta option. (But hopefully, you’ll encounter lots of both of these Pokémon throughout the event, making this factor somewhat negligible.)
If you want to focus on guaranteed power, pick steel. If you want to try your luck, pick dragon. If you don’t really care about either of those, pick based on which medal you want to earn for this event, as you’ll only get the one (shown in the image at the top of this article) for the side you pick.
‘Streets to Skies’ Special Research quest steps
Step 1 of 6
- Catch 10 Pokémon (1 Incense)
- Make 5 nice throws (1 Poffin)
- Use an Incense (1 Rare Candy XL)
Rewards: 1,000 XP, 1,000 Stardust
After completing the first step, you’ll be asked to pick between Steel Scholar or Dragon Defender. The steps and rewards are largely the same, though you’ll need to focus on steel-type Pokémon if you pick Steel Scholar or focus on dragon-type Pokémon if you pick Dragon Defender.
Step 2 of 6
- Catch 30 Pokémon (Dynamax Machop/Ralts encounter)
- Spin 5 PokéStops or gyms (10 Great Balls)
- Explore 1 km (10 Duraludon Candy)
- Complete 2 Field Research tasks (Beldum/Deino encounter)
Rewards: 1 Star Piece, 1 Poffin, 1 Lure Module
You’ll get the Dynamax Machop and Beldum if you picked steel, and the Dynamax Ralts and Deino if you picked dragon.
Step 3 of 6
- Evolve 3 steel-/dragon-type Pokémon (3 Pinap Berries)
- Earn a candy exploring with a steel-/dragon-type as your buddy (10 Ultra Balls)
- Earn 3 hearts with a steel-/dragon-type buddy (1 Fast TM)
Rewards: 1,000 Stardust, 1 Silver Pinap Berry, 1 Golden Razz Berry
Step 4 of 6
- Catch 6 different species of steel-/dragon-type Pokémon (1,000 XP)
- Power up steel-/dragon-type Pokémon 15 times (1 Rare Candy XL)
- Use a steel-/dragon-type charged attack in 3 battles (1 Charged TM)
Rewards: Mighty Metagross/Hydreigon encounter, Steel/Dragon event medal, 800 Max Particles
You’ll get a mighty Metagross if you picked steel and a mighty Hydreigon if you picked dragon.
Step 5 of 6
- Win 2 Max Battles (3 Silver Pinap Berries)
- Win 2 raids (3 Golden Razz Berries)
- Level up a Max Move 2 times (2 Premium Battle Passes)
Rewards: Machamp (jacket) encounter, 1 Lucky Egg, 1 Star Piece
Step 6 of 6
- Claim reward! (1,000 XP)
- Claim reward! (1 Super Incubator)
- Claim reward! (1 Poffin)
Rewards: Go Wild Area 2026 pose, 3 Rare Candy XL, Gigantamax Duraludon encounter
Thanks to Serebii.net and Leek Duck for helping us confirm steps that we weren’t able to.