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Pokémon Go Strange Rings special research quest tasks and rewards explained

Why are these strange rings appearing in the sky?

Strange Rings is a special research quest in Pokémon Go, which was released on Day Two - Sunday, 18th July - of Go Fest 2021.

This special research quest is available to all players and hints at Hoopa, a mythical Pokémon from Gen 6, being released into Pokémon Go.

You can find every quest task and reward for the Strange Rings quest below and, don't forget, you can use Remote Raid Passes to compete in raids from whether you are.

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'Strange Rings' quest steps and rewards in Pokémon Go

Below you can find every quest step, challenge and reward for Strange Rings in Pokémon Go.

This special research quest consists of two steps, which contain three challenges each, and it's available to all Pokémon Go players. This means, despite being released during Go Fest 2021, you can still complete it if you didn't purchase a ticket for the event.

This section does contain spoilers, so, if you'd prefer to be surprised, we highly suggest you give it a miss.

Thank you to SilphMods from reddit for the help with this information!

'Strange Rings' Step 1 of 2

Rewards: 5000 XP, 2000 Stardust and 1 Lucky Egg

'Strange Rings' Step 2 of 2

  • Win 5 raids - 5 Max Revives
  • Make 5 Great Throws - 3 Silver Pinap Berries
  • Catch 20 different Pokémon species - 3 Max Potions

Rewards: 10,000 XP, 3 Silver Pinap Berries and 3,000 Stardust


The Max Out Season is here and includes a new global event, Wild Area, and the current 2024 Halloween event brings us Morpeko and the Halloween cup. You can now catch Dynamax Pokémon through Max Battles. First, however, you need to visit Power Spots to collect Max Particles and complete the To the Max! quest. Don't forget to try out Routes, Gift Exchange and Party Play while you're hunting down rare Pokémon, fighting in the Go Battle League or competing in PokéStop Showcases.


Everything we know about Hoopa in Pokémon Go

While the Strange Rings special research in Pokémon Go doesn't conclude with players encountering Hoopa, it, along with this Pokémon's appearance on the loading screen, hints at Hoopa arriving in the game.

Hoopa is a mythical Pokémon from Gen 6 and has two forms - Hoopa Confined and Hoopa Unbound. This change in form also changes Hoopa's type, taking it from a psychic and ghost-type to a psychic and dark-type Pokémon.

Hoopa Confied and Hoopa Unbound.

Hoopa is categorised as both the mischief and djinn Pokémon, with its design clearly taking inspiration from djinn mythology. In the mainline games, Hoopa's form is changed through the use of an item called the Prison Bottle, which is a reference to the lamp djinns are confined to in Arabian stories, and, like how djinns offer people three wishes, Hoopa can only maintain its Unbound form for three days.

It's said that Hoopa's rings have the power to warp both time and space, allowing the Pokémon to send both people and objects to far off places.

Have fun completing this research questline and don't forget to complete The Melody Pokémon special research quest too!

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