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Galar Calling quest steps and best Choose Path choice for Galar starters in Pokémon Go

Should you pick the Grookey, Scorbunny or Sobble path?

Image credit: Eurogamer/The Pokémon Company
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Guide by Lottie Lynn Guides Editor
Updated on

Galar Calling is a branching special research quest released at the beginning of the Max Out Season in Pokémon Go.

During Galar Calling in Pokémon Go, you'll be tasked with selecting one of three paths themed around the Galar starters - Adventure With Grookey, Scorbunny or Sobble. As you can see, like last year's A Paldean Adventure quest, each path is based around one of the starter Pokémon from a specific generation with Gen 8 taking the spotlight this time. For this reason, it's a good idea to know the best Galar Calling Special Research Choose Path choice for you before starting the quest.

To assist you in deciding your Path through the quest, we've outlined all of the Galar Calling quest steps in Pokémon Go we currently know down below, along with the quest steps for the Grookey, Scorbunny and Sobble paths.

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'Galar Calling' quest steps in Pokémon Go

The Galar Calling quest was released at the beginning of the Max Out Season on Tuesday 3rd September at 10am (local time). Every Pokémon Go player can claim this quest by playing Pokémon Go at least once before 9:59am (local time) on Tuesday 3rd December. It should unlock automatically, but, if it doesn't, try closing and reopening Pokémon Go a couple of times.

Image credit: Eurogamer/Niantic

Once unlocked, you can complete Galar Calling whenever you like as it lacks a deadline. Though it's important to note that this is a branching research quest so, at quest step one, you'll be asked to pick between three different paths - Adventure with Grookey, Scorbunny or Sobble.

Keep in mind, however, you can not change your path choice after it's made. Due to this, we recommend taking a look at the sections where we've outlined the quest steps for each of the different paths and where we take a look at which Choose Path choice is best for you.

Your decision will change a number of the challenges and rewards you encounter while completing Galar Calling. Alongside this, it will also change the background of your Postcard Book until the end of the Season of Max at 9:59am (local time) on Tuesday 3rd December.

Galar Calling is also being gradually released throughout the Season of Max Out. This means, if you keep yourself up-to-date with the quest, you'll find yourself blocked until the next round of quest steps are released.

With that out of the way, let's take a look at all of the Galar Calling quest steps which occur before you select a path. Watch out for spoilers!

'Galar Calling' Step 1 of 19

  • Catch 8 Pokémon - 3 Charged TMs

Rewards: 800 XP and 800 Stardust.

After finishing this quest step, you'll be tasked with choosing one of three paths - Adventure With Grookey, Adventure With Scorbunny or Adventure With Sobble.

'Adventure With Grookey' path quest steps in Galar Calling

Below you'll find the challenges and rewards from quest step one onwards for the Adventure With Grookey path of the Galar Calling quest in Pokémon Go. Remember - you can't change your mind after selecting a path, so you'll have to complete all of the below to finish the quest. Be careful of spoilers!

'Adventure With Grookey' Step 3 of 19

Rewards: 1000 XP and a Grookey encounter.

'Adventure With Grookey' Step 4 of 19

  • Catch 88 Pokémon - 1000 XP
  • Spin 25 PokéStops or Gyms - 500 Stardust
  • Explore 8 km - 20 Grookey Candy
  • Evolve a Grookey - 15 Poké Balls

Rewards: 1500 XP and 10 Great Balls.

'Adventure With Grookey' Step 5 of 19

Rewards: 2000 XP and a Wooloo encounter.

'Adventure With Grookey' Step 6 of 19

Rewards: 2500 XP and Skwovet encounter.

'Adventure With Grookey' Step 7 of 19

  • Catch 88 Pokémon - 10 Ultra Balls
  • Earn 8,888 XP - 10 Revives
  • Earn 8,888 Stardust - 20 Super Potions

Rewards: 2500 XP, 1500 Stardust and one Star Piece.

'Adventure With Grookey' Step 8 of 19

  • Catch 3 Pokémon - 1000 XP

Rewards: 2500 XP and 1500 Stardust

More to come...

'Adventure With Scorbunny' path quest steps in Galar Calling

Here lie the Adventure With Scorbunny path challenges and rewards in the Galar Calling quest, which occur after quest step one in Pokémon Go. Keep in mind that you can't change your path choice after selecting it and this section contains spoilers.

'Adventure With Scorbunny' Step 3 of 19

Rewards: 1000 XP and a Scorbunny encounter.

'Adventure With Scorbunny' Step 4 of 19

  • Catch 88 Pokémon - 1000 XP
  • Spin 25 PokéStops or Gyms - 500 Stardust
  • Explore 8km - 20 Scorbunny Candy
  • Evolve a Scorbunny - 15 Poké Balls

Rewards: 1500 XP and 10 Great Balls.

'Adventure With Scorbunny' Step 5 of 19

Rewards: 2000 XP and Wooloo encounter.

'Adventure With Scorbunny' Step 6 of 19

Rewards: 2500 XP and Skwovet encounter.

'Adventure With Scorbunny' Step 7 of 19

  • Catch 88 Pokémon - 10 Ultra Balls
  • Earn 8,888 XP - 10 Revives
  • Earn 8,888 Stardust - 20 Super Potions

Rewards: 2500 XP, 1500 Stardust and one Star Piece.

'Adventure With Scorbunny' Step 8 of 19

  • Catch 3 Pokémon - 1000 XP

Rewards: 2500 XP and 1500 Stardust

More to come...

The Max Out Season is here! The GO Big is currently running in Pokémon Go. 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.

'Adventure With Sobble' path quest steps in Galar Calling

Down below you'll find the Adventure With Sobble path challenges and rewards in the Galar Calling quest. This means you'll find Pokémon Go spoilers here! Don't forget that you can't change your path choice after making your selection.

'Adventure With Sobble' Step 3 of 19

Rewards: 1000 XP and Sobble encounter.

'Adventure With Sobble' Step 4 of 19

  • Catch 88 Pokémon - 1000 XP
  • Spin 25 PokéStops or Gyms - 500 Stardust
  • Explore 8km - 20 Sobble Candy
  • Evolve a Sobble - 15 Poké Balls

Rewards: 1500 XP and 10 Great Balls.

'Adventure With Sobble' Step 5 of 19

Rewards: 2000 XP and a Wooloo encounter.

'Adventure With Sobble' Step 6 of 19

Rewards: 2500 XP and Skwovet encounter.

'Adventure With Sobble' Step 7 of 19

  • Catch 88 Pokémon - 10 Ultra Balls
  • Earn 8,888 XP - 10 Revives
  • Earn 8,888 Stardust - 20 Super Potions

Rewards: 2500 XP, 1500 Stardust and one Star Piece.

'Adventure With Sobble' Step 8 of 19

  • Catch 3 Pokémon - 1000 XP

Rewards: 2500 XP and 1500 Stardust

More to come...

Grookey, Scorbunny or Sobble: Best Choose Path choice for Galar Calling

When it comes to which Choose Path choice is best for Galar Calling the answer is, and I'm sorry about this, subjective. There are, of course, a number of factors you can consider when making your decision.

Firstly, it's a good idea to look at the typing for each Pokémon and consider whether it would be a good fit for any of your Pokémon Go team. Unlike other generations, the Gen 8 starter Pokémon's final evolution do not become dual types and instead simply remain the original types of their stage one forms. This means picking Grookey is a Grass-type choice, Scorbunny a Fire-type one and Sobble a Water-type one.

Sadly, keeping to a single type does mean all three Pokémon lose some versatility when it comes to battling in Pokémon Go. After all, we're at the point where the meta is very established and it's highly doubtful that Inteleon (Sobble's final evolution), for example, will be able to knock Swampert off its throne of being a strong Water-type contender in the Go Battle League.

Image credit: Eurogamer/The Pokémon Company

Yet, this doesn't mean the Gen 8 starter Pokémon are useless. The Pokémon you earn from Special Research quests tend to have strong stats, which relaxes the pressure of having to hunt down one with good IV Levels in the wild. Thanks to this, it is worth considering whether you'll use the final evolution of a Gen 8 starter - be it Rillaboom, Cinderace or Inteleon - in a team lineup since Galar Calling will hopefully provide you with a Pokémon with good IV Levels. We especially recommend considering this if you're newcomer to Pokémon Go whose yet to build a raid or Go Battle League lineup. Though even seasoned players may find that Grookey, Scorbunny or Sobble could provide them with a Pokémon which will fill a type gap for a certain team.

Outside of battling, you can also consider the gaps in your Pokédex as Galar Calling ensures you're able to add the entries for your chosen starter's evolution family. If you're having trouble finding or catching a Scorbunny in the wild, for example, then selecting its path will make sure it's slotted away in your Pokédex. It is, of course, possible to fill in these entries over time by catching each of the starter Pokémon multiple times in the wild, but, if you want to speed up the process or don't have that much time to play Pokémon Go, then this method may work out well for you.

Image credit: Eurogamer/Niantic

Leaving the actual Pokémon themselves for a moment, it's important to note that your choice in Galar Calling also changes the background of your Postcard Book for the duration of the Max Out Season. If you're a regular Gift sender, this means you're going to be staring at a themed background an awful lot over the next couple of months. So why not pick a Pokémon you enjoy looking at? (Not a big fan of Sobble's design myself.)

Finally, simply picking the Gen 8 starter Pokémon you like the best out of Grookey, Scorbunny and Sobble is a completely valid option. The whole research quest will become centred around this choice and your Postcard Book background will change to match that Pokémon for the rest of the Max Out Season, so you might as well pick a Pokémon you actually like.

Personally, I've taken the Scorbunny path as it's the starter I picked in Pokémon Sword and I like the symmetry of choosing the same Pokémon in Pokémon Go. I also tend to include Fire-types in my teams, so it's always good to have a backup when needed in the form of Cinderace.

How does Galar Calling work in Pokémon Go?

Galar Calling is a special research quest released at the beginning of the Max Out Season in Pokémon Go on Tuesday 3rd September at 10am (local time). This quest is available until 9:59am (local time) on Tuesday 3rd December and any player can unlock it by playing Pokémon Go at least once.

If this quest doesn't automatically unlock for you the first time you play Pokémon Go after the Season of Max Out begins, try closing the game and then opening it again. This should force the game to launch the new quest, but you may need to do this multiple times.

Since the December deadline only applies to unlocking the Galar Calling quest, you can complete it whenever you like once you've accessed it. This is because special research quests are designed to take a longer period of time to complete and, thanks to this, lack a deadline. The quest steps for Galar Calling are also being gradually released throughout the Season of Max Out, so you may find yourself having to wait for the next set of quest steps to be released at times.

Image credit: Niantic

When working through Galar Calling, however, it's important to remember that it is a branching quest. This means that at quest step one you'll be tasked with picking between three different paths throughout Galar Calling, which will determine a number of challenges and rewards. You can not change your choice, however, once it's been made, so make sure you take a look at the section outlining the differences above before making your decision.

An added bonus of your choices sees the background of your Postcard Book change to reflect the Pokémon you picked. This isn't a permanent change though as it will only be live for the duration of the Max Out Season; vanishing on Tuesday 3rd December at 9:59am (local time), so enjoy it while you can!

Outside of these features, Galar Calling works exactly like past special research quests in Pokémon Go. This means you'll need to complete a set of challenges and collect their rewards before collecting the overall rewards for a quest step and repeat this cycle until the quest is complete.

Best of luck completing Galar Calling!

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