Pokémon Go Winter Holiday Part 1 and Part 2, including Winter Wishes quest steps and best Choose Path choice

'Winter Wishes' quest steps in Pokémon Go

Winter Wishes runs throughout the Winter Holiday event in Pokémon Go until it ends on Sunday 31st December at 8pm (local time). This gives you a good amount of time to both complete the quest itself and enjoy the bonus it allows you to unlock.

It's important to note, however, that Winter Wishes is a branching quest, which asks you to pick between two Paths - x2 Catch XP and x2 Catch Stardust. The Path you take determines which additional bonus for the Winter Holiday event will be unlocked, with your options being a double catch XP or double Stardust.

Once made, your choice can not be changed so think it over carefully. It will also affect the tasks you need to complete in Winter Wishes, but, aside from the bonus you'll unlock, the rewards will remain the same throughout the quest. If you're having trouble deciding which Path is right for you, we recommend reading our dedicated section on the best Choose Path choice.

Below you'll find all of the Winter Wishes quest steps and rewards you'll encounter before making your Path choice and, afterwards, lie sections covering the quest steps for each Path.

Be wary of spoilers!

Thank you to Amiibofan101 from reddit for the help with this information.

'Winter Wishes' Step 1 of 2

• Catch 5 Pokémon - 1 Glacial Lure Module
• Spin 3 PokéStops or Gyms - Holiday Attire Pikachu encounter
• Power up Pokémon 5 times - 2 Silver Pinap Berries

Rewards: 500 XP and 500 Stardust.

After completing this step, you'll be asked to choose between two Paths - x2 Catch XP and x2 Catch Stardust.

'Winter Wishes' Step 1 of 2

• Catch 10 Pokémon - Holiday Scarf Spheal encounter
• Catch 25 Pokémon - Holiday Hat Eevee encounter
• Catch 40 Ice-type Pokémon - Lapras encounter
• Catch 8 different species of Ice-type Pokémon - Holiday Outfit Stantler
• Depending on Path choice:
• x2 Catch XP: Earn 25,000 XP - Cetoddle encounter
• x2 Catch Stardust: Earn 7,500 Stardust - Cetoddle encounter
• Send 25 Gifts to friends - Holiday Attire Pikachu

Rewards: Galarian Mr. Mime encounter and, depending on Path choice, either 1 Lucky Egg (x2 Catch XP Path) or 1 Star Piece (x2 Catch Stardust Path).

The Max Out Season is here. The new global event, Wild Area, is nearly here and In the Wild is our lead-up event, which includes the global release of Toxel. 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.

Winter Wishes best Choose Path in Pokémon Go

Which Winter Wishes Choose Path choice is best for you depends on what you want to achieve during the Winter Holiday event in Pokémon Go.

Are you hoping to grind some XP and hopefully reach a new level? Then x2 Catch XP is the one for you. If you'd prefer to spend some time investing in your Pokémon's CP level, then the double catch Stardust bonus from x2 Catch Stardust suits you far better.

Personally, I went for x2 Catch XP and its double catch XP bonus as I'd like some further assistance on my quest to reach Level 50. This bonus is further increased with the help of a Lucky Egg, which means I can really rake in the XP when I'm out catching Pokémon during the Winter Holiday event.

If you've gone for the double Stardust bonus, however, make sure you use a Star Piece. Much like a Lucky Egg, this will increase the amount of Stardust you can earn for 30 minutes and will make it easier to collect the amount of Stardust you're aiming for.

Luckily, depending on your Path choice, you will get either a Lucky Egg or Star Piece from completing Winter Wishes.

Winter Holiday field research tasks in Pokémon Go

You can collect event-exclusive field research tasks by spinning PokéStops throughout the Winter Holiday event in Pokémon Go. These tasks are then saved in your field research collection and can be completed after the event ends if you so choose.

The Winter Holiday Part 2 field research tasks are now live and will be until the event ends on Sunday 31st December at 8pm (local time).

Here are the Winter Holiday field research tasks in Pokémon Go:

• Catch 5 Ice-type Pokémon reward - 5 Poké Balls, 3 Ultra Balls or 5 Razz Berries
• Catch 7 Ice-type Pokémon reward - Shellder, Snover or Vanillite encounter
• Catch 5 different species of Pokémon reward - Holiday Ribbon Stantler or Holiday Scarf Spheal encounter
• Catch 10 different species of Pokémon reward - Holiday Attire Psyduck or Jynx encounter
• Open 5 Gifts reward - Holiday Attire Pikachu or Alolan Vulpix encounter
• Send 3 Gifts and add a sticker - Crabrawler encounter, 25 Mega Glalie Energy or 25 Mega Abomasnow Energy
• Win a raid reward - Lapras or Undersea Holiday Outfit Glaceon encounter

Thank you to Amiibofan101 from reddit for the help with this information.

Everything you need to know about the Winter Holiday Part 1 and Part 2 in Pokémon Go

The Winter Holiday event in Pokémon Go has been split into two parts, with Part 2 beginning on Monday 25th December at 10am (local time) and running until Sunday 31st December at 8pm (local time).

Two additional events will also take place during the Winter Holiday event. The first is the Winter Wonderland event, which is running from Saturday 23rd December at 10am (local time) to Sunday 24th December at 8pm (local time). The second is the Wyrdeer Raid Day, which is on Saturday 23rd December between 2pm to 5pm (local time).

Before taking a look at the specifics of Winter Holiday Part 1 and Part 2, however, let's cover what's running throughout the event.

Every player benefits from an increased XP and Stardust bonus when opening Gifts throughout the Winter Holiday event. Whether you have a double catch XP or double catch Stardust bonus, however, depends on the path you take through Winter Wishes.

PokéStop Showcases for costume Pokémon will also be running throughout both parts of the Winter Holiday event.

There are also new winter-themed stickers to collect and a range of new clothes for sale in the in-game shop, including a Delibird Onesie and Cetoddle Hat.

Finally, you can also purchase two different pay-to-play timed research tickets from the in-game store. The first unlocks a timed research quest which is divided across Part 1 and Part 2 of the Winter Holiday event. Though, you will still have access to the Part 1 section if you purchase it when the Winter Holiday Part 2 is live. It will cost you £1.99, $2 or the equivalent price in your local currency.

The second quest costs £4.99, $5 or the equivalent price in your local currency and, if you complete it, you'll earn a new animated pose for your avatar. It's also possible to gift these quests to another player if you're Great Friends or higher.

Both quests are nonrefundable and can not be purchased using PokéCoin. They will be available for purchase until Friday 29th December at 8pm (local time) and must be completed before Sunday 31st December at 8pm (local time) if you want to earn all of the rewards.

Winter Holiday Part 2

Winter Holiday Part 2 begins with even more new costume Pokémon. Naintic have changed things up slightly though, because, alongside the Father Christmas hat, Holiday Attire Psyduck and Golduck are wearing a scarf. If you want a Holiday Attire Golduck, make sure you evolve one of those costume Psyducks using 50 Psyduck Candy.

During Winter Holiday Part 2, you'll be able to find the following Pokémon more frequently in the wild:

• Holiday Attire Pikachu
• Alolan Vulpix
• Holiday Attire Psyduck
• Seel
• Holiday Hat Eevee
• Sneasel
• Swinub
• Piloswine
• Holiday Ribbon Delibird
• Snorunt
• Spheal
• Galarian Darumaka
• Vanillite
• Holiday Ribbon Cubchoo
• Cryogonal
• Amaura
• Cetoddle

Raids will offer the following selection of bosses during Winter Holiday Part 2:

Finally, you'll still be able to collect event-exclusive 2km eggs during Winter Holiday Part 2, but the egg pool will be slightly different:

• Holiday Hat Eevee
• Smoochum
• Galarian Darumaka
• Amaura

Winter Holiday Part 1

Winter Holiday Part 1 begins by seeing the release of two new Gen 9 Pokémon. The Pokémon in question are Ice-types Cetoddle and Cetitan! If you'd like to add these Pokémon to your Pokédex, visit our how to get Cetoddle guide where we also cover how to evolve this Pokémon.

There are also two new costume Pokémon to collect, because it certainly wouldn't be a Winter Holiday event without more hats I guess. Winter Holiday Part 1 brings up Holiday Attire Pikachu and Raichu. If you want to add Holiday Attire Raichu, make sure you evolve a Holiday Attire Pikachu using 50 Pikachu Candy.

The following Pokémon will also be appearing more frequently in the wild during Winter Holiday Part 1:

• Holiday Attire Pikachu
• Alolan Sandshrew
• Seel
• Holiday Hat Eevee
• Sneasel
• Swinub
• Piloswine
• Holiday Outfit Stantler
• Holiday Scarf Spheal
• Galarian Darumaka
• Cryogonal
• Amaura
• Bergmite
• Cetoddle

These Pokémon will be waiting for you in raids during Winter Holiday Part 1:

Finally, any 2km egg you collect during Winter Holiday Part 1 will have the following egg pool:

• Holiday Hat Eevee
• Smoochum
• Galarian Darumaka
• Amaura

Winter Holiday event date and times in Pokémon Go explained

The Winter Holiday event in Pokémon Go has been divided into two parts.

Part 1 runs from Monday 18th December until Monday 25th December at 10am (local time).

At this point, Part 2 will begin and will run until the Winter Holiday event ends on Sunday 31st December at 8pm (local time).

Hope you enjoy the Winter Holiday event!