Pokémon Go tests weekly bonus paths in Choose Your Path Timed Research

Pokémon Go has started testing choose your path timed research, a one-week quest that lets players pick Explore, Catch, or Battle after the first steps are done. The choice locks in a weekly bonus that changes how the game rewards routine play during quieter stretches.

Three Paths, Three Bonuses

The Explore path gives a x5 XP bonus for spinning PokéStops, lifting the reward from 100 XP to 500 XP on regular stops and from 200 XP to 1,000 XP on new ones. That makes simple map movement the fastest way to cash in if a player spends the week exploring instead of grinding battles.

The Catch path adds a x1.5 XP bonus for catching Pokémon using Nice Throws or better. The Battle path unlocks a 5,000 XP bonus for completing raids. Each path also gives three Pinap Berries and five Rare Candies.

Pokémon Go's Weekly Test

The test is framed as a new type of content, and if it works, similar quests are expected to run during quiet weeks alongside the Daily Discoveries bonuses. That is the real shift here: a weekly choice that can steer player behavior when there is less event-driven content competing for attention.

Players cannot change their choice after they make it. That makes the decision more than a cosmetic split, because the selected bonus lasts for the whole week and shapes whether a player leans into exploration, catches, or raids.

Catch Path And Lechonk

The guide recommends the Catch path as the main choice because catching Pokémon is the core activity of Go. It also suggests having a Lucky Egg active at least once to increase XP earned, which gives the weekly bonus a narrow window for better returns.

Lechonk Community Day was scheduled for Saturday 9th May. Players deciding whether to chase the Catch bonus, the Explore bonus, or the raid reward now have a short test window to weigh before that date arrives.