- The Pokemon GO Road to Unova event runs from February 24 to March 1, featuring Shiny Meloetta and all Unova legendaries with signature moves.
- The new Tour Pass system debuts during the event.
- Two optional event tickets ($4.99 each) offer bonus rewards for raids or egg-hatching.
The next major Pokemon GO event is about to transport trainers to the world of Unova, and this time, it’s all about preparing for the biggest tour of the year. The Road to Unova event serves as the perfect preparation for the Pokemon GO Tour: Unova – Global, which brings rare Pokemon, exclusive moves, and exciting new features. The event will be running from February 24 at 10:00 AM to March 1 at 10:00 AM local time. Want to make the most of this adventure? Keep reading to learn everything about the Pokemon GO tour Road to Unova event guide.
Road to Unova: First-Ever Shiny Meloetta Release
This event’s main spotlight is Shiny Meloetta’s debut in Pokemon GO. Available through a special Masterwork Research ticket priced at $4.99, this Pokemon makes its shiny debut. Unlike Timed Research, this Masterwork Research has no expiration date, letting you complete it at your own pace. This is a must-grab for collectors and shiny hunters alike.
Unova Event Wild Encounters and Spawns
The Road to Unova event brings a carefully selected mix of Pokemon to the wild, focusing on Unova starters and their evolutions:
Pokemon Image Shiny Available Snivy 
Yes Tepig 
Yes Oshawott 
Yes Servine 
No Pignite 
No Dewott 
No
Unova Event Complete Raid Schedule
The raid schedule is divided into five exciting periods, each featuring a different legendary Pokemon. These are:
Raid Tier Pokemon Available Period Shiny Available One-Star Snivy Full Event Yes One-Star Tepig Full Event Yes One-Star Oshawott Full Event Yes Three-Star Druddigon Full Event Yes Five-Star All Genesect Forms Feb 24 Yes Five-Star Cobalion, Terrakion, Virizion Feb 25 Yes Five-Star Therian Forme Trio Feb 26 Yes Five-Star Reshiram Feb 27 Yes Five-Star Zekrom Feb 28 Yes
Unova Event Field Research Tasks
The Road to Unova event comes with special research tasks you can get from PokeStops. These tasks are designed to help you catch some useful Pokemon from the Unova region, and most of them can be shiny if you’re lucky. You’ll get these tasks by spinning PokeStops, and they’re worth doing since they give you good chances at Pokemon that don’t appear often in the wild.
Road to Unova Field Research Encounters:
- Snivy
- Tepig
- Oshawott
- Roggenrola
- Timburr
- Karrablast
- Shelmet
There’s also a special Timed Research available to everyone during the event. This research is pretty straightforward. Complete the tasks, and you’ll encounter legendary Pokemon in a specific order.
One thing to note is that these research encounters won’t give you Pokemon with special backgrounds like the ones from raids do. Make sure you finish this research before the event ends.
Road to Unova Timed Research Encounters:
- Terrakion
- Cobalion
- Virizion
- Therian Forme Tornadus
- Therian Forme Thundurus
- Therian Forme Landorus
- Genesect
- Genesect (Burn Drive)
- Genesect (Douse Drive)
- Genesect (Shock Drive)
- Genesect (Chill Drive)
Pokemon GO Road to Unova: Features and Rewards
The Tour Pass system is the main feature of this event, and you’ll get the basic version for free. It works like a progression track where you collect Tour Points to increase your rank and get rewards. If you want more out of it, a Deluxe version for $4.99 gives you a Victini encounter, better rewards, and a new item called the Lucky Trinket.
Exclusive Moves
The event brings several exclusive moves that you can only get by evolving specific Pokemon during the event period. Each of these moves adds something special to your Pokemon’s battle capabilities:
- Reshiram learns Fusion Flare (Charged Attack) – 90 power in battles, 140 in raids
- Zekrom learns Fusion Bolt (Charged Attack) – 90 power in battles, 140 in raids
- Cobalion, Terrakion, and Virizion learn Sacred Sword (Charged Attack) – 60 power in battles, 50 in raids
- Therian Forme Tornadus learns Bleakwind Storm (Charged Attack) – 60 power in battles, 150 in raids
- Therian Forme Thundurus learns Wildbolt Storm (Charged Attack) – 60 power in battles, 150 in raids
- Therian Forme Landorus learns Sandsear Storm (Charged Attack) – 60 power in battles, 150 in raids
- All Genesect forms learn their respective type versions of Techno Blast (Charged Attack) – 120 power in both battles and raids
These moves won’t be available after the event ends, so make sure to evolve your Pokemon during the event if you want these special moves. The high power ratings, especially in raids, make these moves particularly valuable for trainers who focus on raid battles.
Special Backgrounds Feature
The new Special Backgrounds system adds a nice touch to Pokemon you catch in raids during the event. It works pretty simply – when you catch certain Pokemon, they might get a background inspired by either Pokemon Black or White version. Tornadus and Reshiram come with the Black version background, while Thundurus and Zekrom get the White version look.
The other legendaries like Cobalion, Terrakion, Virizion, Landorus, and Genesect can get either one. What’s cool is that these backgrounds actually matter when you start fusing Pokemon later, especially for Kyurem’s forms.
Road to Unova Event Bonuses
The event comes with several bonuses to help trainers out. You’ll notice your eggs hatch in half the usual distance, which is great for getting through those 2 km event eggs. The Remote Raid Pass limit goes up to 20 from February 24-28, and then there’s no limit at all during March 1-2. They’re also increasing Pokemon spawns in different areas, and the Pokedex is getting a new look to help you keep track of what you’ve caught.
Egg Hatches
The 2 km eggs during this event are worth your attention. You can hatch Pokemon like Roggenrola, Timburr, Karrablast, Shelmet, and Larvesta. All of these, except Larvesta, can be shiny, so it’s a good chance to add some rare variants to your collection. If you’ve got Super Incubators, now’s definitely the time to use them with the half-distance bonus in effect.
Event Tickets and Research
If you want to get more out of the Road to Unova event, two ticket options are available. You can buy them from February 24 to March 2 for $4.99 each, and you can even gift them to your friends if you’ve reached Great Friend status or higher. Let’s take a look at what each ticket offers.
Road to Unova: Raids Ticket
| Raid Bonuses | Details |
|---|---|
| Raid XP | +5,000 XP per raid |
| Candy Bonus | +1 Candy from five-star raids |
| Candy XL | +1 Candy XL from five-star raids (Level 31+) |
| Stardust | 2× from raids |
| Extra Pass | 1 additional daily Raid Pass from Gyms |
The Raids ticket focuses on making your raid experience more rewarding. For $4.99, you get access to special Timed Research and some useful raid bonuses. Think of it as your pass to getting the most out of the legendary Pokemon rotation during the event.
Research Rewards Amount Cobalion Candy XL 5 Terrakion Candy XL 5 Virizion Candy XL 5 Tornadus Candy XL 5 Thundurus Candy XL 5 Reshiram Candy 10 Zekrom Candy 10 Landorus Candy XL 5 Genesect Candy XL 25 Avatar Item Black and White Joggers
Road to Unova: Hatch Ticket
The Hatch ticket is all about making your egg hatching more productive. For $4.99, you get bonuses that double your hatching rewards and some special Pokemon encounters. This ticket is great if you enjoy hatching eggs while exploring.
Hatch Bonuses Multiplier Hatch XP 2× Hatch Candy 2× Hatch Stardust 2×
Keep in mind that you need to complete and claim all your Timed Research rewards by March 2 at 8:00 PM local time.
| Special Encounters | Shiny Available |
|---|---|
| Maractus | Yes |
| Sigilyph | Yes |
| Bouffalant | Yes |
| Avatar Item | Black and White Hoodie |
Pokemon GO Road to Unova: Best Tips to Succeed
Getting the most out of this event really comes down to good planning. The raid schedule is probably the trickiest part to manage since each legendary Pokemon is only around for one day. Determine which ones you need most and plan your raids accordingly. The raid hour from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM daily is your best shot at getting those legendaries.
The Tour Pass stuff isn’t too complicated, but you’ll want to keep up with the daily tasks to build up your Tour Points. If you’re going for the Deluxe version, ensure you’re ready for that Victini encounter when it comes up. For your eggs, it’s smart to clear out your old ones before the event starts. With the half-distance bonus, you can get through quite a few 2 km eggs if you time your walks right.
Remember, as the main Tour event kicks off, the Road to Unova event wraps up on March 1 at 10:00 AM local time. With some planning, you can get a lot done during this event.
Getting ready to explore Unova? Let us know how you plan to tackle this event in the comments below.
