Showdown in the Shadows, released during the Halloween event in October 2023, is the latest instalment in Pokémon Go's Team Go Rocket invasion storyline.

Like past Team Go Rocket special research quests in Pokémon Go, the Showdown in the Shadows quest steps tasks you with defeating Rocket Grunts and the Team Go Rocket Leaders.

This will all lead to a battle against Giovanni and, if you defeat him, you'll be able to catch his latest Shadow Legendary Pokémon - Shadow Regigigas.

'Showdown in the Shadows' quest stepsHow Showdown in the Shadows worksTips for completing Showdown in the ShadowsTo see this content please enable targeting cookies.Manage cookie settings Watch as battle Guzzlord - one of the Ultra Beasts in Pokémon GoWatch on YouTube

'Showdown in the Shadows' quest steps in Pokémon Go

Below you'll find all of the quest steps for the Showdown in the Shadows special research quest in Pokémon Go.

Remember - to access this quest you may have to complete your previous Team Go Rocket research quest, which began with A Troubling Situation in 2019. The last quest released in the Team Rocket storyline was A Shadowy Disturbance.

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

Phantump.'Showdown in the Shadows' Step 1 of 5Catch 15 Pokémon - 5 Pinap BerriesSpin 5 PokéStops or Gyms - 10 Poké BallsDefeat 3 Team Go Rocket Grunts - 1 Mysterious Component

Rewards: 1000 XP, 1000 Stardust and a Phantump encounter.

'Showdown in the Shadows' Step 2 of 5Catch 15 Pokémon - 5 Pinap BerriesTransfer 10 Pokémon - 10 Great BallsDefeat 6 Team Go Rocket Grunts - 3 Mysterious Components

Rewards: 1500 XP, 1500 Stardust and a Galarian Yamask encounter.

'Showdown in the Shadows' Step 3 of 5Defeat the Team Go Rocket Leader Arlo - 2500 XPDefeat the Team Go Rocket Leader Cliff - 2500 XPDefeat the Team Go Rocket Leader Sierra - 2500 XP

Rewards: 2500 XP, 3000 Stardust and a Super Rocket Radar.

Gengar.'Showdown in the Shadows' Step 4 of 5Find the Team Go Rocket Boss - 10 Hyper PotionsBattle the Team Go Rocket Boss - 10 Ultra BallsDefeat the Team Go Rocket Boss - 6 Max Revives

Rewards: 3000 XP, 3000 Stardust and a Gengar (Trick or Treat costume) encounter.

'Showdown in the Shadows' Step 5 of 5Claim reward - 2500 StardustClaim reward - 2500 StardustClaim reward - 2500 Stardust

Rewards: 5000 XP, 3500 Stardust and two Silver Pinap Berries.

How Showdown in the Shadows works in Pokémon Go

Showdown in the Shadows, which was released in October 2023 during the Halloween event, is part of the Team Go Rocket storyline in Pokémon Go.

To access this research quest, you must first complete the 'tutorial' quest, A Troubling Situation. You may also need to complete any previous Team Go Rocket special research quests may have, such as A Shadowy Disturbance.

Each Team Go Rocket quest is based around defeating the crime organisation grunts and purifying Shadow Pokémon, which can be found at invaded PokéStops around the world.

You'll also need to battle the Leaders Arlo, Cliff and Sierra and, eventually, Giovanni.

It's also important to remember that the highlighted Shadow Legendary released alongside this quest's debut - Shadow Regigigas in the case of Showdown in the Shadows - is technically not part of the quest itself, but, rather is simply an extra reward for battling Giovanni. Due to this, you can catch the current Shadow Legendary at least twice if you haven't finished the previous Team Go Rocket quest yet.

Aside from this, the Team Go Rocket quests work exactly the same as the other research quests, which challenge you to complete a number of objectives in a specific order.

Since the Team Go Rocket quests don't expire, you'll have a good amount of time to complete Showdown in the Shadows. We do recommend ensuring you complete it though, because you won't be able to access the new quest in the series - which are usually released every three months - until you do.

The Season of Adventures Abound is here! The Halloween event has returned, bringing with it Greavard and Houndstone.Party Play - Pokémon Go's multiplayer feature - is here, along with the Welcome Party quest.You can also work on the Timed Investigation: Master Ball quest and compete in the Go Battle League.Be sure to compete in Shadow Raids, complete Routes, use Daily Adventure Incense for the chance of encountering Galarian Articuno, Galarian Zapdos and Galarian Moltres. This incense may also give you encounters with other rare Pokémon in Pokémon Go.

Tips for completing Showdown in the Shadows in Pokémon Go

Below you'll find some tips which will help you complete Showdown in the Shadows in Pokémon Go:

Don't forget to use Pinap Berries when catching Shadow Pokémon to ensure you gather enough Candy to purify the Pokémon once it's yours.Keep an eye out for the Team Go Rocket Balloons, because the grunt, Team Go Leader and even the Giovanni battles you encounter through them all count towards this quest. Make sure you check the lineup possibilities before battling the three Team Go Rocket Leaders and Giovanni, so you can plan an effective team of counters.Since both the Leaders and Giovanni have a selection of Pokémon they can use, it's a good idea to scout out their team before properly defeating them - provided you have some healing items on standby for this first 'trail' encounter. You can do this by using a Pokémon which is guaranteed to defeat this first Pokémon, which will always be the same, and, once you know what they're second choice is, you can plan accordingly. Just remember that their lineup may change if you move to a different PokéStop.

Good luck during the Showdown in the Shadows questline!

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