Pokemon Go Season of Heritage: Timed Research, Pokemon spawns and more

Pokemon Go's newest season of events is now underway, and it appears it'll thematically tie into the upcoming Pokemon Legends: Arceus game for Nintendo Switch .

As revealed on the official Pokemon Go Twitter account, the game's latest season is called the Season of Heritage, and it will "look to the past for answers that will help guide us into the future of Pokemon Go!" Over the course of the season, players will help Professor Willow unravel the mystery behind a large door sealed by "a set of strange unlocking mechanisms."

What's most striking about the Season of Heritage is its logo, which is thematically reminiscent of the aforementioned Pokemon Legends game. That title launches for Nintendo Switch on Jan. 28 and is set long before Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, when the Sinnoh region was known as Hisui and the concept of Pokemon trainers had not yet been established.

At the heart of Pokemon Legends is the eponymous Arceus, a legendary Pokemon said to have created the world. Although other Pokemon from its generation have already been introduced to the game, Arceus has yet to appear in Pokemon Go, and many fans are speculating it could arrive as part of the upcoming season.

Monthly bonuses and research

Throughout the Season of Heritage, which runs until March 1, a different in-game bonus will be active each month. In December, players will earn double Stardust for the first Pokemon they catch each day. In January, players will earn double XP for their first daily catch. Finally, February's bonuses include double XP and increased Candy XL from hatching Pokemon eggs.

In addition to the bonuses, there will be a different Timed Research challenge every month. Completing these will net you various rewards, including Pokemon encounters and special avatar hats. You can see each month's Timed Research challenge and rewards below.

December Research: Stardust Challenge

Players will earn the following rewards when they earn the following amounts of Stardust throughout December.

• 500 Stardust - 10 Poke Balls
• 1,000 Stardust - 10 Razz Berries
• 3,000 Stardust - Rhyhorn encounter
• 6,000 Stardust - 15 Pinap Berries
• 10,000 Stardust - Onix encounter
• 15,000 Stardust - 25 Poke Balls
• 20,000 Stardust - 15 Nanab Berries
• 30,000 Stardust - Staryu encounter
• 40,000 Stardust - 20 Great Balls
• 50,000 Stardust - 2 Silver Pinap Berries
• 60,000 Stardust - Alolan Exeggutor encounter
• 70,000 Stardust - 25 Ultra Balls
• 85,000 Stardust - Deino encounter
• 100,000 Stardust - 5,000 XP
• 120,000 Stardust - 1 Lucky Egg, 1 Deino hat avatar item

January Research: XP Challenge

January's Timed Research challenge revolves around earn XP, with the ultimate reward being a Goomy hat avatar item. However, this challenge will only be available to players who pre-purchase a ticket for the Pokemon Go Tour: Johto event before Jan. 10, 2022. Here are the rewards.

• 1,000 XP - 15 Poke Balls
• 6,000 XP - 1 Lure Module
• 15,000 XP - Cranidos encounter
• 25,000 XP - 15 Razz Berries
• 35,000 XP - 25 Poke Balls
• 47,500 XP - Porygon encounter
• 60,000 XP - 20 Great Balls
• 70,000 XP - 15 Pinap Berries
• 90,000 XP - Shedinja encounter
• 110,000 XP - 25 Ultra Balls
• 130,000 XP - Togetic encounter
• 150,000 XP - 3 Golden Razz Berries
• 175,000 XP - Goomy encounter
• 200,000 XP - 2,500 Stardust
• 240,000 XP - 1 Star Piece, 1 Goomy hat avatar item

February Research: Catch Challenge

The season's final Timed Research challenge revolves around catching Pokemon. Similar to January's challenge, this will only be available to players who pre-purchase a ticket for the Pokemon Go Tour: Johto event before Feb. 10, and the ultimate reward is a Noibat hat for your trainer. Here are all the other rewards you can earn.

• 15 Pokemon caught - 20 Poke Balls
• 35 Pokemon caught - 1 Incense
• 55 Pokemon caught - Krabby encounter
• 80 Pokemon caught - 15 Razz Berries
• 105 Pokemon caught - 15 Great Balls
• 135 Pokemon caught - Gligar encounter
• 165 Pokemon caught - 15 Nanab Berries
• 200 Pokemon caught - Primeape encounter
• 235 Pokemon caught - 2 Silver Pinap Berries
• 275 Pokemon caught - Galarian Zigzagoon encounter
• 315 Pokemon caught - Pupitar encounter
• 365 Pokemon caught - 3 Golden Razz Berries
• 425 Pokemon caught - Noibat encounter
• 500 Pokemon caught - 5,000 XP
• 600 Pokemon caught - 1 Remote Raid Pass, 1 Noibat hat avatar item

Pokemon spawns

As with previous seasons, different Pokemon will spawn more frequently throughout the Season of Heritage. Players in the Northern Hemisphere will be able to encounter Turtwig, Chimchar, Piplup, Delibird, Vanillish and other monsters during the season, while those in the Southern Hemisphere will encounter Treecko, Torchic, Mudkip, Carvanha, Combee and more. You can see more Pokemon spawns on the official Pokemon Go blog.

Pokemon Go Tour: Johto event

The Season of Heritage will culminate with a Johto tour event, which is scheduled to take place Feb. 26 to Feb. 27. Few details have been announced thus far, but the game teases that "the events that unfold during the Season of Heritage will come to a conclusion" during the Johto tour.

In the meantime, Pokemon Go has a variety of December events lined up, including a Swinub Incense Day on Dec. 5. A few weeks later, the game will hold its December Community Day event on Dec. 18 and 19. The two-day event will give players another chance to catch all of the featured Pokemon from the past two years.