Pokemon Go Jump Start Research: Quests, tasks, rewards and more

(Image credit: Niantic)

The Pokemon Go Jump Start research is back again, after first debuting in 2019 then returning for Pokemon Go Fest last year. This time, Pokemon Go players who haven't received the special research quest before can grab it during the current Pokemon Go anniversary event which has also introduced Flying Pikachu back into the mix, this time with a big "five" balloon. If you need some help completing the Pokemon Go Jump Start research or you simply want to know what all of the tasks entail, keep reading below.

Wworking your way through the stages will set you up with a range of useful items and net you a Dragonite by the end, as well as running through most of the game's features. Here's how to complete the Pokemon Go Jump Start Research quest.

Jump Start Research stage 1 / 6

Make a new friend
Catch three Pokemon with Weather Boost
Hatch an Egg

Rewards: 2 Lucky Eggs, Dratini Encounter, 15,000 Stardust

The first objective is pretty straightforward: all you have to do is go to your 'friends' tab and add someone else using their trainer code. If you don't have any buddies who play Pokemon Go, take a look at Twitter and you'll find people tweeting out their friend codes, or the PokemonGoFriends Reddit has plenty of people looking for buddies. As always, be careful when speaking to strangers online and adding them as friends!

Weather boost is the name for a feature that changes Pokemon Go's world depending on the weather around you. There are six modes: sunny, windy, partly cloudy, rainy (demonstrated below), snowy, and foggy. Simply look at your screen and try to catch three Pokemon during any one of these states. Simple!

Check the weather report, Trainers. Tap the in-game weather icon to see how your local weather impacts Pokémon around you! pic.twitter.com/2zhGj3yfWYDecember 9, 2017

All you need to do to hatch an egg is find one at a Pokéstop (they come in 2km, 5km, and 10km) then walk them off. Pop one in an incubator and just walk with the app loaded up, and it'll track your steps.

Jump Start Research stage 2 / 6

Earn a Candy walking with your buddy
Take a snapshot of Dratini
Evolve a Dratini

Rewards: Premium Raid Pass, 15,000 Stardust, two Lucky Eggs

First, get a buddy by selecting your trainer, then go to the menu, then click the 'buddy' option. You should then click a Pokemon you want to either power up or evolve, as making them your buddy will mean you earn candies as you walk with them, which can be used to make them more powerful or evolve them. You'll be able to see how far you have to walk to earn a candy by going back to the buddy option and looking at the meter below the Pokemon you've decided to buddy up with.

Taking a snapshot of a Dratini is a bit more tricky as you have to catch a Dratini first. When you've caught one, just click on the camera icon at the top of the screen to take a snapshot of it. Or if you don't want to go out and catch a new Pokemon and already have a Dratini, select it in your Pokemon list and click the camera icon at the top right-hand corner. The little fella will appear in AR, and then you just tap the camera icon again to take a snapshot of it. Aww.

Evolving a Dratini is pretty self-explanatory, and you'll need 25 candy to evolve it into Dragonair. Buddy up with it to earn candy, or transfer multiple Dratini to the Professor to get candy in return.

Jump Start Research stage 3 / 6

Power up Pokemon 10 times
Battle another Trainer in the Great League
Battle in a Raid

Rewards: Two Lucky Eggs, 15,000 XP, two Star Piece

Powering up a Pokemon requires a set amount of Stardust and candy, and finding the 'power up' option is exceptionally easy: it's just below your Pokemon when you select them from your Pokemon menu.

As for battling a trainer in the Great League, that's simpler than it sounds: you simply have to use a Pokemon with CP of less than 1500 to battle another real-life trainer. The good news is that you don't have to win, which is a little less pressure, thankfully.

Battling in Pokemon Go raids is similarly simple: find a gym with an egg on top of it. There'll be a countdown and when it gets to 0, a Raid boss will appear for you to fight. You'll be teaming up with other trainers to take it down, and if you succeed you might get some rare candy, and have a chance to catch the ultra-powerful Raid boss for yourself.

Jump Start Research stage 4 / 6

Catch five different species of Pokemon
Catch a Legendary from either a Research Breakthrough or Raid
Hatch three Eggs

Rewards: Two Lucky Eggs, Shiny Eevee Encounter, 15,000 Stardust

With the first and third objective being relatively simple (look to the Pokemon Go Jump Start Research stage 1 for a reminder about how to hatch an egg), it makes sense that the second is trickier. You'll need to either do a Raid to get your hands on one of the Pokemon Go Legendaries - look out for announcements on Twitter for legendary Raids happening around the world, as they're typically limited-time events - or get yourself a Research Breakthrough.

Research Breakthroughs are rewards you get for doing seven daily Research Tasks one after the other - so basically a week's worth of these daily quests. Our Pokemon Go field research guide lists all the tasks for this month, so to complete the second objective just do seven in a row and you're all set!

Jump Start Research stage 5 / 6

Take a snapshot of Eevee
Send five gifts to friends
Trade three Pokemon

Rewards: Lapras Encounter, 30,000 XP, two Lucky Eggs

As we've already explained how to take snapshots, let's focus on the next two objectives. To send a gift to a friend, go to the 'friends' menu and click on one of your buddies. Select the option which says 'send gift', and then just pop one their way. You'll get gifts from Pokestops, so just keep spinning them until one appears for you to snap up.

Pokemon Go trading also requires some buddies, and the first thing to do is make sure you're close enough to them to trade (Pokemon go will alert you when you're close enough). Go to your list of friends and pick the 'trade' option, then just select the Pokemon you want to send to them. You'll have to decide if you want the Pokemon they'll be trading with you, and then if you're happy with it just click confirm. Do this three times and you'll have completed the third Pokemon Go Jump Start Research stage 5 objective.

Jump Start Research stage 6 / 6

Make a new friend
Win a level three or higher Raid
Evolve a Dragonair

Rewards: Two Lucky Eggs. 100,000 XP, 15,000 Stardust

Make a new friend is simple, but the others aren't. Raids increase in difficulty with each level, so you'll want to bring some friends along with you to a level 3 or higher Raid. Evolving a Dragonair (you should already have one from the Pokemon Go Jump Start Research stage 2 when you had to evolve a Dratini) will take a while, but is possible: you'll need 100 Dragonair candy so you'll want to buddy up with it sharpish and start walking, or keep an eye out for Dratinis to catch to grind up - er, I mean transfer to the Professor - for candy.