'Explore, Catch, Battle' is a repeating type of Choose a Path questline in Pokémon Go.
After choosing one of the several playstyles, you then get a bonus related to that path. From there, the items rewarded for each one are the same - so it's mainly about what bonus you want to take advantage of.
The feature first debuted on Tuesday, 5th May as part of an 'evergreen weeks' initiative to give players more to do during non-event weeks, featuring a set of three XP-related bonuses.
Below are the three 'Explore, Catch, Battle' Choose a Path choices available in Pokémon Go available between 19th and 25th May, their respective Timed Research, and the rewards on offer throughout.
'Explore, Catch, Battle' Choose a Path differences in Pokémon Go for 19th-25th May
The following rolls out on Tuesday, 19th May at 10am local time, ending on Monday, 25th May at 8pm local time.
Explore path
Bonus: 1/2 Egg Hatch Distance
Explore Timed Research:
- Explore 5 km (reward: 10 Great Balls)
- Spin 50 PokéStops or Gyms (reward: 10 Ultra Balls)
End reward: 3 Pinap Berry, 5 Rare Candy
Catch path
Bonus: Additional Candy for Nice Throws or better (+1 for Nice, +2 for Great, +3 for Excellent)
Catch Timed Research:
- Make 15 Excellent Throws (reward: 10 Great Balls)
- Make 50 Curveball Throws (reward: 10 Ultra Balls)
End reward: 3 Pinap Berry, 5 Rare Candy
Battle path
Bonus: Extra Mysterious Components from Team Go Rocket Grunts
Battle Timed Research:
- Win 5 Team Go Rocket Grunts (reward: 10 Great Balls)
- Use 25 Super Effective Charged Attacks (reward: 10 Ultra Balls)
End reward: 3 Pinap Berry, 5 Rare Candy
Thanks to reddit for helping flesh out the above.
Should you choose the Explore, Catch, or Battle path?
There are two factors at play with your decision, since the item rewards from the Timed Research (10 Great Balls, 10 Ultra Balls, 3 Pinap Berry and 5 Rare Candy) are the same.
One is the bonus you want to receive for the week ahead, and the other is how likely you are to complete the Timed Research steps.
The bonuses are as follows:
- Explore: 1/2 Egg Hatch Distance
- Catch: Additional Candy for Nice Throws or better (+1 for Nice, +2 for Great, +3 for Excellent)
- Battle: Extra Mysterious Components from Team Go Rocket Grunts
As for the Timed Research, each choice has its challenges, but all are achievable: the 'Catch' step is within reach for most players, though the Excellent Throws require a degree of skill; 'Explore' requires you to be active during the week and have access to enough PokéStops to make it worthwhile; and 'Battle' means having to track down Team Go Rocket Grunts (which is far easier than the previous iteration of the quest that involves raids, since you can wait for Go Rocket Balloons to come to you).
Remember, these bonuses will apply as soon as you make the choice until 8pm the following Monday. As such, it's worth taking into account the week's events into your choice if possible. So ultimately, it's a case of opting for the play style that suits you best.
What 'Explore, Catch, Battle' path did I pick?
Personally, as a Go Plus-heavy player, 'Explore' makes the most sense for me, especially with the 1/2 Hatch Distance out of the three.
I was tempted by the additional Candy bonus of the 'Catch' path, but as someone who doesn't want to do much manual catching this week, and no Pokémon that I'm desperate for extra Candy drops for, then 'Explore it is.
Previous 'Explore, Catch, Battle' bonuses
Here's a list of the 'Explore, Catch, Battle' bonuses available previously:
5th to 11th May
- Explore bonus: 5x XP for spinning PokéStops
- Explore 5 km (reward: 10 Great Balls)
- Spin 50 PokéStops or Gyms (reward: 10 Ultra Balls)
- Catch bonus: 1.5x XP for catching Pokémon with Nice Throws or better
- Make 15 Excellent Throws (reward: 10 Great Balls)
- Make 50 Curveball Throws (reward: 10 Ultra Balls)
- Battle bonus: An additional 5,000 XP for completing raids
- Win 5 Raids (reward: 10 Great Balls)
- Use 25 Super Effective Charged Attacks (reward: 10 Ultra Balls)
- The end rewards for all of the above were the same: 3 Pinap Berry and 5 Rare Candy.
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