‘Fossil Fun’ is a variation of the ‘Choose Your Path’ Timed Research tasks that rolls out during quieter periods in Pokémon Go. Since it’s a branching quest, you’ll be presented with three choices—Explore, Catch, or Battle—and the one you pick determines the extra reward you’ll get. Don’t worry though; I’ve gone through the best ‘Choose Your Path’ option and outlined it below.
It’s important to note that some players say they’ve encountered a slightly different version of the quest, specifically in terms of which paths are available and how long it takes to finish. This article is based on the version I can access, and I’ll update it if anything changes.
Quest End Time: Sunday 21st June at 8pm (local time)
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‘Fossil Fun Timed Research’ rewards and quest steps
‘Choose Your Path: Fossil Fun Timed Research’ is available for just five days in Pokémon Go, giving you a shot at scoring an extra bonus while the event is active. The rewards tie into a core gameplay mechanic, with the options being: Explore, Catch, or Battle.
Just remember—like every branching quest, you can not alter your decision after you’ve made it. So, consider what each bonus offers before settling on a choice. To make this easier, I’ve organized the guide into sections for each path, including the corresponding rewards, before discussing the Fossil Fun option I believe is the strongest.
For now, let’s look at the quest’s opening step:
‘Fossil Fun Timed Research’ Step 1 of 2
- Claim reward – 500 Stardust
Reward: Five Poké Balls
The Flying Taxi event is currently taking place and has introduced Squawkabilly, along with its various colors, to Pokémon Go! The Forever Forward season has commenced, so it’s wise to check the June event schedule. Go Fest 2026: Global is just around the corner!
There’s plenty to do in Pokémon Go beyond the current event! From the Go Battle League, Remote Trading, PokéStop Showcase, Routes to Max Battles. Don’t forget to catch rare Pokémon while you’re at it.
‘Explore (PokéStops)’ path for ‘Fossil Fun Timed Research’
If you choose the Explore (PokéStops) path, you’ll unlock the x5 XP for spinning PokéStops bonus and receive access to the challenges listed below. Keep in mind—once you commit, you can not swap it out later.
‘Fossil Fun Timed Research: Explore’ Step 2 of 2
- Explore 3km – Shieldon encounter
- Spin 25 PokéStops or Gyms – Shieldon encounter
- Hatch an Egg – Shieldon encounter
- Follow a Route – Shieldon encounter
- Explore 3km – Cranidos encounter
- Spin 25 PokéStops or Gyms – Cranidos encounter
- Hatch an Egg – Cranidos encounter
- Follow a Route – Cranidos encounter
Rewards: Three Golden Razz Berries and five Rare Candies.
‘Catch (XP)’ path for ‘Fossil Fun Timed Research’
Choosing the Catch (XP) path grants the x1.5 XP for catching Pokémon with Nice Throws or better bonus, along with the tasks shown below. Please remember, you cannot revise your path choice once it’s been selected.
‘Fossil Fun Timed Research: Catch’ Step 2 of 2
- Make 10 Nice Throws – Shieldon encounter
- Make 10 Curveball Throws – Shieldon encounter
- Make 3 Excellent Throws – Shieldon encounter
- Make 10 Great Curveball Throws – Shieldon encounter
- Make 10 Nice Throws – Cranidos encounter
- Make 10 Curveball Throws – Cranidos encounter
- Make 3 Excellent Throws – Cranidos encounter
- Make 10 Great Curveball Throws – Cranidos encounter
Rewards: Three Golden Razz Berries and five Rare Candies.
‘Battle (Raids)’ path for ‘Fossil Fun Timed Research’
Finally, if you go with the Battle (Raids) path, you’ll receive the additional 5,000 XP for successfully finishing a raid bonus. Of course, you’ll also tackle the tasks below. As always, you can not change your raid option after you’ve chosen it.
‘Fossil Fun Timed Research: Battle’ Step 2 of 2
- Win a raid – Shieldon encounter
- Power up Pokémon 5 times – Shieldon encounter
- Defeat 4 Team Go Rocket Grunts – Shieldon encounter
- Use 10 supereffective Charged Attacks – Shieldon encounter
- Win a raid – Cranidos encounter
- Power up Pokémon 5 times – Cranidos encounter
- Defeat 4 Team Go Rocket Grunts – Cranidos encounter
- Use 10 supereffective Charged Attacks – Cranidos encounter
Rewards: Three Golden Razz Berries and five Rare Candies.
Best path choice for ‘Fossil Fun’: Explore, Catch, or Battle?
From my perspective, Catch is the optimal path choice for ‘Fossil Fun’. Even so, Explore is a very close second. My conclusion comes down to how much XP you can realistically gain during the window when the bonus is active.
The Catch path stands out because it boosts the main activity, which is also the primary way to earn XP in Pokémon Go—catching Pokémon. As long as you’re hitting Nice Throws or better, you’ll benefit from that excellent x1.5 XP bonus. And if you pop a Lucky Egg, your XP gains can jump even more!
Here are the boosted XP totals for each throw category:
- Nice Throw – 30 XP
- Great Throw – 150 XP
- Excellent Throw – 1,500 XP
- Nice Curveball – 60 XP
- Great Curveball – 180 XP
- Excellent Curveball – 1,530 XP
If you’re heading somewhere new, such as on vacation (lucky you), then I’d actually lean toward the Explore bonus. This lets you spin a lot of unfamiliar PokéStops, which makes the x5 for spinning PokéStops bonus particularly worthwhile. The XP from spinning a brand-new PokéStop goes from 200 XP up to 1,000 XP, and spinning any PokéStop gives you 500 XP instead of the normal 100 XP. Just be sure to keep an eye on your Item Storage so you can keep spinning those stops.
Lastly, I strongly recommend steering clear of the Battle path. While the additional 5,000 XP for successfully finishing a Raid sounds tempting, in practice it means using a large number of Premium Battle Passes to get the most out of it. That might make sense if there were a new Pokémon in the five-star raids, but unfortunately that isn’t the situation this week. Better to save your passes and coins for the time being.
Wishing you the best of luck completing ‘Fossil Fun’!