Keep Calm and Carry On Researching

There's something I haven't covered in detail despite having written about event rollups for Pokémon Go for over half a year. That would be Field Research Breakthroughs, specifically the Pokémon that appears after completing Field Research tasks over the course of seven days. The last time I mentioned them was in last August's rollup, and I have only occasionally hinted about them afterwards. Now it seems useful to take one post to explain them, especially on this day of the week.

Today is Friday, and regarding Field Research Breakthroughs, today is what I call "Premium Friday", because I always claim the Field Research Breakthrough on this day. The reason, which is easily deduced, is that most Breakthroughs are Legendary or hard-to-get Pokémon. Therefore, it's "premium" by the most common understanding. Sure, other people may claim theirs on different days, but this is the way I've always claimed them by way of getting a stamp each day, and it's easy as long as I have a completed Field Research task on the ready. It's a personal thing, but it's what works for me.

As for the Breakthroughs, they've gotten quite remarkable since I formally mentioned them last time. Entei became the Pokémon in September, then it was Suicune in October (as I hinted in an EX Raid), followed by Shedinja in November (which I hinted as I discussed the Sinnoh Stone). In December, things got real fascinating, as the Breakthrough was random between the three birds and the three beasts, with the former being potentially Shiny. That allowed for surprising things to happen as players completed their Field Research, and it did - some people got Shiny birds while others got beasts with good stats. For this month and the next, the Breakthrough is still random, but Lugia and Ho-Oh are added into the mix for an additional twist. While it means more possibilities, it also means more surprises as Field Research is completed.

And that contributes to why I titled the post the way I did. With the way that Field Research Breakthroughs are now, it's best to just continue to complete the tasks, earn the stamps (each day if need be), and capture the Pokémon. The Breakthrough is random anyway and the chances may need to be maximized, unless a player has extremely great luck. In other words, it's "keep calm and carry on..." the Field Research, that is, because it's vital for anyone who doesn't have any of the Pokémon (particularly their Shiny forms), are looking for ones with good stats, or are interested in getting some fodder for trading. All those reasons would certainly apply to me.

In any case, Field Research Breakthroughs are safe (or unsafe, depending on viewpoints) for the next month. After that, things remain to be seen. But I'm not worried - I'm sure I can keep up my Field Research efforts and get some good things. That's surely benefited by remaining calm as well.

Now, I think I can already sense the next Field Research tasks to complete for next week's Premium Friday. I'd better get ready.

One year ago: Performance Critique: ACC 2018 Single Performance
Two years ago: Keychains!