Last month's Pokemon GO Fest tasked players with working towards completing special missions that would lead to what are known as Ultra Unlocks in the weeks following the event and now Pokemon GO Ultra Unlock 3: Sword and Shield has arrived.

Over the last month, we have had the first two Unlock Unlock events that were based around Time and Space, but now it is time for Ultra Unlock 3: Sword and Shield.

The Sword and Shield theme of this Ultra Unlock brings new Galar region Pokemon to the game for the first time ever, skipping over the Alolan region for the time being. This isn't the first time Galar Pokemon have appeared in Pokemon GO though, as some of the Galarian forms of Pokemon like Zigzagoon and Weezing have been in the game previously.

As with the other two Ultra Unlocks, there is Timed Research for you to complete and this guide will help you be ready to complete each of the tasks for Pokemon GO Ultra Unlock Part 3: Sword and Shield and the rewards that will come with them.

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When Does The Event Take Place?

The Pokemon GO Ultra Unlock 3: Sword and Shield event will begin on Friday, August 20 at 10:00 am local time and run through Tuesday, August 31 at 8:00 pm local time. This means you will have about a week and a half to complete the five-part Timed Research, along with experiencing the other perks of the event.

Pokemon GO Ultra Unlock 3: Sword and Shield Timed Research and Rewards

The following are the five stages of Timed research that you will have to complete, courtesy of LeekDuck.

Stage 1

  • Send 5 Gifts to friends - 5x Great Ball
  • Catch 8 Pokemon - 5x Razz Berry
  • Defeat 2 Team GO Rocket Grunts - Pikachu encounter
  • Rewards - 10x Poke Ball, 888 XP, 5x Ultra Ball

Stage 2

  • Power up Pokemon 5 times - 10x Super Potion
  • Catch 10 Pokemon - 5x Revive
  • Battle in the GO Battle League - Meowth encounter
  • Rewards - 5x Ultra Ball, 888 XP, 5x Ultra Ball

Stage 3

  • Evolve 2 Pokemon - 5x Pinap Berry
  • Catch 5 Normal type Pokemon - Galarian Meowth encounter
  • Defeat 4 Team GO Rocket Grunts - Butterfree encounter
  • Rewards - 15x Poke Ball, 888 XP, 5x Ultra Ball

Stage 4

  • Use 10 Berries to help catch Pokemon - Skwovet encounter
  • Catch 8 different species of Pokemon - Galarian Farfetch'd encounter
  • Win a raid - Gengar encounter
  • Rewards - 10x Great Ball, 888 XP, 5x Ultra Ball

Stage 5

  • Earn 12 hearts with your buddy - Wooloo encounter
  • Catch 8 different species of Pokemon - Galarian Stunfisk encounter
  • Win a raid in under 60 seconds - Snorlax encounter
  • 25x Poke Ball, 1x Rare Candy, 5x Ultra Ball

As you can see from the research, the main rewards for each tier are pretty lackluster with the majority of them just being different types of Poke Balls. However, the different Pokemon encounters for the individual tasks are pretty solid, especially considering they are ones that could be Gigantamaxed if that gets added to the game in the near future.