Pokémon Go 'Streets to Skies' choose a path — steel or dragon?

2 hours ago 17

Published Nov 14, 2026, 10:18 AM EST

Should you pick Steel Scholar or Dragon Defender?

The two medals in the Pokémon Go Wild Area event with Beldum and Deino

As part of the ticketed bonus to Pokémon Go's 2026 Wild Area event, players can start a set of Special Research Tasks called "Streets to Skies." During this research, you'll need to pick between steel- or dragon-type Pokémon, with your pick having a slight impact on your rewards.

If you bought the ticket, make sure to start the research by opening your Special Research screen during the event on Nov. 14 or 15. Once you have the research started, it'll be unlocked permanently, so you can take your time completing it. That being said, it'll be much easier to complete the research during this event.

Below, we explain whether you should pick steel or dragon in the Pokémon Go 2026 Wild Area Special Research and the steps and rewards for the research itself.

Choose a path outcome: Should you pick steel or dragon?

This year, the differences between the research are pretty small. No matter what, you'll get Gigantamax Duraludon at the end, with the main difference being what bonuses you'll get for the remainder of the event:

If you pick Steel Scholar, you'll get an additional candy XL and 1,000 Stardust per caught steel-type mighty Pokémon.
If you pick Dragon Defender, you'll get an additional candy XL and 1,000 Stardust per caught dragon-type mighty Pokémon.

Both steel- and dragon-types have their uses. If you pick steel, you can focus on powering up Metagross (and thus, Mega Metagross), which is probably the most "meta" pick of the two. However, a case could be made for picking dragon. Since paid ticket holders get a "chance" to find mighty Latios and Latias, opting for the dragon side will net you bonus candy for them — but only if you're lucky enough to even find and catch them. Additionally, you'll get more candy for Hydreigon and Haxorus, which is also pretty good.

Additionally, if you pick steel, you'll get an encounter with a mighty Metagross, whereas picking dragon will net you an encounter with a mighty Hydreigon. Given what we explain above, picking steel is the more meta option. (But hopefully, you'll encounter lots of both of these Pokémon throughout the event, making this factor somewhat negligible.)

If you want to focus on guaranteed power, pick steel. If you want to try your luck, pick dragon. If you don't really care about either of those, pick based on which medal you want to earn for this event, as you'll only get the one (shown in the image at the top of this article) for the side you pick.

Several steel- and dragon-type Pokémon dancing around a park

'Streets to Skies' Special Research quest steps

Step 1 of 6

Catch 10 Pokémon (1 Incense)
Make 5 nice throws (1 Poffin)
Use an Incense (1 Rare Candy XL)

Rewards: 1,000 XP, 1,000 Stardust

After completing the first step, you'll be asked to pick between Steel Scholar or Dragon Defender. The steps and rewards are largely the same, though you'll need to focus on steel-type Pokémon if you pick Steel Scholar or focus on dragon-type Pokémon if you pick Dragon Defender.