Pokémon Go ‘Legendary Heroes’ path choice: Sword or Shield?

“Legendary Heroes” is a Sword and Shield-themed Timed Research quest running until the start of Oct. 2024 in Pokémon Go.

There is a choice to be made as part of this branching quest — the Sword Path or Shield Path — which impacts both the Collection Challenges and Incensed Pokémon you encounter during the event. Choose wisely!

This Timed Research is part of the “Max Out” season, which has seen the debut of various Galar Pokémon, Dynamax Pokémon, and Power Spots.

Available from Sept. 26, you have until Oct. 1, 2024, to start and complete the “Legendary Heroes” Timed Research. Thanks to LeekDuck with helping fill in the gaps with the following.

Rewards: 8 Poké Balls, 800 XP, 800 Stardust

At this point, you will choose between the Sword Path and Shield Path.

You can read our thoughts on which to pick in the next section — otherwise, the steps that follow for both choices are:

Rewards: Galarian Darumaka encounter, 800 XP, 800 Stardust

Rewards: Rufflet encounter, 800 XP, 800 Stardust

Rewards: Galarian Ponyta encounter, 800 XP, 800 Stardust

Rewards: Vullaby encounter, 800 XP, 800 Stardust

Not only does this “choose a path” branching research result in different encounters and rewards as part of the quest, but the Sword Path and Shield Path choice also changes the Collection Challenges and Incense encounters you’ll receive.

The ‘Catch’ Collection Challenge is based on Pokémon you’ll encounter when you use Incense. However, the ‘Trade’ Collection Challenge requires Pokémon only found using Incense on the other path, meaning you need to trade with someone who will catch the Pokémon that you cannot. As such, it’s a good idea to choose a different path to a friend, so you can help one another complete the Collection Challenge.

Note that, if you don’t do this — say if you and a friend have chosen the same path — the ‘Trade’ Collection Challenge can still be completed if you already have these Pokémon in your collection. Only the ‘Catch’ portion of the Collection Challenges are dependant on collecting those specific Pokemon as part of the event, whereas the ‘Trade’ one will work for Pokémon whenever they were caught.

Otherwise, if you aren’t interested in completing the Collection Challenges, the choice simply comes down to the Pokémon you can encounter from Incense and the Timed Research rewards (the specifics of which you can read elsewhere on this page), as the level of difficulty and length of the quest steps remains the same for both the Sword Path and Shield Path.

Collection Challenges will appear once you have completed the first step of the branching research, and what you receive is dependant on your Sword or Shield choice.

Rewards: 1,000 XP, Skwovet encounter

Rewards: 5,000 XP, Larvitar encounter

Rewards: 1,000 XP, Skwovet encounter

Rewards: 5,000 XP, Deino encounter

The following Incense encounters is dependant on your Sword Path or Shield Path choice in the Timed Research, and all have the chance to be shiny.