Should you choose Candela or Arlo in Pokémon Go? Beloved Buddies path choice explained

Just as with the Cliff or Blanche choice from Steeled Resolve, both Candela and Arlo are fine choices, which makes your decision even harder.

Arlo will reward you with a Scizor upon completing his path, while Candela will reward you with a Rapidash. They’re both great Pokémon for PVP and other battles.

Perhaps surprisingly, though, the paths for Candela and Arlo come with challenges that are quite different from one another. Normally, paths feature similar challenges to complete – this time, not so much.

Keep reading to find out whether you should choose Candela or Arlo in the Pokémon Go Beloved Buddies event and to see what each path looks like in terms of challenges and rewards.

Pokémon Go Beloved Buddies path: What are the options?

Once you’ve completed Step 1 of 3 of Pokémon Go’s Beloved Buddies Timed Research, you will have to choose Candela or Arlo’s path for Steps 2 and 3.

Each option provides the following tasks and rewards for the remainder of the Timed Research mission:

Arlo tasks & rewards

Step 2 out of 3

• Catch 15 Pokémon - Stardust x500
• Transfer five Pokémon - Cubone encounter
• Defeat three Team Go Rocket Grunts - Rocket Radar x1

Complete all three tasks in Step 2 and you’ll be rewarded with a Shadow Diglett encounter and 2,000 XP.

Step 3 out of 3

• Catch 25 Pokémon - Ultra Balls x10
• Transfer 15 Pokémon - Stardust x500
• Defeat Team Go Rocket Arlo - Slowpoke encounter

Complete all three tasks in Step 3 and you’ll be rewarded with a Scizor encounter, 3,000 XP and 2,000 Stardust.

Candela tasks & rewards

Step 2 out of 3

• Earn 10 hearts with your Buddy - Stardust x500
• Earn a Candy exploring with your Buddy - Luvdisc encounter
• Make a new friend - Poffins x2

Complete all three tasks in Step 2 and you’ll be rewarded with a Dunsparce encounter and 2,000 XP.

Step 3 out of 3

• Play with your Buddy five times - Ultra Balls x10
• Send three gifts to friends - Stardust x500
• Trade a Pokémon - Shellder encounter

Complete all three tasks in Step 3 and you’ll be rewarded with a Rapidash encounter, 3,000 XP and 2,000 Stardust.

Pokémon Go Beloved Buddies path: Should you choose Arlo or Candela?

Based on Candela requiring you to make a new friend and trade a Pokémon with another player, we recommend you choose Arlo's path in the Pokémon Go Beloved Buddies Timed Research.

Arlo will reward you with a Scizor, Cubone and Rocket Radar for completing his challenges – all of which are excellent rewards.

Candela is still a good pick, though, and you can’t go wrong either way. Ultimately, it’s your choice, but if you play the game alone, you’re far more likely to complete Arlo’s path, which is why we’ve recommended it.

It’s worth noting, too, that after completing either Arlo or Candela’s Beloved Buddies path, you will earn 2,500 XP and 2,500 Stardust on top of every other reward.

What else is included in the Pokémon Go Beloved Buddies event?

During the Beloved Buddies event – which comes to an end at 8pm (local time) on Saturday 15th February 2025 – there are also various other bonuses and even a new Pokémon debut.

All information below is from the official Pokémon Go website:

Pokémon debut

Dhelmise is now in the game, debuting in 3-Star Raids.

Beloved Buddies event bonuses

The following bonuses are live during the Beloved Buddies event in Pokémon Go:

• 2× XP for catching Pokémon
• Lure Modules activated during the event will last for one hour
• Lure Modules will attract different Pokémon during the event, such as Diglett, Slowpoke, Shellder, Dunsparce, Cutiefly, and Fomantis
• 500 Additional Stardust for catching the following Pokémon: Diglett, Slowpoke, Shellder, Dunsparce, Cutiefly, and Fomantis

Wild encounters

The following Pokémon will appear more frequently in the wild during Beloved Buddies:

• Nidoran♀
• Nidoran♂
• Diglett
• Slowpoke
• Shellder
• Dunsparce
• Remoraid
• Mantine
• Plusle
• Minun
• Volbeat
• Illumise
• Cutiefly
• Fomantis

All can be Shiny.

Raids

The following Pokémon will appear in raids during the Beloved Buddies event:

1-Star Raids

• Shellder
• Dwebble
• Skrelp

All can be shiny

3-Star Raids

• Slowbro (can be Shiny)
• Hippowdon
• Dhelmise

5-Star Raids

• Enamorus (Incarnate Forme)

Mega Raids

• Mega Tyranitar (can be Shiny)

Field Research Tasks, Collection Challenges & PokéStop Showcases

Expect Beloved Buddies event-themed Field Research Tasks, Collection Challenges and PokéStop Showcases to be live during the event.

Complete Field Research Tasks and you’ll earn Stardust and maybe even a Tandemaus encounter. Completing Collection challenges, meanwhile, will let you earn more Badges, Stardust and Great Balls.

Read more on Pokémon:

• Pokémon Go Raids schedule - upcoming battles
• Best Pokémon gifts - the greatest merch
• Best Pokémon games on Switch - our ranking
• Best shiny Pokémon - the coolest creatures
• Best Dragon-type Pokémon - who's your fave?
• All cat Pokémon - the felines to catch
• Pokémon natures guide - all you need to know
• Pokémon type chart - strengths and weaknesses explained
• Legendary Pokémon - the full list
• Pokémon Scarlet and Violet cheats - handy hacks
• Pokémon Emerald cheats - what you need to know
• Pokémon Fire Red cheats - all codes
• Pokémon Go friend codes - and how to find them
• Pokémon games in order - where to start

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