Pokémon GO has released a new Special Research Story, ‘What Lies Beneath the Mask’ to coincide with its Halloween event. The Research Story is available just from logging in between October 15th to October 31st 2021, at 8:00 pm local time. Completing the Special Research Story straight away isn’t necessary, as Special Research permanently stays after its obtained, but it’s definitely much easier to complete it during the current Halloween Event. In this guide, we’ll cover all of the quests, rewards and the easiest ways to complete ‘What Lies Beneath the Mask’ in Pokémon GO!
What Lies Beneath the Mask – Page 1
- Catch 40 Ghost-type Pokémon – 400 Stardust
- Transfer 9 Pokémon – Duskull
- Make 49 Nice Throws – 9x Ultra Balls
Rewards: Yamask, 4000 XP, 9x Nanab Berries
This first page isn’t too hard, just a little time-consuming. Ghost-type Pokémon are, naturally, absolutely everywhere during both parts of Pokémon GO’s Halloween event. Gastly, Misdreavus, Shuppet and Yamask are all Ghost-type Pokémon spawning during Part 1, with Haunter, Phantump and Pumpkaboo joining them during Part 2, which starts October 22nd at 10:00 am, local time. For more information about other Pokémon available during the event, visit our Pokémon GO Halloween Event guide.
Make sure to hit Nice Throws on every Pokémon you catch, which can be done by hitting the inside circle at its largest when catching a Pokémon. Great and Excellent Throws will still count as Nice Throws, so as long as you’re hitting the inner circle, you’re golden. Transferring 9 Pokémon will come naturally with all the Ghost-types you’ll be catching.
What Lies Beneath the Mask – Page 2
- Catch 40 Ghost-type Pokémon – Halloween Mischief Pikachu
- Make 9 Curveball Throws – 490 Stardust
- Use 49 Berries to help catch Pokémon – Banette
Rewards: Galarian Yamask, 4000 XP, 9x Razz Berries
Catching 40 Ghost-types is a common theme here, every part of ‘What Lies Beneath the Mask’ requires the player to do this. It’s very likely this is a reference to 4 being an unlucky number in Japan, due to being pronounced ‘Shi’, which is the Japanese word for ‘Death’. Make sure to use a berry every time when you’re catching your Ghost-types. If you forgot a few and don’t feel like catching any more, you can simply tap on a Pokémon, feed it a berry and run away and it will still count towards the quest. 9 Curveball Throws can be done by spinning the ball before throwing.
What Lies Beneath the Mask – Page 3
- Catch 40 Ghost-type Pokémon – 400 Stardust
- Catch 9 different species of Ghost-type Pokémon – Alolan Marowak
- Make 49 Great Throws – 49 Pokéballs
Rewards: Galarian Yamask, 4000 XP, 9x Pinap Berries
9 different species of Ghost-type Pokémon is the trickiest one, especially with only 4 different species spawning in the wild during part 1 of the event and an extra 3 joining the spawn pool during part 2. Luckily, there are a few Ghost-type Pokémon species only available from Raids. Drifblim in a Halloween costume, Sableye, and Banette are all Ghost-type Pokémon appearing in 3-Star raids during Part 1 of the event, along with Giratina in 5-Star raids and Mega Gengar in Mega Raids.
If part 2 is currently active, Drifblim and Banette are still appearing in 5-Star Raids, along with Alolan Marowak and Lampent, which are both Ghost-types. Giratina, Mega Gengar and Sableye will not be available from raids during part 2. Drifblim is also available from the ‘Catch 15 Ghost-type Pokémon’ Field Research Task. ‘Make 49 Great Throws’ is similar to Nice Throws in part 1, the inner-circle just has to be in the middle this time. Excellent Throws will also count towards this quest, should you be lucky enough to land a few.
What Lies Beneath the Mask – Page 4
- Claim Reward! – 49 XP
- Claim Reward! – 490 XP
- Claim Reward! – 4900 XP
Rewards: 13 Yamask Candy, 4900 Stardust
Congratulations! You’ve completed ‘What Lies Beneath the Mask’ in Pokémon GO! Like all Special Research Stories, the final page can be claimed and completed instantly. The rewards are pretty lacking, but we can leave you with this fun fact! We covered why the number 40 is considered unlucky, but have you also noticed the frequent use of 9 and 49, too? 9 is also considered an unlucky number in Japan, due to sounding like the Japanese word for ‘Suffering’. 49 is also the amount of damage Galarian Yamask needs to evolve into Runerigus in Pokémon Sword & Shield, likely for the same reason. Spooky!
Pokémon GO is available for free on Android and iOS.
