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Quest Tracking Guide

Find valuable field research tasks. Track Pokemon encounters, rare items, and special rewards at PokeStops.

1 Quest Alert Overview

Every PokeStop offers a daily field research task with various rewards. PoGO Alerts Network scans and reports these quests so you can plan efficient routes to collect the best rewards.

Daily Reset

Quests reset at midnight local time. Each PokeStop gets a new random task daily.

Location-Based

The same PokeStop gives the same quest to all players until the next reset.

Stackable

Hold up to 3 active quests. Claim rewards anytime, even after leaving the area.

Quest Scanning

Quests are scanned on a schedule, starting after the daily reset, with top-up passes that fill gaps. It's the same in every area: tokens don't change quest scanning.

Quests missing from one area? Check these in order: the areas on your quest alarm, whether the area is on the Coverage Map at all, then the time, since quests are scanned on a schedule.

2 Quest Types

Field research tasks vary in difficulty and reward type. Understanding the categories helps you prioritize which quests to hunt.

Pokemon Encounters

Complete the task to encounter a specific Pokemon. Great for hunting shinies or rare species!

Spinda patternsEvent exclusivesRare spawns

Item Rewards

Earn valuable items for completing tasks. Stock up on hard-to-get resources.

Rare CandyTMsEvolution items

Stardust & XP

Boost your resources with stardust and experience rewards. Stack these for maximum gains.

Stardust bundlesXP rewardsMega Energy

3 Filtering Quest Alerts

Customize your quest alerts to focus on the rewards that matter most to you.

By Reward Type

By Pokemon (Encounters)

Select specific Pokemon rewards to track:

SpindaChanseySnorlax+ Add Pokemon

By Item (Item Rewards)

Pro Tip

During events, filter for event-exclusive encounter rewards. These are often time-limited shinies!

4 Finding Quests on the Map

Use the interactive map to locate PokeStops with your desired quests and plan efficient walking routes.

1

Enable Quest Layer

Toggle the quest overlay on the map to see all scanned PokeStops with their current research tasks.

2

Apply Filters

Use the filter panel to show only quests matching your criteria. Hide completed or unwanted rewards.

3

View Quest Details

Click any PokeStop marker to see the full task description, requirements, and reward details.

4

Plan Your Route

Identify clusters of valuable quests and plan a walking route to collect multiple rewards efficiently.

Example Quest Run

A
Catch 5 PokemonChansey encounter
B
Win a raid3 Rare Candy
C
Make 3 curveballsSpinda encounter

5 The quest on the map doesn't match the stop

If you don't hold an AR mapping task, the task a stop gives you can be different from the one on the map. Holding one unfinished AR mapping task gets you the stop's regular task instead. AR mapping tasks only go to trainers at level 20 or above.

Our scanners collect the regular task, and that's the only one the map shows. The map doesn't mark a task as AR or not, because it never has the AR one.

Want the task the map shows? Keep one AR mapping task unfinished in your field research, and stops will give you their regular task.

When quests reset

Tasks change at midnight local time. The map hides every task collected before midnight in the time zone of the place you're looking at, so the quest layer is empty or patchy for a while after midnight.

How long scanning takes

Each area gets a scheduled quest scan overnight and a second one later in the day. Every 20 minutes we check for areas with stops still missing a task and send scanners back to them, until about 99% of an area's stops have one. Most areas are usually mostly filled within a few hours of midnight, and the last stops usually fill in through the morning.

The second scan runs between 10:00 and 13:00 local time. It wipes the area's quests and collects them again, so the quest layer dips for a short while; in one area it went from 73% back to 93% in about 20 minutes.

An event that starts partway through the day usually changes stop tasks. The map keeps the morning task until that area's next scheduled scan, or the next midnight.

If a quest is wrong

  1. Check your field research for an AR mapping task. If you don't have one, the stop gave you its AR task, not the one on the map.
  2. Check the time. Soon after midnight the map may not have the new task yet.
  3. Still wrong? Tell us in the general-support channel on Discord with the stop's name, the task the map shows, the task you got, and when.

Scan an Area finds Pokémon only, so it can't refresh a quest.

6 High-Value Rewards

Some quest rewards are particularly valuable. Prioritize these when planning your daily quest runs.

High Priority
Spinda EncountersLimited patterns, shiny available
Rare Candy (3+)Universal evolution resource
Elite TMsExtremely rare, unlock legacy moves
Shiny-Eligible RaresGuaranteed encounter chances
Medium Priority
Regular TMsAlways useful for PVP/raids
Stardust (1000+)Stock up for power-ups
Evolution ItemsSinnoh/Unova Stones, etc.
Mega EnergyFor desired Mega Pokemon
Event Quests

During events, special quests may offer exclusive Pokemon or increased shiny rates. Check event announcements!

7 Quest Hunting Strategies

Early Morning Runs

Quest scan coverage is best after reset. Hit your target stops early before tasks are deleted by spinning.

High-Density Areas

Parks and downtown areas have more PokeStops. Better coverage means more quests to choose from.

Stack Encounters

Complete quests but don't claim the encounter. Stack up to 100 encounters for Community Day bonuses.

Community Sharing

Share quest locations in your local Discord. Help others find rare quests and benefit from shared intel.