Pokémon Go ‘An X-ceptional Yarn’ X or Y best Choose Path choice and rewards

‘An X-ceptional Yarn’ Special Research choice

‘An X-ceptional Yarn’ Special Research is the quest exclusive to Go Tour Kalos: Global ticket holders and ticket attendees of the in-person events in Tainan and Los Angeles. It was released on Saturday 28th February at 10am (local time), so make sure you log in to claim it!

As a branching quest, ‘An X-ceptional Yarn’ offers you two path choices – X Version or Y Version – right from the very beginning of the quest.

This is a little bit of a change from the usual formula for branching research quests since, typically, you have to complete at least one quest step before making your choice. An X-ceptional Yarn really wants to get down to business!

Just remember, your path choice can not be changed and alters some of the rewards and challenges you’ll recieve. I’ve taken a look at the best Choose Path choice further along in this guide if you need help making this decision. For now, let’s take a look at the challenges and rewards for each path.

‘X Version’ path for ‘An X-ceptional Yarn’ Special Research

Here you’ll find all of the challenges and rewards for the X Version path in the ‘An X-ceptional Yarn’ Special Research quest in Pokémon Go. Remember – your path choice is permanent so make your choice carefully. Spoilers lie below.

‘Y Version’ path for ‘An X-ceptional Yarn’ Special Research

Below you’ll find all of the challenges and rewards for the Y Version path of the ‘An X-ceptional Yarn’ Special Research quest in Pokémon Go. Don’t forget, your path choice can not be changed. There are spoilers below.

Dive into the Poodle Caboodle quest, the Masterwork Research Sparkle and Shine quest, and the An X-ceptional Yarn quest, and don’t forget to check the habitat hour schedule too. There’s also Go Tour Kalos field research tasks to complete, Go Tour Kalos codes to redeem, and Furfrou Trims and Forms to experiment with.

Super Mega Raids and Link Charges have brought a new way to battle Mega Evolutions! Make sure you’re keeping up with the Precious Paths quest.

There’s a lot to do in Pokémon Go outside of the current event! From the Go Battle League, Remote Trading, PokéStop Showcase, Routes and Max Battles. Don’t forget to catch rare Pokémon while you’re at it.

X or Y Version best Choose Path choice for ‘An X-ceptional Yarn’ Special Research

While the best Choose Path choice for ‘An X-ceptional Yarn’ is partly subjective to your needs in Pokémon Go, I would argue that taking the X Version path for Xerneas is the overall better choice.

Xerneas is both a great choice for raids and a Fairy-type force to be reckoned with in the Go Battle League. This isn’t to say Yveltal is a bad choice though. It can still work wonders in the Master League after all. It’s just not as well rounded as the stag. I’ve taken a closer look at both legendaries down below if you want to learn more.

Xerneas is a powerful Fairy-type, sitting in the top 10 for the type and raising even higher when you focus on Pokémon using just Fairy-type moves. Geomancy, a quick and strong Fast Attack, lets Xerneas unleash Charged Attacks very regularly, which can make it a difficult Pokémon to counter at times. Paired with Moonblast, this can make Xerneas very deadly. It’s why Xerneas is so popular in the Master League as it works as a great victory stealer towards the end of the match. Though, you need to ensure your team is based around this tactic working if you’re to use it.

To make up for this, Xerneas is a brilliant Fairy-type to use in raids. It can easily deal an awful lot of damage to any troublesome Dragon-type raid boss you’re fighting! The main thing you need to be aware of with Xerneas, however, is how outstripped it’s already been by other Fairy-types. The release of Crowned Sword Zacian pushes it down the ranks and this could happen again when other strong Fairy-types, especially when Paradox Pokémon finally arrive. If you want to future proof your team, then your Stardust might be better spent elsewhere.

Yveltal is a Dark and Flying-type Pokémon, but let’s get one thing out of the way first: do not use it as a Dark-type for either attacking or defending. Seriously, don’t do it. Don’t even think about it. Yveltal does not fare well in the Pokémon Go Dark-type meta at all. Thankfully it can hold its own in the Flying-type meta, being part of the top 10. The only problem is that Mega Rayquaza and normal Rayquaza sit at the top (with Mega Rayquaza remaining one of the best Pokémon overall), so, if you already have those on hand, then you’re not really going to need Yveltal.

Let’s give Yveltal a fair shake though, because it does have the chance to outstrip Xerneas in the Master League. This is in part due to it being resistant to Ground-types and its moveset making it a very good starting Pokémon. You do need to ensure it has the right moveset though, ideally including Oblivion Wing in whatever setup you’re going for. Master League also lets you use some of Yveltal’s Dark moves, but, if you’re thinking of putting it in raids, you do need to stick to those Flying-type moves.

It’s important to note that neither Xerneas or Yveltal have not had their Shadow variants released yet, so we don’t know how these forms would play into the meta. While a heavy investment, Shadow variants do have a history of performing better than their regular version so you may want to use this quest to farm some easy legendary candy. It won’t be a lot, but it could help.

Both shiny Xerneas and shiny Yveltal have also been in Pokémon Go for a while. Who knows, maybe you’ll get one from this quest!

There is another factor you can use to determine your choice, outside of Xerneas and Yveltal, though. Do you want Unown X or Unown Y?

This is an important question, because your path choice will determine which Unown form you earn from the quest and unlock the chance to earn event-exclusive Field Research for encounters with Unown X or Y. (X Version obviously leads to Unown X and vice versa.) Unowns are quite rare finds in Pokémon Go, typically only being relatively spawn easy during events like Go Tour Kalos: Global. There’s also 28 of them, which means getting every Unown form will take you a while. Due to this, it’s a good idea to check your Pokédex to see if you’re missing either Unown X or Y and, if you are, take this into consideration when selecting your path.

If none of these factors help you make your choice, then you could simply go with which legendary you like best out of the two. Personally, I’m taking the X Version. I have both Unown X and Y, so no need to worry there. I also have a curated selection of powerful Rayquaza, which negates the need for Yveltal. My Fairy-type selection, however, is feeling rather weak at the moment so Xerneas could be the perfect gap filler, especially since I prefer raids to the Go Battle League.

How ‘An X-ceptional Yarn’ Special Research quest works in Pokémon Go

‘An X-ceptional Yarn’ is a Special Research quest only accessible to players who have either purchased a ticket to Go Tour Kalos: Global or were ticket holders at the in-person events in Tainan or Los Angeles. Non-ticketed players can always purchase a ticket during the event if they change their minds.

It was released on Saturday 28th February at 10am (local time). To receive the quest, you need to play Pokémon Go at least once after this point and, to ensure you get it, I recommend doing so during the Go Tour Kalos: Global event hours – between 10am to 6pm (local time) on Saturday 28th February and Sunday 1st March. If you meet the requirement, but don’t automatically receive the quest, try closing and reopening Pokémon Go. This will force the quest to appear, but you may need to do it multiple times.

‘An X-ceptional Yarn’ is a branching quest, offering two different paths that will lead to a different set of rewards and challenges. Your path choice is permanent though, so it’s always best to pick the right path for your current needs in Pokémon Go. I’ve taken a look at which path is best further up in this guide!

Aside from asking you to pick a path, ‘An X-ceptional Yarn’ works exactly the same as any other research quest in Pokémon Go. Divided into a series of quest steps, you’ll have to complete the challenges each one offers and collect the rewards to progress. Since it’s a Special Research quest, ‘An X-ceptional Yarn’ lacks a deadline. This gives you the freedom to complete it whenever you like, but you might find it easier to finish during the Go Tour Kalos: Global event itself.

Best of luck completing ‘An X-ceptional Yarn’!