You’ll Need $16 to Catch a Shaymin in ‘Pokémon GO’ During GO Fest 2022

As much as gamers hate it, it doesn't look like paywalls are going away anytime soon. While a lot of publishers are putting out titles that are free to play, oftentimes they end up costing players more in the long run than the $59.99 one would traditionally drop on a game. And while anyone with a mobile device can download and play Pokémon GO for free, having access to certain features and specific Pokémon, like Shaymin, requires folks to first cough up some dough. Here's how to catch the mythical grass-type monster.

Mythical Pokémon aren't given that moniker for no reason: Not only are they extremely rare and a wonderful addition to any aspiring Pokémon Master's Pokédex, but they're usually absolute beasts when it comes to battling. Filling a roster with mythical types is sure to make anyone feel like a Poké-baller, so it's understandable why so many folks go gaga at the prospect of capturing one of them.

Shaymin's one of those Pokémon. The adorable little critter looks like a hedgehog that was birthed out of a garden in its Land Forme, and was only available to players during Pokémon GO Fest 2022. While all players were able to engage in GO Fest, only people who bought a $15.99 ticket could gain access to the special research events that allowed them a chance at catching Shaymin.

However, everyone's buzzing about the Sky Forme Shaymin, which will now be available to players as part of the last leg of Pokémon GO Fest 2022, which starts on Aug. 27, 2022 and is a global event. Just like the mythical's Land Forme counterpart, you'll have to perform a variety of special research tasks in order to capture it.

The GO Fest special celebrations to catch Land Forme were held on June 4 and June 5, 2022, with special research options allowing folks to capture Land Forme Shaymin. A purchase of the ticket guaranteed an encounter with the mythical Pokémon, but players weren't required to complete the special research tasks in that time frame in order to gain access to Shaymin — they just had to purchase a ticket.

If you have a bunch of tasks you haven't gotten around to completing, you can start by hitting the research option, which is located on the right-bottom portion of your game screen.

Once you do that, you should see Professor Willow's mug pop up, and he will then tell you a bunch of cool details about the nature of the research event and what you'll have to accomplish.

Some of the tasks are as follows:

• Send a Gift to a friend: Yields 2 Incense
• Use an Incense: Yields 22 Poke Balls
• Catch 10 Pokemon: Yields 2 Pinap Berries
• Rewards: Yields 2 Razz Berries, 2 Poffins, and 2,022 XP
• Then, you can select a different number of challenges.

For the Catch Challenge:

• Spin 5 PokéStops or Gyms: Yields 22 Poké Balls
• Complete 3 Field Research tasks: Yields 2 Razz Berries
• Earn 3 hearts with your buddy: Yields 2 Lucky Eggs
• Rewards: 2,022 XP, a Land Forme Shaymin T-Shirt, and 22 Poké Balls

Those are just a few of the challenges you'll have to complete in order to be presented with a Shaymin spawn. The number of tasks you'll have access to and are expected to complete will depend on which mode you picked: Relaxed, Standard, or Master, with each set of challenges offering up different rewards and different stickers.