Steeled Resolve Event Guide 2026 — Orthworm Debut, Shiny Meltan & Best Tasks

Steel up, trainers! 🔩 One of the most packed events of the season kicks off Tuesday, April 28 and runs all the way to May 4. We're getting a brand-new Pokémon debut, shiny Meltan back in the wild, a full Team GO Rocket takeover, AND Shadow Incarnate Landorus. There's a lot to cover let's get into it.

shiny orthworm

Orthworm Makes Its Pokémon GO Debut!

The star of the show is Orthworm, the Earthworm Pokémon from Scarlet & Violet and it's finally wriggling into GO! 🎉

Here's everything you need to know:

• Orthworm is a pure Steel-type Gen 9 Pokémon (the Lurking Steel Titan from Paldea)
• It appears exclusively in 3-Star Raids during the event it won't be in the wild, so raid battles are your only shot
• Shiny Orthworm launches alongside it a gorgeous vivid blue coloring replaces its usual earthy tones 💙
• Unlike most debuts, Niantic is giving us the shiny from day one don't sleep on this

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💡 Pro tip: Orthworm is a 3-Star raid, so it's very soloable with the right counters. Use Fire, Ground, or Fighting-type moves they all hit Steel for super effective damage. Chandelure, Garchomp, and Machamp are great budget picks.

Shiny Meltan

Shiny Meltan Is Back — How to Get It

This is the other massive highlight of the event. Shiny Meltan returns via the Mystery Box, and the cooldown is reduced so you can open it more often than usual! 🔑

How to get the Mystery Box:

1. Open Pokémon GO and connect it to Pokémon HOME (free app)
2. Transfer any Pokémon from GO to HOME
3. A Mystery Box will appear in your item bag open it to spawn Meltan for 60 minutes!

During Steeled Resolve:

• The Mystery Box cooldown is reduced you can open it again much sooner than the usual 3-day wait
• Every Meltan that spawns from the box has a chance to be Shiny ✨
• Shiny Meltan is a stunning golden/yellow color one of the most sought-after shinies in the game

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⚠️ If you don't have Pokémon HOME yet, download it now it's free and the transfer only takes 30 seconds. Don't miss this Shiny Meltan window.

Wild Spawns to Watch For

Steel-types are taking over the map! Increased wild encounters include:

• ⚡ Magnemite (shiny available)
• 🪨 Aron (shiny available)
• 🌾 Ferroseed (shiny available)
• ⚔️ Pawniard (shiny available)
• And more Steel-type Pokémon throughout the week

Why Pawniard matters: It evolves into Bisharp → Kingambit, one of the strongest Dark/Steel-type attackers in the current meta. If you're short on Pawniard candy, this is your week.

⚔️ Raids During Steeled Resolve

💡 Beldum in 1-Stars = easy Metagross candy. Metagross is one of the best Steel-type attackers in the game — stack that candy.

📋 Best Field Research Tasks

Event-themed Field Research tasks reward encounters with:

• Magnemite ⚡
• Pineco
• Nosepass
• Bronzor
• Drilbur
• Ferroseed
• Beldum (rarer but worth spinning every PokéStop for)
• Shieldon (rarer, but a solid Fossil Pokémon with shiny available)

Spin every PokéStop you pass the tasks Refresh daily and some of the rarer encounter rewards are genuinely worth chasing.

🚀 Steeled Resolve: Taken Over (April 30 – May 4)

The second half of the event is a full Team GO Rocket takeover, and it's loaded:

Shadow Incarnate Forme Landorus Returns

• Shadow Incarnate Landorus is back as a Shadow Legendary rescue
• One of the best Ground-type attackers in PvP absolutely worth purifying if you get a good IV
• You'll need to defeat Giovanni to rescue it

🥚 Shiny Varoom Debuts in 12km Eggs

• Shiny Varoom makes its Pokémon GO debut exclusively hatching from 12km (Adventure) Eggs 🐣
• To get 12km eggs, you need to defeat a Team GO Rocket Leader (Arlo, Cliff, or Sierra)
• Varoom is a Steel/Poison-type Gen 9 Pokémon that evolves into Revavroom stock up now!

Other Taken Over Highlights:

• Remove Frustration from Shadow Pokémon using Charged TMs — this window is rare, use it
• New Shadow Pokémon added to Rocket Grunt lineups
• Earn more Stardust from defeating Rocket Grunts
• Super Rocket Radar available via GO Pass rewards to track Giovanni

🎟️ GO Pass Rewards — What You'll Earn

The GO Pass: Steeled Resolve – Taken Over is free and auto-unlocks April 28. Rank up by collecting GO Points to earn:

• Encounters with Beldum, Pawniard, Honedge, Meltan, and more
• Extra Stardust from Rocket Grunts
• Super Rocket Radar to find Giovanni
• Double catch Candy milestone bonus

Want to upgrade? GO Pass Deluxe is $4.99 and gives you faster progression plus all the free rewards. The $6.99 version includes +6 ranks pre-filled so you can skip straight to the good stuff.

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💡 No daily GO Points limit from May 2–4 grind hard in the final stretch to hit those milestones!

✅ Complete Event Checklist

Before April 28:

• Download Pokémon HOME if you don't have it (free)
• Do a transfer to HOME now to reset the Mystery Box cooldown
• Stock up on Raid Passes for Orthworm 3-Stars
• Build a Fire, Ground, or Fighting Counter team for Orthworm

During Steeled Resolve (Apr 28 – May 4):

• Open Mystery Box daily for Shiny Meltan chances
• Do 3-Star Orthworm raids hunt that shiny blue worm
• Catch Pawniard for Kingambit candy
• Spin PokéStops for Beldum and Shieldon Field Research
• Defeat Rocket Leaders to get 12km eggs (Shiny Varoom!)
• Use Charged TMs on Shadow Pokémon to remove Frustration
• Defeat Giovanni to rescue Shadow Landorus
• Collect GO Points daily no limit May 2–4

Steeled Resolve is one of the most content-packed events Pokémon GO has dropped this season. A new shiny debut on day one, Shiny Meltan, Shadow Landorus, Shiny Varoom in eggs, AND a Rocket takeover all in one week. Whether you're a shiny hunter, a PvP grinder, or just want the new Pokémon, there's something here for every trainer.

Mark April 28 in your calendar and get those Mystery Boxes ready.