You remember that feeling when Cosmog first landed in the game? It was a mess of confusion. People were scratching their heads over how a tiny "Nebula" Pokémon could eventually turn into the literal sun or moon. But then the Starry Skies Pokemon Go event hit, and suddenly, the path to getting a second Solgaleo or Lunala became a reality for the average player. It wasn't just about the Pokédex entry; it was about fixing a massive bottleneck in the game's progression system.
Honestly, Niantic usually puts these legendary encounters behind a massive paywall or a grueling 10-step quest that takes months. Starry Skies felt a bit different. It was part of the Season of Hidden Gems back in 2023, and it gave players a choice. You could play for free and get one encounter, or you could shell out five bucks for a second ticket.
The choice actually mattered.
What People Get Wrong About the Starry Skies Branching Paths
Most players just click through the dialogue. I get it. Professor Willow talks a lot. But in Starry Skies, the choice between the "Help Research Daytime Pokémon" and "Help Research Nighttime Pokémon" wasn't just flavor text. It dictated your entire gameplay loop for the week.
If you picked the daytime path, you were stuck hunting Grass and Bug types. You needed to catch 50 Pokémon with Weather Boost. That’s a lot of clicking if the weather isn't cooperating. On the flip side, the nighttime path was all about Ghost and Dark types. You had to catch 50 different species. That’s arguably harder depending on where you live.
The reward, though, was the same: a Cosmog encounter.
Why does this matter now? Because of Solgaleo and Lunala. To get both without trading away your soul, you needed that second Cosmog. If you’re looking back at your storage and wondering why you have a random Cosmog sitting there at level 15, it probably came from this specific research line. It remains one of the few times Niantic handed out a "cosmic" legendary through a relatively straightforward Special Research.
The Math of Evolving Your Starry Skies Cosmog
Let’s talk Candy.
It takes 25 Candy to get to Cosmoem. Then it takes a staggering 100 Candy to reach the final form. If you’re a casual player, you aren't walking 20km for one Candy. You're just not. That’s 2,500 kilometers of walking. Most people I know used Rare Candy they hoarded from Raids.
If you chose Solgaleo, you had to evolve during the day. Lunala required the night. It sounds simple, but I’ve seen dozens of people accidentally evolve the "wrong" one because the game's day/night cycle didn't perfectly match the local sky. Always check the silhouette on the evolve button. If it’s a question mark, don't press it.
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The Necrozma Factor: Why You Need That Extra Solgaleo
Everything changed with the introduction of Fusion.
When Dusk Mane and Dawn Wings Necrozma entered the meta, the value of the Starry Skies Pokemon Go research skyrocketed in retrospect. You need a Solgaleo or a Lunala to fuse with Necrozma. If you only had one from the original "A Cosmic Companion" research, you were forced to choose which fusion you wanted.
By completing Starry Skies, you effectively secured the "batteries" for your Necrozma.
Dusk Mane Necrozma is currently a beast in the Master League and an absolute monster in Steel-type Raids. It outclasses almost everything. If you used your Starry Skies Cosmog to get a Solgaleo for fusion, you basically unlocked the strongest Steel attacker in the history of the game. That’s not hyperbole; the numbers from sites like Pokebattler and GamePress back it up consistently.
Common Misconceptions About Shiny Cosmog
Let's clear this up: You couldn't get a shiny from the Starry Skies research.
I see people on Reddit all the time claiming they saw a shiny Cosmog in 2023. They didn't. The shiny was locked. Even if you paid for the extra ticket, you were getting standard colors. Niantic is notoriously stingy with shiny mythical and legendary debuts in research. We usually have to wait for a Go Tour or a specific "Masterwork" research for those.
How to Handle Your Cosmic Research Moving Forward
If you still have this research sitting in your logs—maybe you took a break from the game—don't rush it. The tasks aren't timed.
The "Earn 10 Candies walking with your buddy" task is the one that kills momentum. Pro tip: Swap your buddy to a Magikarp or a Gyarados. They earn candy every 1km. You can knock that step out in a single afternoon walk rather than spending two weeks walking a legendary.
Step-by-Step Optimization for Starry Skies
- Check the Weather: Don't pick the Daytime path if you're in an area with constant "Cloudy" or "Rainy" weather unless you really like catching Poison types. Weather boost is fickle.
- Snapshot Tasks: You'll likely need to take snapshots of wild Pokémon. Use the "Quick Treat" feature to get your buddy on the map first; sometimes it helps with the game's internal tracking.
- The Final Evolution: Don't evolve your Cosmog until you have a high-IV Necrozma ready to go. The Cosmog itself doesn't need to be 100% IV (a "Hundo") because the fused form takes the IVs of the Necrozma, not the Solgaleo or Lunala.
Looking at the Meta Impact
Is Lunala actually good? Sorta.
In the Master League, Lunala has some niche uses, especially against Fighters. But it’s generally overshadowed by its fusion counterpart, Dawn Wings. If you’re playing the long game with your Starry Skies Pokemon Go rewards, you’re aiming for Dawn Wings Necrozma for Ghost-type utility or Dusk Mane for pure Steel power.
We saw a huge shift in the meta once players realized that Solgaleo’s typing (Psychic/Steel) was a massive defensive upgrade over pure Psychic types. It resists so much. Having that extra one from Starry Skies meant you could keep one for the Master League and use the other for fusion.
Technical Glitches and Support Issues
A lot of players reported that the "Catch 50 Pokémon with Weather Boost" task was bugged. It wasn't always a bug; sometimes the game's visual weather doesn't match the "server" weather. If you aren't seeing the swirling ring around the Pokémon on the catch screen, it isn't boosted. Period.
If you paid for the ticket and it didn't show up, check your "Events" tab. It’s separate from the "Special" tab where the free version lives. It’s a weird UI choice, but that’s how they differentiate the paid and free tracks.
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Actionable Strategy for Your Team
Stop hoarding your Cosmog.
If it’s sitting in your storage because you're afraid of making the "wrong" choice, look at your raid teams. Do you have a strong Ghost-type attacker? If not, go Lunala. Do you need a Steel-type anchor? Go Solgaleo.
Next Steps for Players:
- Audit your Necrozma Energy: Check how much Fusion Energy you have. There’s no point in evolving your Starry Skies Cosmog if you can't actually fuse it yet.
- Buddy Swap: Switch to a 1km buddy immediately if you’re stuck on the "Earn Candy" page of the research.
- IV Check: Remember that the IVs of your Solgaleo/Lunala do not matter for Fusion. Save your high-IV Necrozma for the final merge.
- Trade Strategy: If you have a friend who also did the Starry Skies research, consider a Lucky Trade. A Lucky Solgaleo is much cheaper to power up, saving you hundreds of thousands of Stardust.
The Starry Skies event was a rare moment where Niantic gave players a clear path to power. Whether you played it for free or bought the pass, that Cosmog is likely the most valuable thing in your bag for the current fusion-heavy meta. Use it wisely.