Pokémon GO: Steeled Resolve event (Orthworm)

Pokémon GO has one of those event weeks where the headline looks simple, but the real value depends on how you play it. Yes, Orthworm is the new debut. But the bigger story is that Niantic stacked several useful grinds into the same window — raids, Mystery Box farming, Steel-type catches, and a short Rocket takeover. If you only log in once or twice this weekend, you want to aim at the parts that actually matter before the event ends on Monday, May 4 at 8:00 p.m. local time. ### What is the actual new thing here? Orthworm is the new arrival. This Paldea Steel-type makes its Pokémon GO debut during Steeled Resolve, and it can be shiny right away — which is not always how new releases work. The catch is that Orthworm is not spawning freely in the wild. You get it mainly through 3-star raids, so this is a raid-target event more than a “walk around and hope” event. ### Why are people also talking about Meltan? Because Shiny Meltan is back, and that always gets attention. During this event, opening a Mystery Box can lead to Meltan encounters, with the shiny available for the event window. That matters because Meltan is not a normal wild spawn — it’s tied to the Mystery Box system, so players who have access to Pokémon HOME or Let’s Go support can squeeze extra value out of the week. ### So what should you prioritize first? If you care about collection value, do Orthworm raids first. New debuts with immediate shiny access tend to be the most time-sensitive part of events like this. If you care about utility and candy volume, then Mystery Box sessions for Meltan are the better grind. Wild Steel-type spawns and themed research are nice support pieces, but they are not the main prize. ### What else is spawning? The event leans hard into Steel-types, with themed wild encounters, raids, and field research built around that pool. That gives newer players an easier way to fill dex gaps and stock candy for species that are usually more scattered. But this is not really a meta-shifting spawn event. It’s more of a focused collection week with a couple of premium targets sitting on top. ### Why does the Rocket part matter? Because Steeled Resolve does not stay a plain catch-and-raid event the whole time. A Team GO Rocket “Taken Over” phase overlaps the back half of the event, adding more Rocket activity, lineup changes, and the usual pressure to battle rather than just catch. That overlap makes the weekend busier than the first announcement alone suggests. ### Is Orthworm actually good? Probably not as a must-have raid attacker. Early community read is that Orthworm looks more interesting as a niche PvP project than as a top PvE monster. Basically, this is a “get one because it’s new, maybe keep a good one for later” situation — not a drop-everything power creep emergency. ### What’s the best way to play the rest of the event? Think of it like a checklist, not a marathon. Do a few Orthworm raids. Open Mystery Boxes if you can. Clear Rocket battles if you want the takeover rewards. Then use leftover time on research and wild catches. That order gets you the limited stuff first and the replaceable stuff second. ### Bottom line Steeled Resolve is really three mini-events braided together — Orthworm’s debut, Shiny Meltan’s return, and a Rocket takeover coda. If you play smart this weekend, you can hit all three. If you drift through it casually, you’ll probably end up with a pile of Steel-types and miss the parts people will actually remember.