For a few week this summertime , it seemed likeeveryonewas playingPokémon Go . You could recount at a coup d’oeil , typically , as players asterisk slavishly at their screens ( more so than usual ) while stumble about , congregating around real - world landmark as they go past them . But just as quick as the phenomenon ramped up , it faded off as players complained about repetition and tiresomeness .
Pokémon Go was pretty bumpy around the edge at launching , and it still has plenty of room to grow and improve , but the experience has already gotten quite a bit better — especially of late . Have n’t fired up the app in months ? Here ’s a look at what you ’ve missed , and why you might want to get back to the hunt .
figure of speech byPokémon Go
Part of the reason why Pokémon Go loses steam over clip is that the rewards feel thinner . As you progress to high and higher player levels , the amount of XP needed to ding the next level grows dramatically . gratefully , Niantic just tally day-after-day bonuses that reward musician for enter on sequent days , and they can really chip out at those XP run .
You ’ll get incentive XP and Stardust for the first Pokémon you take hold of each calendar day , as well as bonus XP and special items for the first PokéStop bank check - in each Clarence Shepard Day Jr. . On the first six days in a row , you ’ll only see 500 XP and 600 Stardust extra for a seizure , but reach day seven and you ’ll get a big 2,500 XP and 3,000 Stardust bountifulness . too , on day seven of a PokéStop check - in , you ’ll notch 2,500 XP and even more items . dally daily !
Back in September , Pokémon Go added the Buddy System , which lets you designate a single Pokémon to be your dearie of them all . What ’s the point , besides the endearing conception and flashback of Ash and Pikachu from the authoritative animated cartoon ? Well , the pairing can earn you a cumulus of redundant candy , which is used to enhance and evolve your Pokémon .
You earn candy based on how much you walk with your Buddy equipped , and each lusus naturae has its own space needed to clear one piece . Pikachu aim a candy with each kilometer I walk , for exercise while a Snorlax or Onix gets one every 5 kilometer . I ’ve bring in 40 Pikachu candy just from the Buddy system , and used them to evolve it into a Raichu .
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Themed event not only help oneself break up the ennui of the daily grind in a game like Pokémon Go , but they also give you incentive to get out and act . We saw that with October ’s Halloween event , the game ’s first , which made some nice changes for the few - day stretch .
Most importantly , the advancement made it so that candy was clear four time as quickly , so my Pikachu picked up a piece with every quarter - kilometre walked . Also , you make twice the confect for captures , transference , and concoct eggs . And that ’s not all , either : the world was also populated with warhead of spooky Pokémon , such as Ghastly , Haunter , and Gengar . Hopefully we see some more vacation issue before the year ’s up . ‘ Tis the time of year !
you’re able to only catch so many Pidgey and Rattata before you never require to see them again — yet in many areas , that’sall you seethe absolute majority of the time . Common Pokémon can be great for power - level your fibre , especially Pidgey and Weedle that only postulate 12 candy to evolve , but it would be overnice to see a bit more mixture out in the world .
Luckily , that ’s start out to find . in the first place this month , Niantic twinge that areas overabundant with Pidgey , Rattata , and Zubat would have a wider raiment of brush , but that ’s not all : you also wo n’t hatch Pidgey or Rattata from eggs anymore , which save a mo of dashing hopes . Also , Eevee now hatches only from 5 km testicle , and no longer comes from 10 km one .
Most Pokémon Go players have probably battled it out in local gyms to try and take over the billet for their faction , but have you alsotrainedat one of your faction ’s gyms ? It ’s handled the same way , only you ’re fighting an ally alternatively of an foe , and the destination in this slip is to earn some XP while build prestige to help keep the gymnasium aligned with your colour .
Niantic latterly tweaked the means preparation is handled , as you may now bring up to six Pokémon into battle or else of just one . And helpfully , now the Pokémon you face have their CP adjusted based on your own trainer level , so you wo n’t have to battle severely overpower resister just to get a small work in .
Wecovered the Pokémon Go Plusin greater depth when it released in September , but here ’s the quick skinny . It ’s a tiny Bluetooth gadget wearable as either a wristband or lop on you clothes , and it pairs with the game to allow you to play in some respects even when you do n’t have the app loose on your covert .
It tallies walking distance when the phone is in your pocket , so you hatch egg quicker and get more confect , plus you could iron the little button when it hum to check into PokéStops and automatically throw a Poké Ball at any intimate Pokémon you encounter . The Plus has some limit and can be pesky , as well , but it also offers a big daily hike with small participation postulate . Sadly , it ’s still pretty much unimaginable to find at the $ 35 list price .
Separately , Apple Watch backing iscoming to Pokémon Go , although it was expect by the end of September and it ’s still missing in action . Keep an eye out , however , as it should be along any sentence now .
Image byThe Silph Road
Niantic has change the Pokémon trailing organisation in the plot a couple time , and the current version ( “ Sightings , ” available from the lower right ) just is n’t very utile . Meanwhile , the developer has test to stuff third - party diligence from tap into the API to help player situate Pokémon around them . What gives ?
Well , there ’s a better official solution coming to the app , and it ’s already testing in and around San Francisco , as well as in Arizona and Washington . The “ Nearby ” projection screen will show a photo of a nearby landmark , along with the Pokémon spotted there , plus you may zoom out on the mathematical function to see a moderately precise locating of where it ’s found . We ’ll all be net more unfamiliar Pokémon once the Modern tracker wheel out globally .
Without a trading mechanic — which is comingeventually — it ’s doubtful that many the great unwashed in the earth have collected all 145 Pokémon that have been make out to date ( out of 151 ) . Still , given that there are more than 700 total fiend in the enfranchisement with last workweek ’s release ofPokémon SunandPokémon Moonfor Nintendo 3DS , masses want more . And they ’re come .
Data hacker atThe Silph Roadhave been mining the Android interlingual rendition ’s APK file for clue , and just this month , the codification began listing the second generation of Pokémon from # 152 ( Chikorita ) to # 251 ( Celebi ) . There ’s no word on when to bear all of these excess Pokémon to bulge out appearing in the plot , but if they all come at once , that ’ll provide a big dump of fresh , exciting action .