To say this week was a big week for Pokémon GO is an understatement! The Gym rework and Raid Battle beta have launched, and tickets for Pokémon GO Fest Chicago have sold out. We will go over it all in this week's Weekend Download.
1. Pokemon go fest Chicago
Not to be overshadowed by the other news this week is Pokémon GO Fest Chicago. Tickets went on sale on Monday and sold out in less than six minutes! Details for the event were unveiled once tickets went on sale, and they are pretty exciting. Some "foreign" Pokémon, including Heracross, will appear. Challenges and rewards, including an in-app medal, will be available. Some challenges will be worldwide, so don't feel left out if you cannot attend. PokéStops will also award special 2KM Eggs in a similar fashion to the Eggstravaganza.
As a reminder, the event is on July 22, 2017, from 10 A.M. to 7 P.M. Those staying at the two sponsored hotels and / or a part of Sprint and Boost Mobile's Trainer Rewards program will be able to enter one hour early.
Niantic has promised more news in the coming weeks. Now, lets get speculative. No word yet has come about the exclamation point form of Unown, but it will likely come to the event since Heracross is actually going to be appearing. Legendary Raids will likely be happening, also.
As a reminder, the event is on July 22, 2017, from 10 A.M. to 7 P.M. Those staying at the two sponsored hotels and / or a part of Sprint and Boost Mobile's Trainer Rewards program will be able to enter one hour early.
Niantic has promised more news in the coming weeks. Now, lets get speculative. No word yet has come about the exclamation point form of Unown, but it will likely come to the event since Heracross is actually going to be appearing. Legendary Raids will likely be happening, also.
2. increased spawns and PokeStop conversion
Spawns have been increased around PokéStops. Some PokéStops were also converted into Gyms, as they both can award items. This is great for rural players who don't have many spawns or Gyms in their area.
3. new medals and gym badgesFour new medals have been added! The four new medals are for hours defending a Gym, number of Raids won, number of Berries fed, and number of Legendary Pokémon caught. The final medal has not been acquired by anyone yet, as no Legendary Raids have commenced.
Gym Badges have also been added. They can be acquired by interacting with Gyms' Photo Discs. They can be leveled up all the way to the Gold Tier by battling, defending, and feeding Berries. |
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4. the new gyms, featuring the motivation system
THE MOTIVATION SYSTEM: The new Gyms no longer have levels. The slots are now permanent and have been decreased to six. One time, the six Pokémon in the Gym loose their motivation to battle. As their motivation decreases, their CP will also (temporarily) decrease. To restore motivation, Trainers can feed their and their teammate's Pokémon Berries. Feeding Pokémon awards 20 Stardust and, sometimes, some Candy. Trainers can feed Pokémon Berries while the Gym is under attack, but they cannot add Pokémon to a Gym.
CLAIMING POKÉCOINS: PokéCoins are now awarded automatically. Originally, a Pokémon would earn one Coin every hour (with a limit of 100 a day). But, after some controversy, Niantic has changed the system so a Pokémon earns one Coin every ten minutes (with a limit of 50 a day).
CLAIMING POKÉCOINS: PokéCoins are now awarded automatically. Originally, a Pokémon would earn one Coin every hour (with a limit of 100 a day). But, after some controversy, Niantic has changed the system so a Pokémon earns one Coin every ten minutes (with a limit of 50 a day).
5. the raid beta
THE BETA: The Raid Battle beta began rolling out shortly after the rework launched. Only Trainers Level 35+ had access to Raids at first. The next day, Niantic lowered the minimum Level to 31, then 28, and later 25. In the beginning, Raids would only initiate in sponsored Gyms in major cities. However, Raids are now available globally in all Gyms.
HOW RAIDS WORK: Raids will randomly commence in a Gym. An Egg will appear on top of a Gym along with a two hour countdown. The clock will countdown until the Egg hatches into a Raid Boss. These Raid Bosses are completely overpowered forms of Pokémon such as Tyranitar and Alakazam. Each Pokémon falls into one of five tiers indicated by a creepy Rhydon face. For a full list of Bosses and their individual tiers, click on "Raid Boss Chart" in the Navigation Menu above.
Once the Raid Boss has been revealed, Trainers can join a 20-player-limit lobby with a Raid Pass. With recent changes to immunities, STAB, not very effective, and super effective, Type-effectiveness, strategy, and IVs are paramount when choosing a team. After the battle begins, a Trainer can leave the battle at any time and return where he or she left off. If a Trainer looses or runs out of time, they'll be able to return to the battle, also. However, Trainers can only return of the communal clock (which lasts for an hour) still has time left on it.
After defeating the Raid Boss, Trainers will be awarded Revives, Golden Razz Berries, Technical Machines, and / or Rare Candies along with 3000XP. Based multiple factors, Trainers will be awarded an amount of Premier Balls to catch a Level 20 version of a Raid Boss. The Boss will have the same possible IV range as Egg Pokémon. If a Trainer runs out of Premier Balls, the Raid Boss will run away. From what has been shown so far, the Boss cannot run away before a Trainer runs out of Premier Balls.
CHECK IT OUT: Make sure to look at an article from earlier today about how certain Raid Bosses are possibly being withheld.
HOW RAIDS WORK: Raids will randomly commence in a Gym. An Egg will appear on top of a Gym along with a two hour countdown. The clock will countdown until the Egg hatches into a Raid Boss. These Raid Bosses are completely overpowered forms of Pokémon such as Tyranitar and Alakazam. Each Pokémon falls into one of five tiers indicated by a creepy Rhydon face. For a full list of Bosses and their individual tiers, click on "Raid Boss Chart" in the Navigation Menu above.
Once the Raid Boss has been revealed, Trainers can join a 20-player-limit lobby with a Raid Pass. With recent changes to immunities, STAB, not very effective, and super effective, Type-effectiveness, strategy, and IVs are paramount when choosing a team. After the battle begins, a Trainer can leave the battle at any time and return where he or she left off. If a Trainer looses or runs out of time, they'll be able to return to the battle, also. However, Trainers can only return of the communal clock (which lasts for an hour) still has time left on it.
After defeating the Raid Boss, Trainers will be awarded Revives, Golden Razz Berries, Technical Machines, and / or Rare Candies along with 3000XP. Based multiple factors, Trainers will be awarded an amount of Premier Balls to catch a Level 20 version of a Raid Boss. The Boss will have the same possible IV range as Egg Pokémon. If a Trainer runs out of Premier Balls, the Raid Boss will run away. From what has been shown so far, the Boss cannot run away before a Trainer runs out of Premier Balls.
CHECK IT OUT: Make sure to look at an article from earlier today about how certain Raid Bosses are possibly being withheld.
6. new items
All of the new items added with this update are awarded after Raid Battles. These items are the most valuable items that've ever been added, more so than Pinap Berries were when Generation 2 launched.
GOLDEN RAZZ BERRIES: Golden Razz Berries are the first deluxe Berry that has been added to Pokémon GO. When fed to a wild Pokémon it will increase the capture rate far beyond a regular Razz Berry. The exact multiplier is not yet known. Golden Razz Berries have another effect, as well. They will completely restore the motivation of a defending Pokémon. It is highly recommended by PNN and other major Pokémon GO news outlets to save Golden Razz Berries for powerful Raid Bosses, Legendary Pokémon, and new Pokédex entries.
RARE CANDIES: Rare Candies are a, as Niantic refers to them, "mysterious" Candy. Rare Candy will turn into the Candy of a Pokémon species that you select. We now know that one Rare Candy equals one regular Candy. When using Rare Candy, prioritize rare Egg hatches and Pokémon with a 5KM Buddy distance.
TECHNICAL MACHINES: Technical Machines (TMs) come in two types: Fast and Charged. Fast TMs will change a Pokémon's quick move to any other option in its current movepool. Charged TMs will change a Pokémon's charge move to any other option in its current movepool.
PREMIER BALLS: Premier Balls are a specially-designed PokéBall that are used for capturing Raid Bosses. Premier Balls are a special PokéBall that was introduced in Generation 3. They have the same capture strength as a regular PokéBall. These PokéBalls are not able to be kept after capturing a Raid Boss.
GOLDEN RAZZ BERRIES: Golden Razz Berries are the first deluxe Berry that has been added to Pokémon GO. When fed to a wild Pokémon it will increase the capture rate far beyond a regular Razz Berry. The exact multiplier is not yet known. Golden Razz Berries have another effect, as well. They will completely restore the motivation of a defending Pokémon. It is highly recommended by PNN and other major Pokémon GO news outlets to save Golden Razz Berries for powerful Raid Bosses, Legendary Pokémon, and new Pokédex entries.
RARE CANDIES: Rare Candies are a, as Niantic refers to them, "mysterious" Candy. Rare Candy will turn into the Candy of a Pokémon species that you select. We now know that one Rare Candy equals one regular Candy. When using Rare Candy, prioritize rare Egg hatches and Pokémon with a 5KM Buddy distance.
TECHNICAL MACHINES: Technical Machines (TMs) come in two types: Fast and Charged. Fast TMs will change a Pokémon's quick move to any other option in its current movepool. Charged TMs will change a Pokémon's charge move to any other option in its current movepool.
PREMIER BALLS: Premier Balls are a specially-designed PokéBall that are used for capturing Raid Bosses. Premier Balls are a special PokéBall that was introduced in Generation 3. They have the same capture strength as a regular PokéBall. These PokéBalls are not able to be kept after capturing a Raid Boss.
7. the end of the solstice event
After being extended for 24 hours, the Solstice Event has concluded. Hopefully you bought some Lucky Eggs while they were on sale!
THE NEXT EVENT: Type-themed events are coming out monthly, but don't expect a new event until next month. We should see a Type event in the middle to end of next month around the time of GO Fest. Niantic has promised Trainers can participate in a small part of GO Fest globally, which will likely be part of the next Type event.
THE NEXT EVENT: Type-themed events are coming out monthly, but don't expect a new event until next month. We should see a Type event in the middle to end of next month around the time of GO Fest. Niantic has promised Trainers can participate in a small part of GO Fest globally, which will likely be part of the next Type event.