Pokemon Go may have lost a bit of steam since its initial release back in 2016, but after
Nintendo’s press conference at this year’s E3, it’s clear they have some big plans
for their mobile sensation.
Not only will you be able to sync the game with the upcoming Let’s Go Pikachu and Let’s
Go Eevee games, but the game’s latest update now lets you trade pokemon with your pals.
Trading has been a long time coming, and one of the biggest requests players of the game
has had since it came out.
The update also allows for friends lists – a cool feature that even the original Pokemon
games lacked, only allowing for players to trade one on one at a time.
So how will this work?
Players will only be able to trade their Pokemon locally, meaning they have to be within 100
meters of another player.
According to one of the Niantic developers Kristen Koa, “We wanted to make sure we
got this right.
We needed to take into account how to introduce trading into this game where exploration and
exploring new places is core to the game balance.
We didn’t want to mess with that.”
So that explains why it took so long for this feature to come into actuality.
The process is a pretty cool one.
Essentially, when you trade a pokemon, you not only get that Pokemon but will also earn
the Candy of that specific Pokemon, too.
There’s a bonus amount of candy if the Pokemon traded were caught in different locations
that have quite the distance between them.
And how does the friend's list feature play into this?
Well, according to Niantic’s press release, “the friendship level between players trading
Pokemon will provide unique bonuses including Stardust discounts.
Higher Friendship levels between Trainers will unlock the Special Trades option, which
includes the ability to trade certain Pokemon, such as regional Pokemon, Legendary Pokemon,
and Shiny Pokemon, and adds new Pokemon to their Pokedexes.”
This friendship level can be improved by fighting together at gyms, sending gifts to one another,
or by participating in raid battles together.
New items will be introduced, too, and are said to include exclusive Pokemon Eggs, which
will hatch into an exclusive egg-only Alolan form of one of the Kanto Pokemon.
So making friends is kind of really important if you’re going to get the most out of your
Pokemon Go trading experience.
In addition to that, younger players likely won’t be able to get on the trading bandwagon
in some cases.
The press release also noted that “Trainers who require parental approval and registration
through the Pokemon Trainer club to play Pokemon Go will be unable to trade with other Trainers
in the game.”
In addition to this, you have to be at least level 10 in order to trade in general.
And, in order to trade pokemon, you’ll need Stardust.
Players will only be able to add friends by popping in each other’s trainer codes, which
is meant to keep the game safe and deliberate.
Once accepted, you can check out your friend’s stats, which also includes their recent game
activity.
Your friendship level also has tiers – Good Friend, Great Friend, Ultra Friend and Best
Friend, with each tier having their own bonuses, including bonuses in gym battles like having
higher attacks.
The amount of stardust required to trade is also dependent on your friendship level, with
it being less stardust required if you’re Ultra Friends with someone compared to being
Good or Great Friends.
There’s also a category known as Special Trades, which are only accessible by Great
Friends and up.
These trades are the only way you’ll be able to swap legendary pokemon, shiny pokemon,
and pokemon that you have yet to unlock in your Pokedex, which includes regional exclusives.
And, as you probably guessed, the cost of Stardust is that much higher for these special
trades.
The reason why the trading is a little more complex than the straightforward swaps of
the original Pokemon RPGs is that Niantic didn’t want to devalue players’ efforts
by making trading so easy to complete their Pokedex.
So, what’s to come?
Well, according to the developers, it doesn’t seem like remote trading will ever come into
fruition – that would go against the point of the Pokemon Go experience.
It’s important to Niantic that the game continues to increase its social element.
Makes sense.
When the update is launched, you’ll only be able to befriend 200 players initially,
but that number will likely increase in updates down the road, and it’s expected that events
like Pokemon Go Fest and Community Days will allow for more players to connect and trade.
With that in mind, the update is expected to come out later this week in order to be
available for July’s Go Fest and the Pokemon Go summer tour, which begins on June 30th
in Dortmund, Germany.
So, tell us what you think – are you guys still playing Pokemon Go?
If not, will this update get you back into the game?
Let us know in those comments below!
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