Pokemon GO: Everything That Changed With New Update
By Boston Blake 17 February 2017
With so many changes and new additions in the Generation 2 update for Pokemon GO, here’s Game Rant’s guide to the most significant changes to the game.
Pokemon GO’s newest update is now live, and mobile gamers around the globe are on the hunt for new Pokemon and adventures in the augmented reality game. The update, termed Generation 2, brings a significant number of changes to the game, as well as some much-needed balances, and new Pokemon for players to acquire and evolve.
To help Pokemon GO players navigate the Generation 2 update, the most notable changes and additions have been identified below via Reddit. Keep in mind, though, that with so much changing in the game, it’s possible Niantic may conduct additional adjustments for balance and to remove any potential bugs, especially with the potential for trading and PvP battles on the horizon.
General Information
As has happened in the past, the Pokemon GO servers experienced some issues once the Generation 2 update launched. It seems those issues have now been fixed, but it’s recommended that players avoid using the shop or evolving Pokemon until later this weekend. Hopefully any additional server bugs will be corrected by then.
Additionally, extended Lures are still working and will be until February 18, so those hoping to use Lures to capture high-profile Pokemon should get out and do so today and tomorrow. And for any players who are running out of space to keep their Pokemon, the Pokemon storage is half price in the store until February 28.
Rebalancing and General Changes
It seems some Pokemon nests and spawns have been changes, so players will need to explore their communities to see how this affects them. Also, multi-touch has been disabled, so players will no longer be able to power up past their level.
Quite a few Pokemon moves have been rebalanced. Some have been given more damage, while others have been given less. To compensate for the Pokemon who received additional damage, Gym fighting mechanics have also been altered. Some of the moves – most likely the ones that were buffed – are now slower, so players won’t be able to spam them anymore during battles.
While most of the rebalancing changes are minor, one Pokemon in particular was targeted and seemingly nerfed into the ground. Lapras has taken a significant hit to CP (Combat Power), making it much less effective in battles. Naturally, this is disappointing to those players who spent countless hours using the buddy system to earn candies for upgrades. With this change, it’ll be interesting to see which other powerful Pokemon take the stage as the go-to options for battles.
Pokemon Movesets
Niantic has implemented Legacy Moves, which are essentially moves that Pokemon can no longer learn since they’ve been removed from the game. However, those Pokemon who learned these moves previously will still have access to them.
To compensate for this change, Generation 1 Pokemon will be able to learn new moves they haven’t before. These new moves will most likely act as replacements for the Legacy Moves on Pokemon that haven’t been upgraded or evolved enough to learn the Legacy Moves.
Evolving Pokemon
There are now new Eevee evolutions with Generation 2. Pokemon GO players can now evolve their Eevee to either Espeon or Umbreon. Be sure to follow Game Rant’s helpful guide on how to evolve Eevee into either of the two. We’ll quickly note, though, that the naming method can only be used once, so players will want to hold off until they have a powerful Eevee to evolve.
Other Pokemon now have new Generation 2 evolve options, but some of those evolves require special items. These special items – Dragon Scales, Sun Stones, Metal Coats, or King’s Stones – can be obtained from Pokestops, but are pretty rare. Players will want to play their evolves carefully based on the rarity of the items.
Niantic has made a few other tweaks to Pokemon evolving. Horsea’s evolution to Seadra and Zubat’s evolution to Golbat now only require 25 candies instead of the previous 50 candies. Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan candies are now combined into Tyrogue candies. And Slowking no longer evolves from Slowbro, but from Slowpoke.
Catching Pokemon
As far as new Pokemon go, it seems Unown has been seen and caught in the wild. Those looking to get one may want to take advantage of the extended Lures happening right now.
Niantic has increased the rewards for second and third evolution catches. Second evolution rewards five candies and 300 Stardust, while third evolution grants 10 candies and 500 Stardust.
The developer is also instituting a “First Throw” bonus of 50 experience points. This means if players are able to catch a Pokemon on the first throw, they receive 150 experience points instead of 100. It’s worth noting that exiting and re-entering the catch screen will not reset the bonus.
Critical caches have been added to the game, and it seems Ditto can now be disguised as Generation 2 Pokemon, such as Sentret, Yanma, and Hoothoot.
Items
Niantic has introduced two new types of Berries into Pokemon GO with the Generation 2 update. Pinap will double the number of candies with the next catch and Nanab slows Pokemon moves so they’re easier to catch. Only one type of berry can be used on a Pokemon at a time, which means no more Berry stacking. If players want to reset the Berry choice, they can exit and re-enter the catch screen.
Apparently, there’s currently a glitch where the Pinap Berries doesn’t show the correct number of candies received. However, it seems players do receive the correct number, despite the inconsistency in the display.
Berries can be obtained through the normal fashion, such as Pokestops, as well as through Level-Up rewards.
Gameplay Changes
With the update barely a day old, there are still quite a few unknowns about the changes and additions. Right now, trainers are on the hunt to see if any of the new Pokemon are locked by region, or if players in all parts of the globe will have access to all the new Pokemon.
Niantic has incorporated a gender icon next to the health bar of each Pokemon. Many gamers are speculating that this means Pokemon breeding may be coming soon.
Some Pokemon have received a reduction in their buddy distance. It’s also worth noting that Generation 2 Pokemon can hatch from eggs, but only those eggs that were obtained after the Generation 2 update launched.
Additional Changes
These are just a few of the changes made to Pokemon GO with the Generation 2 update. Players will undoubtedly be on the hunt for any new features, quirks, glitches, or bugs that may be present in the game. As mentioned before, with so much changes and adding to the game, players can comfortably expect Niantic to make additional tweaks in the coming days and weeks based on player experience.
What do you think about the changes to Pokemon GO with the Generation 2 update?
Pokemon GO is currently available on Android and iOS devices.
