Niantic is getting ready for a major Pokémon Go shakeup at the end of November. If you’ve fallen off the game (for any number of well-founded reasons), the Go Beyond update might be enough of a draw.
From a content-impacting seasonal schedule that will have a ripple effect on the entire game, to a bunch of Generation 6 Pokémon in the Kalos region like Greninja and Talonflame, to a Trainer level cap boost from 40 to 50, to a 12 Days of Friendship reward event – there’s so much stuff to parse.
These areas of interest will speak to everyone differently, but for me, the highlights are definitely in-game seasons and the first crop of Kalos catches. Pokémon Go will split the year up into winter, spring, summer, and autumn, with each season impacting the types of Pokémon you’ll catch, hatch, or encounter in Raids. Variable Pokémon forms will also come into play (for now, just Deerling), and “certain” Mega Evolved Pokémon will get “increased total CP” depending on the current season.
Not unlike Animal Crossing‘s schedule, there will also be a northern and southern hemisphere divide.
Another change: “The GO Battle League will expand from 10 to 24 ranks, and the top four ranks will have all-new names and corresponding badges.” Niantic says these ranks will bring “a totally new reward structure,” and the Battle League, in general, is switching to a three-month schedule.
The Go Beyond update is launching during “the week of Monday, November 30.” On that day, Niantic will flip a switch and give out more XP across the board, from catching to hatching to registering Pokédex entries. “In some cases, the XP earned will be as much as double what it was before.”
That said, as game designer Matt Ein puts it, the “level progression past 40 is intended to be very challenging for players in terms of both mastery of the game mechanics and the effort required, so no one can shoot up to level 50 instantly.” There are Platinum rank medals to grind out, too.
Also, an end-of-year FOMO alert: “Trainers who reach level 40 before Thursday, December 31, 2020, at 11:59 p.m. local time will earn the title of Legacy 40 Trainer and earn some exclusive rewards, like Timed Research that rewards an exclusive Gyarados Hat avatar item and a special Legacy 40 medal.”
As for the Kalos critters, the hunt begins on December 2 at 10:00 a.m. local time. Here’s the list:
- Chespin, Quilladin, Chesnaught
- Fennekin, Braixen, Delphox
- Froakie, Frogadier, Greninja
- Bunnelby, Diggersby
- Fletchling, Fletchinder, Talonflame
- Litleo, Pyroar
- Klefki (Only in France)
- “A mysterious Pokémon preparing to hatch from a one-star Raid Egg soon.”
GO Beyond: The Pokémon GO journey continues beyond [Niantic]
Source: Destructoid Pokemon Go is adding seasons, Greninja, and a new level cap in the Go Beyond update