Developer Niantic has been hard at work making their wildly popular Pokémon Go app compatible with the “new normal”. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic and quarantine orders keeping many people from getting out and playing, Niantic has rolled out a number of key changes which make playing from your own home easier than ever before.
For example, Raids – group battles against extra-strong Pokemon, which once required traveling to a specific location – can now be carried out remotely. Regular “Incense Day” events have been held which allow players to use the Incense item to draw large amounts of Pokemon to their current location. In addition, Niantic has given away free or cheap bundles featuring large amounts of PokéBalls, Berries and other items.
Now, Niantic is testing a system which will allow players to earn PokéCoins from home. Previously, Coins, which serve as Pokémon Go’s primary in-game currency, could either be purchased using real-world money or earned by defeating Gyms and holding them for as long as possible. Players could earn up to 50 coins per day, at a rate of six coins per hour. These Coins could then be spent on items ranging from raid passes to additional storage space to outfits, poses and other cosmetic bonuses for your avatar.
Under the new system, the daily total will be raised to 55, with the hourly rate decreased from six to two. However, to counteract this, an additional method of earning coins will be implemented, in the form of “Daily Tasks”. These include taking snapshots together with, powering up and evolving your Pokemon. A Tweet from the official Niantic Support account confirmed that players who complete all tasks will be able to earn up to 5 PokéCoins each day.
Trainers, for the duration of this test period in Australia, you can earn 5 PokéCoins total after completing all the featured activities for the day! We'll be listening for your feedback during this testing period, and may make more tweaks before the feature is released globally. https://t.co/h6IuiTw6e7
— Niantic Support (@NianticHelp) May 6, 2020
Currently, Niantic is testing the revamped coin system in Australia. The developer has confirmed that they will be listening to and implementing player feedback collected during this period. No official announcement has been made regarding when the new tasks will be released in the US, Japan or other regions.
Are you looking forward to the new method of earning Coins in Pokémon Go? What will you be spending all those sweet sweet PokéCoins on? Let us know!
