Now that the Pokémon Go phenomenon has leveled off a bit, the game studio behind it, Niantic, is finally able to focus on implementing new features rather than just trying to keep their servers from crashing constantly.
The newest feature Niantic just announced will reward players for capturing common Pokémon with medals that increase the chances they'll capture rare Pokémon.
"We are adding a new feature which grants a catch bonus when you earn medals based on catching certain types of Pokémon (Kindler, Psychic, Gardener, etc.)," an update on Niantic's website says. "These new bonuses will give you a better chance of capturing Pokémon with a related type. For example, as you reach a higher tier for the Kindler Medal, your bonus to catch Fire-type Pokémon such as Charmander, Vulpix and Ponyta increases."
So, for example, if you're sick of constantly catching Pidgeys, there will actually be a benefit to doing so: It increases the chances that you'll catch a rare Flying or Normal type Pokémon in the future.
And, in the case of Pidgey, who is a combination of two Pokémon types, "Your bonus in this case would be the average of your Normal-type and Flying-type bonuses," according to Niantic.
It's important to note that this is likely to affect the capture rate and not the rate at which you will encounter rare Pokémon. So, you'll still run into the same number of rare Pokémon, but with these medals, the likelihood that your Pokéball will stick is increased.
Niantic did not say when this update will be available, but it's nice to see continued support for the game's most dedicated fans.
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