Pokémon GO's Rare Candy Will Be Harder To Get In Raids
A recent announcement from Niantic has revealed Pokémon GO will decrease Rare Candy rewards in Raid Battles while increasing them in the GO Battle League. Pokémon GO gameplay is largely hinged on hard-to-obtain items like Rare Candy, Incense, Incubators, and many others. The items can be earned through Special Research tasks and as rewards for battling, but aren't equally distributed through the game's different mechanics. Because of this, those who don't want to participate in certain gameplay aspects can be negatively impacted.
Pokémon GO has announced and made several changes in the past months in an attempt to follow the path outlined in the 2022 Pokémon GO roadmap shared by Niantic. With a goal to get players back outside and playing as a community, Community Day timeframes have been cut in half, and the Incense item spawn rates have been changed to be most effective while a player is in motion. While the changes are designed to inspire players to go out and enjoy the game with friends, they also unfairly impact those unable to easily access urban areas in their community, or who are unable to safely participate due to challenges like the ongoing pandemic.
In a Twitter post shared by NianticHelp, it has been announced that Pokémon GO's Rare Candy will be "slightly decreased" in Raid Battles and "slightly increased" as rewards for the GO Battle League. Niantic calls the change "tuning the opportunities to obtain Rare Candy in the game", but it appears to be a method of incentivizing players to participate in the GO Battle League for needed items. Because many players like Pokémon GO for the battle-and-catch aspect, the GO Battle League doesn't fit every player's idea of enjoyable content.
Many Pokémon GO players have voiced their frustration in the comments of the Twitter post, with players unhappy that they now are forced to play the GO Battle League. The comments point out the flaws of the change, and how it might be designed for the benefit of Pokémon GO and not the player. While adding new rewards to the GO Battle League would likely be a welcome announcement for Pokémon GO fans who enjoy the competitive gameplay, removing rewards from other areas will likely only cause frustration for those it directly impacts.
Unfortunately, the changes to Rare Candy, Incense, and Community Day timeframes will likely remain in place for the foreseeable future. This will likely have a negative effect on those looking forward to upcoming Community Days, Pokémon GO Fest 2022 events, and further unannounced events that may come in the future months. Hopefully, Pokémon GO will consider reverting some of these changes, offering every player the ability to enjoy the game regardless of playstyle or location.
Pokémon GO is available on iOS and Android.
Source: NianticHelp/Twitter