5 positive Pokemon GO changes brought by Niantic, according to Reddit

Despite the game being often heavily criticized by the players, Pokemon GO has evolved greatly from the title it used to be seven years ago. Though there have been some questionable changes made to the game in the past, there has also been a wave of features and mechanics implemented with the playerbase in mind. As such, it can be nice to reflect back on all the great additions Niantic has made from time to time.

Players looking to get into the game may also like to know what great features have been added to make their careers with the game even better than it has reputably been in the early days of Pokemon GO's life cycle. Some users on the Silph Road subreddit have given their thoughts on the matter.

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Top five best new features in Pokemon GO, according to the community

1) Showcases

Comment byu/EveryoneHatesMilk from discussion inTheSilphRoad

A common sentiment echoed throughout the community is the love for the new PokeStop Showcases feature added earlier this Fall. This feature allows players to place their best creatures in a showcase for that species, where they will receive a score based on different qualities. Players who score high will be able to earn some rare premium items completely for free.

This feature allows those who are not interested in Pokemon GO's competitive scene to earn the items that would normally only be available there. As such, the addition of PokeStop Showcases has been very appreciated by the community, with players on social media saying they enjoy participating in this new form of gameplay.

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2) Party Play

Comment byu/EveryoneHatesMilk from discussion inTheSilphRoad

Though many were skeptical of the feature at first, Pokemon GO's Party Play has been a massive improvement to the game's multiplayer experience. This feature allows groups of players to enter a lobby and explore the world together or separately. Though it may seem redundant, this mechanic has benefits and bonuses that make it worth using.

The big benefits of Party Play are the rewards the feature has to offer. Players can accept party quests, which give small rewards to the group upon completion. Players have also expressed their appreciation for the Party Power raid boost that increases the damage the group does in Raid Battles.

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3) Mega Evolution Rework

Comment byu/EveryoneHatesMilk from discussion inTheSilphRoad

Mega Evolution was in a rough spot when it first debuted in Pokemon GO. While this feature did give players a stronger version of a monster for a limited time, much like it does today, it lacked any additional bonus, and grinding for Mega Energy was incredibly difficult for some species. Thankfully, this changed during last year's Mega Evolution event.

With this new, reworked Mega Evolution system, players have much more incentive to use these Mega forms. Grinding for energy became much easier as players could walk with their Buddy Pokemon to earn their respective Mega Energy. Mega Evolutions now give buffs in raids, which buff every move any player uses that matches the type of the active Mega.

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4) Raid Ready Button

Comment byu/EveryoneHatesMilk from discussion inTheSilphRoad

One of the minor features that got a lot of praise from Niantic is the "ready" button that appears when entering a Raid Battle. Though this may seem trivial for newer players or those who have not yet played Pokemon GO, this was very important as it was not always the case. Before this feature was added, players had to wait out the full 180-second lobby timer before they could compete.

This was originally done to allow players who may not be part of another group of players to join in raids. However, since the game has fallen off in popularity since its launch, not every raid is going to be filled with trainers itching to get in. This eventually led to Niantic implementing a Ready-Up feature for their raids to help cut down on lost time.

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5) New Events

Comment byu/EveryoneHatesMilk from discussion inTheSilphRoad

Events are a huge part of Pokemon GO. They grant players a time period where they can catch some special monsters, do some research missions, earn some accessories, and so on. However, in recent times, the community has felt that Niantic has really improved on these rotations of content.

Events prior, while decent, did very little to reward players for participating in the eyes of the playerbase. However, these new waves of events are filled to the brim with rare creatures, Shiny Pokemon, better rewards for completing missions, and exclusive raids.