Pokemon Go Adds Friendship, Trading

Have a couple of extra Moltres or shiny Pikachus in your bag that you’ve always wanted to give to a friend on Pokemon Go?

Know a good buddy who you’ve wanted to battle alongside but you haven’t been able to do so?

Well trainers, it looks like your prayers have been answered.

The Pokemon Company announced the newest update for Pokemon Go will go online later this week. This update will allow trainers to make friends with fellow Pokemon enthusiasts. It will also allow folks to send gifts to their friends and even trade Pokemon.

We're excited to announce that friends, gifting, and trading are coming soon to Pokémon GO! Learn more: https://t.co/C3sug62bac pic.twitter.com/a7byWKtQFL

— Pokémon GO (@PokemonGoApp) June 18, 2018

The website has a breakdown on how trainers can use the updates.

For example, to become friends with another trainer, enter their trainer code into the game to send a friend request. According to the release, trainer codes are ID numbers given to each player. It’s similar to the trainer numbers seen in the core Pokemon games.

If a friend accepts the request, they will become in-game friends and can be found on the Friends list.

The website noted the friends feature will not be active at launch to players who have identified themselves as under 13 years of age.

The release included information about how the Gift system works.

When a trainer visits a Pokestop or gym, they will have a chance to collect a special gift and send it to someone on their Friends list.

The Gifts contains helpful items and comes with a postcard showing where the Gift was collected.

Trainers also have a chance to receive a 7KM egg that contains an Alola form of a Kanto Pokemon. Earlier this year, Pokemon Go added the Alola form variants that were introduced in Pokemon Sun and Moon.

The gift giving system plays a role in increasing friendship levels. The website states trainers can increase their friendship level with others by sending gifts, or participating in a raid or a gym battle with their fellow trainers. As a trainer’s friendship level increases, they can unlock bonuses.

It appears there will also be tiers of Friendship level. When a trainer helps a Great Friend in a raid battle, they can earn an attack bonus for their Pokemon. Trainers can increase their Friendship level once per day, per friend.

Another way to increase Friendship level comes from the most exciting aspect of this update is the new Trade system.

Trainers can trade Pokemon if they are near a friend and are level 10 or higher. Completing a trade earns them a bonus candy for the Pokemon they traded their way. The bonus increases if the Pokémon the two of you trade were caught in locations far apart from each other.

Trainers will use Stardust for their trades. While some trading will require more stardust, the amount will decrease as they increase their level.

Legendary Pokemon, Shiny Pokemon and Pokemon not in a trainer’s Pokedex will require a Special Trade, which can only occur once per day with a Great Friend or Best Friend, and require a lot of Stardust.

With Pokemon Go’s second anniversary approaching, this is a good timing for the update. A trading feature was something trainers have been looking forward to since the game was announced. This will not only excite new players, but it may also bring back trainers who left the game awhile back.