Pokemon GO followed up their Trainer Battles announcement with much needed details and explanation on how exactly the new feature will work. Not only did they release details about the new Player vs Player function, but they also revealed brand new charge attacks!
Trainer Battle Basics
First off, Pokemon GO announced that Trainer Battles will begin sometime this month. They then went into details on how exactly the feature will work. In order to participate in Trainer Battles you will have to either fight a friend or use a Battle Code from another trainer. You will then create a team of three Pokemon and battle against the other trainer to determine who is the better trainer. In an interesting move, Pokemon GO promised that even if you lose the battle, you will receive “great rewards, including a chance at rare Evolution items.”
Check out two screen shots of what you can expect below.
The first on the left shows what the battle will look like. To me, it reminds me of the old N64 Pokemon Stadium with some of the modern Pokemon Go battle features. The second photo shows us how we can scan a code to challenge fellow trainers. And if we look up top, we can see that you can put yourself out there to other trainers if you wish to seek out battles:
If you couldn’t tell, Trainer Battles will take place in real time, and combat will operate similar to the current raid system with fast attacks and charged attacks available. This is a change from the classic Pokemon battle system which featured turn-based combat. The choice to go with real-time instead of turn-based is to ensure the battles are fast-paced and you won’t have to sit and wait for your turn. It will also force trainers to have to be quick on their feet when implementing their strategies.
Protect Shield
If that wasn’t enough Pokemon GO will also allow trainers to use Stardust and Candy to unlock a bonus Charged Attack for their Pokemon. They described this special Charged Attack as a Protect Shield. It has the ability to save your Pokemon from receiving critical damage if you deploy it properly. This Protect Shield will only come with a specific number of charges and once they are used up, your Pokemon will once again be left defenseless.
Here’s a look at the Protect Shield in action.
Pokemon GO Trainer Battle Leagues
As previously announced, there will be three different leagues players can participate in.
Like most MMO games with PvP, there are ways to separate players based on skill points and power.
Pokemon GO will feature three different leagues based on your Pokemon’s maximum CP or combat power.
The Great League has a max CP limit of 1,500.
The Ultra League goes to 2,500 CP.
The Master League has no CP limit.
The Leagues are broken down by CP to ensure that “strength alone will not ensure victory.” By creating these brackets, they want to ensure that players have to be strategic in their choices in forming their Pokemon team.
This is a great way to evenly separate players who may either be new to the game or at a lower level so max level players cannot just dominate in PVP. Here is a photo of what the leagues and their symbols look like. As well as an example of what an Ultra League team would look like with the new system:
Trainer Battle Distance Requirements
While, normally you will have to be near another trainer in order to battle them, there are a few exceptions. Trainers can participate in Trainer Battles with Ultra Friends and Best Friends from any distance. That means I can challenge my friend in Chibougamau Quebec Canada to show him just how poorly he has handled his Pokemon!
While most Trainer Battles will take place against other layers, there will be Team Leader Trainer Battles available once per day where you can take on Spark, Candela, or Blanche. After taking on your respective Team Leader you can earn a variety of rewards including Stardust that is essential for powering up your Pokemon.
Pokemon GO also announced there will be an Ace Trainer medal added to the game that will require trainers to participate in Trainer Battles in order to acquire it!
What do you think of the system so far? Does it meet your expectations? What kind of teams are you looking forward to putting together? Let me know in the comments below and I hope to battle you all soon!