Pokemon Go players reaped the rewards of quarantine when Niantic tweaked various in-game mechanics to support lockdown procedures. With players able to walk up their distance score again, the mobile game will remove some of these bonuses in an update today, but some are here to stay for good, it seems.
As Niantic removes various changes that were implemented back March, the game will also retain some of the bonuses delivered to players under a maintenance period, with others being made permanent. One feature that will be sorely missed is the shorter hatch distance, which will be returning to normal. Players will now have to walk the entire 2km, 5km, 7km or 10km if they hope to hatch some pocket monsters; a distance that was halved earlier this Spring. Players can also expect more changes to arrive next month.
It’s not all bad for trainers - who will probably be thankful to up their kilometers again - as Niantic will continue to allow you to hold 20 gifts, keep Incense afloat for 60 minutes, and receive triple Stardust and XP for your first catch of the day. Some temporary changes that player’s can still expect to see are Go Battle League entry without walking, raid invites sent remotely, as well as the increased radius of PokeStops and Gyms. Niantic confirmed that these features would “remain implemented for the foreseeable future.”
Other changes being revoked are the extra-effective Incense that lure Pokemon to your current location. The tool’s heightened effectiveness will once again only kick in when you are walking. Buddy Pokemon will only be able to bring you PokeStop gifts once a day with the new update, where gifts will no longer be a certainty from PokeStops.
Some fans questioned Niantic's decision to remove these features, with the pandemic still lurking close by, however Niantic reiterated the company’s drive to see players “exercise for their mental and physical health.” While a majority of the Pokemon Go live events have been cancelled this year, players can still look forward to Generation 6 Pokemon - expected to arrive this year - and continue to enjoy the in-game bonuses that are here to stay.
Source: Pokemon Go live