Pokémon GO: Everything you need to know about Player Battles

In an announcement last week, Niantic has announced a hugely exciting addition to Pokémon GO: PvP battling between trainers! But what excactly does this mean? Some of these changes will even affect the game as a whole! There’s a lot of new information, but with this guide you’ll be battling like a pro the moment the update rolls out.

Here’s the Breakdown:

• Battles take place over a local connection, meaning your battle partner will have to be nearby. However, Ultra and Best friends can battle remotely! To battle a player who is not in your friends list, simply scan their QR code.
• You may choose 3 pokémon to take into battle with you, rather than the traditional 6.
• Trainer battles are seperated into  leagues, each with a different CP cap: Great League (<1500CP), Ultra League (<2500CP) and Master League (no CP cap). Niantic says this will encourage the use of pokémon that aren’t usually used for battle.
• Battles will be similar to gyms/raids: tap the screen to Fast attack, and press the icon when your Charge attack is ready. Rapidly tap the icon to increase the damage on your Charge attack.
• Dodging is not an option in trainer battles, but a limited number of Protect Shields are available each battle. Block your opponent’s Charge attack and then go for the win!
• Every pokémon now has an additional Charge attack that can be unlocked through the use of stardust and candies! This second move is permenant and can be used in gyms and raids.
• The first 3 battles of the day will earn you cool rewards – including a Sinnoh Stone to evolve the new Gen 4 pokémon!
• The AI-controlled team leaders Blanche, Spark, and Candela may be battled for some more rewards.

Trainer battles has been the number 1 requested feature ever since Pokémon GO’s launch, so the fact that it’s finally here is the best Christmas present Niantic could give us. They haven’t revealed an exact date, only that it’s coming sometime in the month. It shouldn’t be too long – just long enough for us to power up our ‘mons to kick some butt!

Edith King

If it's not about video games, Edith doesn't care about it. She loves adventures and RPGs, her weakness is arcade fighters, and her favourite pokemon is Mr Mime... no, seriously.