The new season of Pokemon Go officially kicked off this week, and it saw the additions of Grookey, Scorbunny, and Sobble, the Galar region’s starter Pokemon. This season’s theme is Max Out, and we know that it will center around Dynamax, a new feature that originally appeared in Pokemon Sword and Shield. While Dynamax is not live yet, Niantic has now pulled back the curtain, revealing what we can expect during the Go Big event, which starts on Tuesday, September 10th. Power Spots will start to appear on the map, and these locations are where players can expect to see Dynamax Pokemon.ย
A new video showcasing the Dynamax feature in Pokemon Go can be found below. The video features a piece of new music composed by Junichi Masuda, which has been created for the game. Players will be able to hear it when they take on the new Max Battles.ย
Videos by ComicBook.com
Dynamax Battles will require a new in-game item called Max Particles. Players can accumulate Max Particles in several different ways, including finding them in Power Spots, or by completing Special Research. Once enough Max Particles have been obtained, players will be able to enter Power Spots and take on the Dynamax Pokemon inside. Up to four players can compete in Max Battles at once, and they can only be taken on locally, rather than remotely. Unlike traditional battles in Pokemon Go, Max Battles add a turn-based mechanic, closer to the main series games. Basically, these are going to be a bit more complex than just tapping your phone screen!ย
From the start, a limited number of Pokemon will be available capable of using Dynamax. These Pokemon will include Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle, Skwovet, and Wooloo, as well as all their evolutions (which explains Dynamax Wartortle’s appearance in the game’s 8th anniversary art). Unfortunately, existing versions of these Pokemon will not be able to use Dynamax. That’s a change from how things were handled in Sword and Shield, and will likely disappoint some players!ย
At this time, Niantic has not revealed any plans to add Gigantamax forms to the game. It seems like a safe bet that we’ll see these forms added to Pokemon Go at some point, but the developers likely want to ease players into the new mechanic to start things out.ย
Are you planning to check out Max Battles in Pokemon Go? What do you think of the new mechanic so far? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter atย @Marcdachamp, on Bluesky atย @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram atย @Dachampgaming!
