Pokemon Go to Add Trading and Friend Features Later This Week

Pokemon Go has announced that players will finally be able to trade Pokemon with their friends. [...]

By Christian Hoffer

Pokemon Go has announced that players will finally be able to trade Pokemon with their friends.

The new feature will allow players to add friends via the use of a special Trainer Code. Once a friend has accepted your friend request, you'll be able to see them on a friend list, which displays their recent activity along with their "Friendship Level" - a new feature that gives players who frequently interact with each other the opportunity special bonuses.

One of the easiest ways to build a person's Friendship is via trading. Any player can trade with one of their in-game friends after they reach Level 10. Trades cost Stardust to complete, but players earn Candy with every trade they complete.

Certain Pokemon, such as Legendary Pokemon, Shiny Pokemon, or Pokemon that aren't currently in your Pokedex, can only be completed via a "Special Trade." Not only do Special Trades cost more Stardust to complete, players will need to be at a certain friendship level with their trading partner in order to complete it. From the preview images shown in Pokemon Go's announcements, it looks like it could cost a million Stardust or more to complete a Special Trade at a low friendship level. It seems that the game wants to incentivize trading special Pokemon with only their best friends.

One note: it appears that a Pokemon's stats will change based on a player's level. So, a Level 10 player can make a trade with a Level 35 player, but the Pokemon they receive will be scaled down to reflect the Level 10 player's current abilities and level cap.

Players will need to be within 100 meters in order to complete a trade - so this isn't a feature that players can use remotely. It looks like Pokemon Go doesn't want players to friend someone from across the globe just to exchange Pokemon remotely.

Players can also send gifts to their friends to build up their Friendship Level. Players have a chance to obtain a Gift from a PokeStop or Gym, which they can then send to friends. These Gifts will contain items and potentially an egg containing an Alolan form of a Pokemon originally discovered in the Kanto region.

Players can also build their Friendship Levels by competing in Gym or Raid Battles with their friends. As Friendship Levels increase, players who battle together can unlock special bonuses, such as Attack Bonuses during Raids. Players can also get extra Premier Balls when they complete Raids with their Friends.

What do you think about the new trading system? Do you like that its limited to just friends, or are you confident that this will help weed out cheaters? Let us know in the comment section!

3comments
Comments ( 3 )

of