8 Improvements Pokemon GO Needs to Be the Very Best

Transfer More Than One Pokemon at a Time

Pokemon GO is all about catching everything you see, powering them up, and filling up your Pokedex. Naturally, though, on your quest to be the very best, you’ll come across a lot of repeats. This proves to be a necessary evil in the game, as catching repeats within a specific Pokemon family is the only way to earn the Candy necessary to grow more powerful. Thankfully, Pokemon GO provides a way to offload your extras… one at a time.

If you’re like me, you probably have at least 15 Pidgeys that you need to get rid of quickly. With how things are now, you’ll have to pick one at a time and wait for it to load before moving onto the next. It’s not that big of a deal, but it can prove to be very boring. An update that allows multiple Pokemon to be transferred in one go would be highly appreciated. 

Bulk Power Up

Powering up is in pretty much the same boat as transferring when it comes to Pokemon GO, although it’s a bit more exciting because… you know, power. How it is right now is that you can only power up once with a click, so you have to repeatedly click Power Up, then confirm, then wait, then rinse and repeat. If you’re really trying to boost your roster, this can take quite a bit of time – time that could be spent on catching more Pokemon.

An option to choose how many times you’d like to advance your Pokemon would prove to be quite useful in this situation. It can work on a slider, or clickable arrows, and it lets you increase to as far as your Stardust and Candy will allow you. That way, instead of clicking Power Up five times, you only do it once then move on to bigger and better things. 

Fix the Gyms Please

Gyms have been less than stellar in Pokemon GO thus far. While their premise is pretty solid – capture a gym along with other members of your team and hold onto it as long as possible to reap big rewards – it doesn’t always work. One of the biggest issues plaguing the Gyms right now is the problem with unbeatable Pokemon.

And we don’t mean Pokemon whose CP is just too high. We’re talking about 68 CP Pidgeys who refuse to die no matter how many times you attack them. Players are forced to exit the game and try again, which often leads to no difference. So while that incredibly weak Pokemon is reaping tons of free PokeCoins and Stardust, you’re just left frustrated. This is clearly on Niantic and The Pokemon Company’s radar, so let’s just hope a fix comes soon.

Gyms Need Larger Areas to Interact

You have to stand pretty close to a Gym to interact with it in Pokemon GO. The fact that moving away, even only slightly sometimes, means exiting a battle and missing out on rewards can be a bit of a nuisance. This becomes more of an issue when a gym is placed in a weird location, such as a gated in building, or someone’s home.

To help keep people from literally crowding each other in, or running the risk of trespassing, a larger area for Gyms would be beneficial to everyone. Now we’re not saying make it cover an entire city block, but players directly across the street should have no issue accessing a gym, and nobody’s private home should be surrounded by eager adventurers.

Incense Doesn’t Always Work

Incense is a very useful item in Pokemon GO, especially for those times when you just can’t get out of the house, or are feeling a bit lazy. The item is supposed to attract Pokemon directly to your location which is a great perk… when it works.

Now there is no clear indication of what rate you can expect to see Pokemon at. There are times when you receive an onslaught of different critters, and there are times when 20 minutes will pass without a single peep from your device. This isn’t too much of an issue for when you receive the item for free, but for those that pay actual money to obtain a few, it can be disheartening to have 30 minutes pass and you receive nothing. Incense should be improved to at least give an idea of what you expect, otherwise it’s just one heck of a gamble.

PokeStops Provide Healing to Injured Pokemon

While PokeStops are already very useful to the millions of players roaming the world with Pokemon GO, they can be even better. Right now, you’ll get a small shot of experience (50 points), and an assortment of random items which can include Potions, Revives, PokeBalls, Lucky Eggs, and a few other goodies. But, if you’re the type who like running headfirst into gyms, you may find yourself with a lot of hurt Pokemon in your collection.

Upgrading PokeStops, or at least some of them, to be able to heal a percentage of your Pokemon’s health would be very helpful to trainers. It doesn’t have to be a complete heal, we don’t want the game to be too easy, but something around 20-30% would be great.

Pokedex Provides More Information on Where to Catch a Pokemon You’ve Already Encountered

One thing about Pokemon GO is that once you catch a Pokemon, you tend to want to catch it again. This is because you need copies in order to get stronger. Catching Pokemon grants specific candies, those candies are then used to power up your strongest one. Sometimes, though, in all of the hustle and bustle of running around your city with friends, we can easily forget where we encountered a Pokemon.

This is partially dealt with by the game showing you exactly where you caught the ones you have. But this can be expanded upon by the Pokedex providing information on what kind of areas that specific Pokemon can be found at, or even showing areas near where you currently are. It would be helpful for those who traveled a long way and can’t exactly make the trip again so soon. 

Reward System Adjustments

The reward system for Gyms in Pokemon GO definitely seem to favor the powerful right now. Those who are strong enough to win and hold a Gym are granted free PokeCoins and large quantities of Stardust for their efforts. Those who challenge the Gym leave with some experience, which is a good thing, but not much else. In fact, they also have to deal with a stable of severely injured Pokemon for their efforts.

While the big rewards should definitely be held for those who manage to emerge triumphant, there should be something for those looking to power up. As it stands right now, you get a small boost to your overall level and a whole headache to go with it. Perhaps a table with clear rewards based on how many Pokemon you defeat. That would certainly help to bring more excitement to Gyms, and give players more reason to jump into the fray.