Dynamax Beldum has Pokemon Go players worried about Gigantamax costs
The Pokemon CompanyPokemon Go has added its first new Dynamax option, but the increased upgrade cost is giving trainers a reason to be concerned about the mechanic’s future.
Psychic Spectacular introduces Dynamax Beldum, expanding the roster for a feature that was just added in the Go Big event.
But while the fan-favorite Steel/Psychic ‘mon and its powerful evolutionary line are great fits, Niantic’s implementation has players worried about how the game will handle future Dynamax Pokemon – including the inevitable addition of Gigantamax forms.
As one player shared on Reddit, upgrading a Dynamax Beldum requires more Candy than previous Dynamax Pokemon.
As the screenshot shows, unlocking Dynamax Beldum’s Max Guard costs 400 Max Particles and 70 Beldum Candy. In comparison, the Kanto starters, Wooloo, and Skwovet required 50 Candy for the same upgrade.
Later upgrades also cost more, with the poster adding that getting to level 3 cost 10 more Candy XL than previous Dynamax ‘mon.
“I think this is a new form of the ‘tier system’ for rarity,” they explained, comparing it to how different Buddy Pokemon earn Candy at different speeds, with rare ones requiring players to walk more.
With that in mind, it’s likely future additions like Legendaries and Gigantamax forms will cost even more to upgrade. As one commenter put it, “Once this hits pokemon that are relatively rare, the entire mechanic will be overpriced. Like converting candy to xl candy.”
Making this cost increase more frustrating is that it’s already harder to get Candy for rare Pokemon. Take Legendaries, for example. Since players need to walk a whopping 20km with them as a Buddy to get any Candy, they are pretty much limited to farming Raids when they’re available, which requires time, resources, and often other players.
That led one trainer to ask “how the hell are we supposed to get enough candy and XL candy to both power up moves and the pokemon itself?”
By establishing with Beldum that some Pokemon will take more resources to train than others, Niantic has laid out a worrying future for Dynamax and Gigantamax that’s likely to increase frustration with a new mechanic that’s already proven controversial.