Max Particles in Pokemon Go don’t do what you think they do
The Pokemon CompanyThe full content involving Max Battles in Pokemon Go is finally rolling out worldwide and some players are already confused as to how Max Particles work, stemming from some claims among the community that the new monetization methods don’t make sense.
The Dynamax mechanic in Pokemon works similarly to Mega Evolution. However, instead of gathering Mega Energy from battles, players acquire Max Particles from Power Spots. You must use these items to Dynamax in a Max Battle, though you don’t lose them if you win.
You can gather Max Particles for free by visiting Power Stops around the world. These are actually more forgiving than Gyms, as they appear randomly around the world rather than being stuck in one location. Then, players can stock up to 1000 Max Particles at a time.
Those familiar with Niantic’s Pokemon Go monetization practises shouldn’t be shocked to learn that you can bypass the Max Particle limit by spending real money.
But, as users on the Pokemon Go Reddit pointed out, this is just a temporary measure, and the packs don’t increase your limit like the storage upgrades do.
“I bought it by mistake thinking it added to storage – not to the amount you’re holding. Immediate regret,” one user wrote, while another said, “I thought this upped your max-storage.”
“I bought one because I didn’t read everything and thought I could expand my Max Particle storage,” another user lamented, “And right now, I can’t get more energy, or spend the one I have. It’s such a useless update.”
What’s even more curious about the Max Particle Packs is that there’s no real need to buy them. The fact that Power Stops move around means it’s easy to encounter one in the wild and stock up on energy for Dynamaxing.
Selling Max Particle storage increases would make more sense if anything, as players would be more inclined to stockpile rather than purchase one-off upgrades for something they can easily acquire.
This feels more like the developers playing the long game. Right now, the Dynamax mechanic is seriously undercooked, with only a handful of Pokemon even capable of using it.
Chances are, we’ll see certain Pokemon restricted to Max Battles, and that’s when Max Particles will be in demand. And would you look at that? You can buy them with real money in the store, giving you a better shot at catching a limited-time Pokemon.