Niantic’s consolation prize isn’t what Pokemon Go Routes need

It seems Niantic is planning to give Routes a bit of a boost if a Pokemon Go update on May 20 is anything to look into.

Trainers who update the mobile game to the latest version can earn new Route-centric Medals.

The Expert Navigator medal comes in Bronze at 10 Routes completed, Silver at 50, Gold at 200, and Platinum at 600. However, these medals are hardly the incentive that trainers need actually to explore Routes more in Pokemon Go.

Most medals—like the Expert Navigator one—offer no in-game reward upon earning. Not even the Platinum medal.

This has led some fans to debate the merits of exploring and completing Routes at all, as many trainers have already reaped the limited rewards they offer.

The Pokemon Company

Through a post on the SilphRoad subreddit, trainers suggested possible ways Niantic could generate more engagement with Routes.

“If Niantic really wants to generate interest in Routes, they should have an event where the daily Zygarde cell limit is raised from three to like 10 or more,” said one fan.

This comes from a recent datamine, compiled by Pokemon Go Hub, which suggested that a future update will allow trainers to earn three Zygarde cells during a single Route instead of just one.

In addition to that change, the datamine alludes to rewards for partial Route completion, the ability to archive Routes, more Route tags, and a new Route quest.

While there are rewards for completing Routes, such as XP bonuses, increased Buddy Hearts, and a variety of random items, it doesn’t feel like enough.

Additionally, fans have claimed Zygarde isn’t much of an appealing incentive to continue exploring Routes. Many have said it’s too difficult to gather Zygarde Cells as of right now, and some who’ve completed the Zygarde grind were unsatisfied with the result.

If the aforementioned datamine is to be believed, the increased Zygarde Cells yield could be a good change, but it’s clear trainers want more out of Pokemon Go’s Routes.