Pokemon Go fans furious with “ridiculous” change to throwing mechanics

Pokemon Go fans were left furious with the new changes introduced to throwing mechanics following update 0.317.0.

As many veteran players are well aware, catching monsters is the name of the game in Pokemon Go.

In the mobile game, trainers must flick the Poke Ball at the Pokemon to land a catch, and players can land Nice, Great, and Excellent throws to increase their chances of actually catching their target.

Many who’ve played the game for a long time have perfected their rhythm and method for throwing to ensure they land Excellent throws often, but it seems the most recent update may have shaken things up.

After update 0.317.0 went live for players, many took to social media to share that something felt off with the game’s throwing mechanics.

Specifically, trainers claimed that it felt nearly impossible to land Excellent throws after the update.

“‘Silent Update’ is beyond ridiculous,” said one trainer. “Pretty obvious they nerfed what counts as an excellent/great throw. Increased aggression with almost every Pokémon. Things easily breaking out of balls/fleeing more.”

Niantic

Players in the comments overwhelmingly echoed this same sentiment, as many explained that both the catching circle mechanic and throwing mechanic felt entirely different.

A member of the SilphRoad subreddit claimed that Poke Ball collision itself was buggy following the update, and used Crabrawler as an example.

“I’ve found that it’s most obvious for Crabrawler, due to his big claws. If you throw slightly to the right or left, you will see the ball disappear behind its claws before it collides,” the trainer explained. “I have caught plenty of Crabrawler before this event and know for a fact that it did not happen before…”

With this issue cropping up during the Go Fest 2024: Madrid event, members of the community are none too pleased.

At the time of writing, Niantic has yet to address any changes made to Pokemon Go’s throwing mechanics after the 0.317.0 update.