Pokemon Go trainers share concerns about new PokeCoin system

Niantic is currently running tests in Australia with a view to revamp how you earn PokeCoins in Pokemon Go. However, after some inspection, many trainers are sharing concerns about the new system.

Update: It seems Niantic have listened to the concerns outlined below. They have confirmed that “when this update goes live” – which presumably means changes to the PokeCoins system is definitely coming – that there will be changes above what we have seen in testing.

• Maximum number of PokeCoins earned per day will be reduced to 50 from 55 in testing
• Number of PokeCoins earned from defending Gyms will be six per hour – instead of the 2 we saw in testing
• Maximum number of PokeCoins earned per day from defending Gyms will be 30 – down from 48 in testing, although this would require 24 hours of defending
• Number of PokeCoins earned per day from completing the featured activities in the Today View will be 20

Niantic didn’t announce when these changes would be coming to Pokemon Go. Trainers will be delighted with these changes considering the near unanimous negative feedback the initial changes received.

When the testing was first announced on May 6, the new system was spun as there will be more ways to earn PokeCoins. While this is true, there are growing concerns that the changes won’t benefit players at all.

On first glance new ways to earn PokeCoins sounds great: Why wouldn’t trainers want new methods to obtain the in-game Pokemon Go currency? After all, battling and defending gyms can become repetitive. It can also be frustrating for trainers who don’t live anywhere near a gym.

What are the changes?

It’s the details that are key, though. After completing five eligible tasks, trainers will only earn five PokeCoins. That is minuscule compared to the 50 players outside of Australia can currently earn for defending a gym for a little over 8 hours.

Australian players continue to earn PokeCoins for the time their Pokemon defend gyms but this has been changed from six per hour to two. This changes the whole dynamic and importance of gyms in Pokemon Go.

On the plus side, trainers testing the new system can now apparently earn a maximum of 55 PokeCoins a day. This is up from the 50 it previously was.

However, unless our maths is incorrect, the maximum is 53. This is because even if you defend a gym for 24 hours and complete the tasks for that day, this will equate to 48 PokeCoins for the gym and 5 for the tasks. We need to get clarification on this, though.

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“That needs to be changed sharpish, with the nerf to gym coins it’s just brutal for earning coins,” theeggman12345 commented on Reddit. On top of this, gyms will now become more competitive resulting in less defence times and use of other resources such as Revives and Potions.

In fairness to Niantic they have stated that they will be listening to feedback and presumably adjusting the system accordingly. With that said, they haven’t made any changes yet. “There are still Australians posting fairly frequently on here how much they hate it. They’ve not changed it,” TheRealHankWolfman noted.

Cynics believe PokeCoins change is a move to increase sales

There is also speculation among more cynical members of the Pokemon Go community that this is a way to increase revenue. With the inability to earn PokeCoins at a fast enough rate, players may have to rely on real money to purchase items.

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This theory was aptly noted by wenigengel who said: “This is not a feedback thing. It’s just basic maths. They are doing this on purpose to increase sales.” With a greater reliance on Remote Raid Passes and them not being obtainable from anywhere other than the Pokemon Go Shop, this doesn’t seem too far-fetched of a theory.

Of course, the testing is still being just that, tested, so it’s important to note that there could yet be widespread changes to it. So until then, let’s give Niantic the benefit of the doubt and hope that whatever the new system is will help Pokemon Go trainers out rather than hinder them.