A big update in Pokémon GO is now changing a lot, such as catching screens, biomes and spawns. We summarize the most important things for you here.
What kind of update is this? It is part of the major “Rediscover GO” update, which comes in several parts. It is now active and brings the parts “Discover the World anew” and “Discover Kanto anew”.
The focus of the update is on a graphical redesign of the capture screens and the map, which now more clearly reflect what kind of “biomes” you are in. The look you see in the game depends heavily on where you are in the real world. These biomes are also interesting from a gameplay perspective.
After the avatar update received a lot of criticism from the community, the new update seems to be better received by fans (via reddit). We’ll put together the three most important points for you here.
The big update for Pokémon GO in the trailer
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Biomes in Pokémon GO – Why are they important?
These are biomes: The biomes are based on your real-world environment. They describe habitats in which you can find different Pokémon. This was the case before, but now it seems as if suitable spawns are more strongly assigned to the biomes (via reddit). This is likely to be used more for events in the future, as old Kanto Pokémon, for example, are currently being distributed across different biomes.
The forest, the beach, the mountains and the city were specifically announced as biomes. The new Pokémon Schligdri can now be found in the “Beach” biome.
According to the current status, players have also identified the following “subcategories” of biomes (via reddit):
It is still unclear how many different biotypes there are in total. It is quite possible that the list will continue to grow.
What does this mean for players? As things stand, it looks like it might be worth exploring different biomes to find more different Pokémon, rather than finding more or less the same thing everywhere. The next few days will show how the biomes impact in more detail.
New screens in Pokémon GO – What do I need to know?
It changes: Probably the most noticeable changes are the new snap screens. These are now adapted to the respective biome in which you are traveling.
So if you are by the sea, you will see water in the background. If you are in a city instead, the screen will show houses. In addition, there seem to be several screen variants for each biome, so it doesn’t always look the same.
The screens also change in battles, for example when you compete against other players or Team GO Rocket. The basic map you are on also now shows a new image. It is now clearer to see which biomes can be found where.
A tip about the graphics: Some players are reporting performance or battery issues due to the new graphics. You can turn off a switch under “Enhanced Graphics” in the “Advanced Settings”, which disables certain effects, shadows and textures.
There you will generally find practical settings to improve the performance of Pokémon GO.
Kanto in Pokémon GO now in different biomes
What about Kanto? The third part of the update focuses on the classic Kanto Pokémon of the first generation. They now spawn in different biomes. Officially announced are:
However, these are not all monsters. For example, in the editorial team we found Snorlax in the city biome, and more Pokémon are likely to follow. On top of that, new special research around the Kanto region has been unlocked.
In addition, the new Pokémon Schligda, a distant water-type relative of Digda, can now be found in the beach biome. This isn’t from Kanto, but it’s an important biome spawn.
It is possible that more details about the big update to Pokémon GO will be known in the coming days. As always, we will keep you up to date here at MeinMMO.
What do you think of the next part of the big update? Tell us in the comments!
And you can see what other events are coming up in Pokémon GO in April 2024 here.