Pokemon GO was easily one of the most revolutionary games to hit the market (mobile, or otherwise) in recent history. It's entire premise was quite literally a gamechanger, and invited Pokemon Trainers out into the real world to track down and befriend virtual Pokemon.
Despite the massive popularity of Pokemon GO though, one thing has remained entirely static since the game's release in 2016: the Pokemon Trainer Level cap. As of now, Pokemon Trainers can only achieve Level 40 in Niantic's hit mobile game, but it seems that late November promises the change that Veteran Trainers across the globe have been waiting for.
After cryptically tweeting a few words in reference to the long-standing Pokemon GO Level Cap yesterday night, Niantic followed through with the revelation of its upcoming GO Beyond update. This massive adjustment to the game promises an overhaul of the leveling system, alongside new content (like Legendary Pokemon and cosmetic items), and a 10-level increase to the level cap.
GO Beyond will hit the App Store/Google Play on November 30th, 2020, so as of that day, Pokemon Trainers will finally be able to push past Level 40 in Pokemon GO. Not to mention, this level cap increase and new leveling system has been formulated to respect the efforts of veteran Pokemon Trainers, who may have hit Level 40 long ago.
Existing experience will not only be taken into account once the update hits, it will also lead to special rewards if players meet certain requirements. Players who achieve Level 40 before December 31st, midnight, will receive a special title to honor them as "Legacy 40 Trainers," which includes perks like a unique Timed Research that rewards a Gyarados hat.
Aside from the above, the new leveling system promises to make Pokemon GO more engaging by offering completely new ways to both earn experience and level up. First and foremost, essentially all existing forms of XP generation will receive a buff in the GO Beyond update. So in other words, hatching Pokemon, catching Pokemon, and earning new Pokedex entries will all offer more XP than players have grown used to. In some cases, Niantic promises that the increase in XP will be as much as double the original amount.
To further spice up the game for Trainers already floating around Level 40 - and to prevent even the mightiest of Trainers from simply insta-leveling to Level 50 upon updating - Niantic has also confirmed the inclusion of "Level-Up Research" that will be required before proceeding to each level past 40. Pokemon Trainers hoping to level up after they reach Level 40 will have to earn XP and complete monumental tasks, like catching a certain number of Pokemon within one day, or defeating a Team GO Rocket Leader with Pokemon under 1,500 CP. Many of these upper levels will also offer unique Avatar Items as rewards, so the GO Beyond update will do a nice job of pleasing its Veterans while keeping new and returning players content with boosted XP.
Pokemon GO is available now on the App Store and Google Play.
Source: Niantic