Pokemon GO rolled out the new Mega Evolution feature just a few days ago and, although fans are excited about the idea of Mega evolving some of their favorite Pokemon, the general reaction to the way things work has not been great. Currently, Mega Evolutions are temporary and heavily gated by items that need to be earned through Mega Raids. This makes actually using Mega Evolutions very rare and players have already been expressing their frustration with the grind after less than a week of living through it.
Luckily, Niantic is willing to listen to reason. The team is already making some quick tweaks to the way that Mega Raid rewards work to further encourage players to participate and to help cut down on the required grind. These are just the first few tweaks that the developers are working on to improve the Mega Evolution system and to make it less challenging for players quickly earn the valuable new Mega Energy resource in Pokemon GO.
The first round of changes impact the rewards that are currently being offered by Mega Raids. This update should increase the Mega Energy earned by successfully completing a Mega Raid. In addition, this change also reduces the Mega Energy required to Mega Evolve a Pokemon who has already gone through one Mega Evolution. The next round of changes will include some alternative ways that players can earn Mega Energy. Here's a breakdown of the current and coming tweaks...
Current Changes to Mega Raids and Mega Evolution
The Mega Energy requirement to Mega Evolve a Pokémon that has already Mega Evolved before has decreased.
The amount of Mega Energy that Trainers receive from winning Mega Raids has increased
Upcoming Mega Energy and Mega Evolution Changes
Walking with your buddy to earn Mega Energy
More ways to earn Mega Energy through research tasks and other gameplay
Earning bonus Candy when catching Pokémon that share a type with your Mega-Evolved Pokémon
Although it is disappointing that the system's launch had to be surrounded by such a vocal outcry against the original rewards and requirements, this is another great example of Niantic listening carefully to the community and making quick adjustments to keep players happy and engaged. Pokemon GO used to take months to implement changes and fixes, so this sort of immediate turnaround really helps exemplify how much the game has changed since launch and how important user feedback is to fine-tuning new features and making sure they work properly for all parties involved.
It will be interesting to continue monitoring the general feel of the PoGO community in the coming days and see if these changes make enough of a different to turn the conversation around Mega Evolutions around.
Now that the Mega Evolution Special Research event is live and the new mechanic is in place, the festivities should give trainers a good reason to continue catching the best Unova Pokemon in the game and getting closer to that complete Pokedex. Check back for more Pokemon GO updates closer to the event. Until then, good luck out there, trainers!
Pokemon GO is available now in select regions on Android and iOS devices.
Source: Pokemon GO Live