Pokemon Go Update Adds Weather, Parties, and Storage

Niantic has announced an upcoming patch to its popular mobile ARG, Pokémon Go, which will release 50 new Pokémon from the Hoenn region and add a dynamic weather system to the game. In a recent update on their website, Niantic offered more details about the upcoming weather effects system, as well as two more inclusions: Battle Parties and Increased Pokémon Storage.

In the upcoming update, Pokémon Go will begin to reflect local weather conditions, including sunny days, rain, and snow. During these weather events, certain Pokémon will be more likely to appear. These Pokémon will yield bonus Stardust when captured and are more likely to be more powerful than their normal counterparts. Additionally, moves will also be affected by the appropriate weather; Fire-types will have more potency during sunny days, while Water-type moves will be more powerful when rain is falling.

In addition to the weather update, Niantic is offering players the ability to create Battle Parties, preset teams of up to six Pokémon that trainers can switch to when forming up for a raid. These Battle Parties will allow trainers who frequent Raid Battles to keep sets of Pokémon to battle each of the raid bosses, allowing for easy switching. Players should note that this feature is in beta and that, for now, sets will be saved per device. Niantic has stated that they are planning to allow parties to be saved by account in a future release.

The third update announced by Niantic is an increase in available Pokémon storage. With the introduction of Generation III, Niantic plans to increase the maximum collection size from 1,000 Pokémon to 1,500. Additionally, the base collection size will be increased by 50, so all trainers will find they can capture more Pokémon.

What do you think of the changes coming to Pokémon Go? Will the release of Generation III get you back out on the streets to Catch ‘Em All? Will the new systems add to gameplay or create unnecessary clutter instead? Answer in the comments below!

Pokémon Go released on July 6, 2016 on iOS and Android mobile devices. Gameplay requires an active internet connection.