Nearly two years after Nintendo and Niantic Labs teamed up to release Pokémon GO, the title is finally getting two features that users have been clamoring for since the start – dubbed Friends and Trades. Specifically, those features will be launching during the Pokémon GO Summer Tour which takes place starting June 30 and runs through late summer. There’s no exact date for the features but those events will kick off with Pokémon GO Safari Zone Dortmund in Germany through July 1 and will run throughout the summer. So Friends and Trades could really be added at any point during the next couple of months.
In the meantime, Niantic has revealed plenty of details about the incoming update to keep everybody busy until it launches. To begin with, Friends will effectively add a friend list which players will allow players to add others more deeply to their own game. That allows for the sharing of stats, in addition to the ability to go on “adventures” together and earn completely unique rewards. Friend requests will be kept secure via a secondary authentication called a Trainer Code. Beyond team-ups and keeping track of each other’s Pokémon, distances walked, and other data, Friend levels are going to play a key role when it comes to trades. The biggest part of that has to do with the ability to trade Pokémon. The higher the level of “Friendship” is between two players, the more Pokémon can be traded. Of course, completing trades will also raise that rating and will give players extra Candy, with the amount of Candy increasing depending on how far away the Pokémon was caught. Other actions, including gifting items to friends via PokéStops or Gyms, will also increase the level of Friendship between two players. Sometimes, trading gifts will also result in players receiving specialty Eggs, too.
With regard to when and what can be traded with the incoming update to the Android title, Pokémon can only be traded when in close proximity to friends and only if both players have a Trainer level at or above ten. At lower level Friendships, only ordinary Pokémon can be traded. With “Great” or “Best” Friends, “Special Trades” can be conducted once per day and only with one Friend. Those trades require Stardust to complete and the amount varies based on what’s being traded. However, those trades can include Pokémon that aren’t in one player’s Pokédex, Legendary Pokémon, or Shiny Pokémon.
Pokemon Go Summer Events Page
