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Big Pokémon Go Update Adds Mega Evolution And New Special Research

Pokémon Go players looking to give their teams a sizable efficiency boost in battle can now tap into the power that is Mega Evolution. First introduced way back in Gen 6 games X & Y, Mega Evolution, as the name suggests, isn't the same as ordinary transformations that Pokémon undergo as they level up, the key difference being that these incredibly strong forms can only be maintained for a limited amount of time. As is the case for many of the gameplay features that Go borrows from the mainline series, however, Mega Evolution behaves a little differently here. Unlike Game Freak's original version, which allowed Trainers to Mega Evolve any applicable Pokémon in battle through the use of a special device, Niantic requires that you first go out and collect Mega Energy.

Pokemon Go

Pokémon Go players looking to give their teams a sizeable efficiency boost in battle can now tap into the power that is Mega Evolution.

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First introduced way back in Gen 6 games X & Y, Mega Evolution, as the name suggests, isn’t the same as ordinary transformations that Pokémon undergo as they level up, the key difference being that these incredibly strong forms can only be maintained for a limited amount of time. As is the case for many of the gameplay features that Go borrows from the mainline series, however, Mega Evolution behaves a little differently here. Unlike Game Freak’s original version, which allowed Trainers to Mega Evolve any applicable Pokémon in battle through the use of a special device, Niantic requires that you first go out and collect Mega Energy.

This new resource can only be obtained by participating in so-called Mega Raids (sensing the pattern here?), specially designated endgame battles that always house a Mega Evolved ‘Mon. Currently only four specimens – Charizard, Blastoise, Venusaur and Beedril – are available, though the developer says you can expect to see more added in the future.

Once enough Mega Energy has been collected from raids, you’ll be able to evolve any of your own Pokémon, though it’s worth noting that your partner’s new form won’t last indefinitely. To offset this, the amount of energy required to trigger a transformation is reduced by a set amount each time.

See below for a summary of what you can and can’t do with this newfound ability:

  • Battle in raids. All other Trainers’ Pokémon in the raid will receive an attack boost, and Pokémon whose attack types are the same type as any of the Mega-Evolved Pokémon’s types will receive an additional attack boost for those attacks. Please note that Pokémon can benefit from attack boosts from only one Mega-Evolved Pokémon at a time.
  • Battle in Gyms. Note that Mega-Evolved Pokémon can’t defend Gyms.
  • Battle Team GO Rocket.
  • Battle your friends—Mega-Evolved Pokémon are extremely strong! Note that Mega-Evolved Pokémon currently cannot battle in the GO Battle League, but that might change in the future as we discover more about Mega Evolution!

For those that can’t readily access any nearby raids, new Special Research is available which, when completed, will give you all the tools necessary to get your very own Mega Beedrill. Good luck!