Niantic published a post this morning previewing the New Capture Bonuses that increase the Odds of Catching Rare Pokemon. There is no release date on the new update, but Niantic refers to it as a “sneak peek”, indicating we could see it relatively soon.
Pokemon GO Capture Bonus Medals
The bonuses enable Trainers to earn medals when catching certain types of Pokemon. These medals increase the chance to catch the same type of Pokemon, allowing trainers to specialize in capturing a certain Type. As Niantic wrote:
“For example, as you reach a higher tier for the Kindler Medal, your bonus to catch Fire-type Pokémon such as Charmander, Vulpix and Ponyta increases.”
Here’s what we know:
- Medals come in three Tiers
- Bronze medal for capturing 10 Pokemon of same Type
- Awards +1 Type catch bonus
- Silver medal for capturing 50 Pokemon of same Type
- Awards +2 Type catch bonus
- Gold medal for capturing 200 Pokemon of same Type
- Awards +3 Type catch bonus
- Bronze medal for capturing 10 Pokemon of same Type
It’s still unclear how much these Bonuses will influence the capture rates, but the running theory is that each Bonus level will add to the potential capture rate chance anywhere from 5% to 10%.
As for dual Typing Pokemon bonuses goes, your capture rate will increase as an average of appropriate medals. For example, if you save Silver medal in Normal and Flying Types, your bonus when catching a Pidgey would be the following:
(Normal Type Bonus + Flying Type Bonus) / 2
The medals are named after Trainer Classes in the core game series, and here’s the complete list of medals:
MEDAL NAME | TYPE | UPGRADES AT |
Schoolkid | Normal | 10 / 50 /200 Pokemon |
Black Belt | Fighting | 10 / 50 /200 Pokemon |
Bird Keeper | Flying | 10 / 50 /200 Pokemon |
Punk Girl | Poison | 10 / 50 /200 Pokemon |
Ruin Maniac | Ground | 10 / 50 /200 Pokemon |
Hiker | Rock | 10 / 50 /200 Pokemon |
Bug Catcher | Bug | 10 / 50 /200 Pokemon |
Hex Maniac | Ghost | 10 / 50 /200 Pokemon |
Depot Agent | Steel | 10 / 50 /200 Pokemon |
Kindler | Fire | 10 / 50 /200 Pokemon |
Swimmer | Water | 10 / 50 /200 Pokemon |
Gardener | Grass | 10 / 50 /200 Pokemon |
Rocker | Electric | 10 / 50 /200 Pokemon |
Psychic | Psychic | 10 / 50 /200 Pokemon |
Skier | Ice | 10 / 50 /200 Pokemon |
Dragon Tamer | Dragon | 10 / 50 /200 Pokemon |
Fairy Tale Girl | Fairy | 10 / 50 /200 Pokemon |