Pokémon GO Gym rework update has brought a lot of changes to the Gym system inside Pokémon GO, making them more competitive, interactive and engaging.
This page lists the most important updates and how they work.
New Features
Gyms now drop items
Gyms are now similar to PokéStops, as you can Spin the Gym Photo Disc to acquire items. Gym drops are the same as PokéStop drops, so in essence, Gyms are now PokéStops also, making it far more lucrative to hang around Gyms than to hang around PokéStops. Your Gym Spins count towards your N-th day streak!
Gyms are no longer based around prestige
It seems that players discontent for the Prestige system has been heard by Niantic, as gyms are no longer based around it. Here’s what new:
- Gyms now feature only 6 permanent slots that can be filled.
- Pokémon inside the Gym must be unique, for example, only one Blissey can be assigned to a gym at a time.
- Pokémon inside the Gym are sorted in the order they were placed inside the Gym, not sorted by Combat Power.
Coins are determined by defender duration
Niantic confirmed to GO Hub the following: a Pokémon will earn PokéCoins based on how long it defends a Gym. Once its motivation meter is empty and it’s defeated in battle, it will return to its Trainer and come back with PokéCoins.
- You can redeem a maximum bonus of 100 PokéCoins per day. If you have more than one Pokémon return from Gyms in a single day, the maximum bonus for the day is still limited to 100 PokéCoins.
Gym motivation system
Pokémon inside the gym will get fatigued over time and lose motivation, making their Combat Power lower as their motivation goes down. When a Pokémon is placed in a Gym, a motivation meter will be displayed, indicating how high or love it’s motivation is.
Pokémon lose motivation over time and by losing battles, and regain motivation by eating Berries. You can feed only your Team’s Pokémon.
If a Pokémon loses all motivation, it will leave the Gym and return to its Trainer the next time it loses a battle, so you’ll want to keep your team’s Pokémon motivated by giving them Berries frequently!
New Gym UI Video
Not to forget, Gyms now feature a sleek new UI showing off Niantic’s technical proves and how much the game has improved over the last 12 months.
A full video is on the GO Hub Youtube channel:
In addition to the new features listed above, Gym battles now reward Gym Badges and serve as Raid Arenas for Pokémon Raids. More on those features in their respectable guides.
