A huge issue in Pokémon GO has been brought to our attention affecting trainers in coastal areas. For several months the game has become almost unplayable due to incessant Helioptile spawns taking over huge areas. It seems to primarily impact areas near bodies of water, that are not beach biomes in Pokémon GO.
These screenshots were all sent to me on twitter showing this issue. Speculation on Reddit is that Helioptile is a default spawn for areas that have not been properly mapped by Pokémon GO, which is why it commonly happens near oceans and large bodies of water. It impact how Lure Modules, Incense, and even Daily Adventure Incense work. Trainers have reported that Lure Modules simply spawn no Pokémon at all!
Trainers across the globe have reported this issue everywhere from Gibraltar to the Netherlands, to Oman and Brazil, to coastal areas of the UK. In the last 24 hours trainers reported that the Helioptile spawns vanished, leaving zero spawns at all. A day later Helioptile is back in force and dominating the spawns once again.
Trainers have shared their screenshots of Helioptile showing the thousands of Candy and Candy XL they have accumulated over the last several months, and despite filing helpdesk reports in Pokémon GO and sharing their issue on social media, nothing has changed. We can’t imagine how frustrating it must be to be a dedicated trainer or community where Helioptile commands the map so steadfastly. Trainers are forced to travel to get any variety in spawns, and avoid this Helioptile plague.
Are you affected by this issue? Please let us know on social media with your region/rough area so we can share the information with Scopely. Huge thanks to Adam Grant for alerting us to this issue!
