Pokémon Go continues to improve since its launch this past summer, but with several features still missing and an influx of AAA games during the holidays, you might be neglecting your virtual monster friends. Niantic’s latest update, however, will reward you with extra goodies for continuing to play every day.
“Trainers will soon be able to receive a bonus for certain daily activities, including catching a Pokémon or visiting a Pokéstop once a day,” Niantic wrote in a post on the game’s website. “You’ll earn a larger bonus if you do this seven days in a row!”
These bonuses give players a reason to go out and continue catching Pokémon, and the increased points for doing so every day in a given week are nothing to scoff at. While 500 XP and 600 Stardust will now be awarded for catching your first Pokémon of the day, the weekly bonus gives 2,000 XP and 2,400 Stardust, which should expedite the evolution of some of your new creatures.
Visiting a Pokéstop and collecting your items will earn you 500 XP, as well as “a number of additional items,” while the weekly bonus will provide 2,000 XP and “a greater number of additional items.”
The weekly bonuses for Pokémon Go will not be offered at the end of a given week. Instead, weeks will begin on Tuesday and bonuses will be handed out at midnight the following Wednesday.
The last major update Pokémon Go received was Halloween-themed, dishing out candy at up to four times the normal rate and featuring an increase in Ghost-type Pokémon, as well Zubat — because there aren’t enough of those in the game already.
Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon, the next major installments in the long-running series, are out for Nintendo 3DS on November 18. Their pre-order numbers are the highest for any game in Nintendo’s history.