A new patch was just released in Pokemon Go as July shifts into August, and we’ve taken a closer look at how the patch changed which attacks are the best, and removed footprints. It’s no secret that Niantic was not thrilled with many of the third-party sites that have spawn due to Pokemon Go. This latest patch has adjusted things enough that many of these sites can no longer function, at least for the time being.
No More PokeVision
The biggest impact of the recent patch is the fact that PokeVision is no longer a functioning tool. Before the patch it allowed players to track the spawn rate of Pokemon anywhere in the world where Pokemon Go was available. Now the site offers no help to Pokemon Go players and has respected the wishes of Nintendo and Niantic to cease operation.
Goodbye Footprints
When Pokemon Go first released, players were able to track Pokemon via their footprints to make the hunt a bit more fun. This feature was causing heavy server load issues and eventually stopped working completely. The latest patch has removed this feature from the game, which has many Trainer upset. If you’re one of these upset parties, don’t worry because the feature will come back once Niantic figures out how to reduce the server load with the feature active. With new patches coming every few weeks, it shouldn’t be long before the footprints make a triumphant return.
Attack Changes
With the new patch comes some changes to how attacks work in Pokemon Go. Now all Quick Moves inflict similar damage, which means players will need to pay closer attention to Pokemon Type in order to score big damage. The damage change means that any Trainers who focused mainly on Quick Moves will want to change their play style a bit.
Charge Moves have now moved to the forefront when you need to dish out some damage. Cross Chop is the most damaging Charge Move, but Blizzard, Body Slam, Power Whip and Stone Edge all hit very hard as well. Your battle strategy should revolved heavily around Charge Moves and move away from a focus on Quick Moves. This will allow your Pokemon to inflict considerably more damage than before.
Even the best Quick Moves only inflict about half the damage as the top Charge Moves. Metal Claw, Pound, Psycho Cut and Water Gun inflict less than half the damage of the best Charge Moves. Even Charge Moves on the lower end of the high damage scale, such as Dragon Claw and Hydro Pump, inflict almost double the damage of the best Quick Moves, and that’s taking into account how long it takes to execute each attack.
Patch Notes
We’ve covered all of the important changes, but if you’re curious about all of the changes in the latest Pokemon Go patch, here are the complete patch notes.
- Avatars can now be re-customized from the Trainer profile screen
- Adjusted battle move damage values for some Pokémon
- Refined certain Gym animations
- Improved memory issues
- Removed footprints of nearby Pokémon
- Modified battle damage calculation
- Various bug fixes during wild Pokémon encounter
- Updated Pokémon details screen
- Updated achievement medal images
- Fixed issues with displaying certain map features
- Minor text fixes
We’ll have more on Pokemon Go in the coming weeks and months!
