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Pokemon Go Is Revamping Mega Evolution

The mobile game is making it much easier to Mega Evolve your Pokemon.

Kevin Knezevic Former staff writer
Kevin has been covering video games and tech since 2010, with a particular focus on Nintendo and Pokemon. Squirtle is the best starter and nothing will convince him otherwise.
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Kevin Knezevic
2 min read
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Niantic

Pokemon Go is making some major changes to its Mega Evolution feature.

First introduced to the mobile game in 2020, Mega Evolution is a temporary transformation that certain Pokemon can undergo once you've collected enough Mega Energy. In addition to changing a Pokemon's appearance, Mega Evolution grants monsters a significant power boost and may even change their typing.

As detailed in a new developer diary, Pokemon will now have a Mega Level, which will gradually increase as they Mega Evolve. As your monster's Mega Level rises, you'll get additional bonuses in the game. These will vary by Pokemon, but they may include the following:

  • Increased candy when you catch Pokemon of the same type as your Mega-Evolved Pokemon
  • Increased chance of earning Candy XL when you catch Pokemon of the same type as your Mega-Evolved Pokemon
  • Increased XP when you catch Pokemon of the same type as your Mega-Evolved Pokemon

Additionally, Mega Evolution will now require a single up-front cost. Before this change, players needed to spend a certain amount of Mega Energy each time they wanted to Mega Evolve a Pokemon. Given how difficult it could be to obtain Mega Energy, however, triggering a Mega Evolution often required a significant time investment.

Now, you only need to spend Mega Energy the first time you Mega Evolve a Pokemon. After a cool down period, you will be able to Mega Evolve that Pokemon again without spending any Mega Energy. However, you can use Mega Energy to decrease your Pokemon's cool down period and Mega Evolve it again sooner.

Mega Raids are also being tweaked. Now, "most" Mega Raids will be easier, meaning you'll typically be able to defeat the raid boss with fewer teammates.

These changes are aimed at making Mega Evolution "easier and more rewarding than ever before," game developer Niantic says. The adjustments are already being rolled out in Australia and New Zealand, with additional regions following "soon."

In other Pokemon Go news, the legendary Pokemon Landorus has returned to five-star raids until May 3. You can catch up on everything else happening in Pokemon Go this month in our April events roundup.