Every day we see more and more exciting cybersport news—this time, we want to talk about Pokemon Go trading. There are many misconceptions on the net regarding its rules, cost, and other issues. Let’s figure out this topic.
Trading (Pokemon Swap) in Pokemon Go is a new in-game feature that appeared in the game on June 22, 2018 (worldwide release). You can exchange Pokemon with friends, thereby changing the IV of the Pokemon and getting the opportunity to complete your Pokedex. Trading is an essential part of all Pokemon video games.
Compared to other games in the Pokemon series, trading in Pokemon Go works a little differently – for each trade, each player is charged a fee in the form of Stardust. This is done in order to prevent the formation of the “black market”.
For the same reason, all Pokemon change their IV when trading.
Trading Pokemon Go: how to do it right?
To start exchanging Pokemon in Pokemon Go, both trainers must meet a number of requirements:
- Be a friend of the person with whom you are exchanging.
- Be within 100 meters of the person you are exchanging with.
- Have a coach level of 10 or higher, over 13 years of age (both coaches).
The whole process looks like this:
- To start trading, you need to find the required trainer on the “Friends” tab and open their profile.
- Then you need to click on the “Trade” button and wait for the other trainer to accept the trade offer.
- If you both meet the requirements above, you will be taken to the “Trading lobby”, where you can select the Pokemon you want to swap and check if you have enough Dust to pay for the trade.
After confirmation of the operation by both trainers, it will be performed.
Core points in Pokemon Let’s Go trading
There are a few things to keep in mind when trading in Pokemon Go:
The standard exchange price is 100 Dust
Standard trades include those that include non-shiny Pokemon, non-Legendary, and not previously caught.
IV, HP, and CP change when exchanging Pokemon
Meanwhile, the attacks, gender, and size of the Pokemon remain unchanged. Be careful. The level of Pokemon can also change!
Pokemon’s level
The level of Pokemon that is obtained through trade will be adjusted to the maximum possible level of training by the recipient. If you try to transfer a high-level Pokemon to another trainer, and they cannot train Pokemon to this level yet, then the level of the Pokemon will be lowered to the level to which the receiving player can bring Pokemon. So you won’t be able to quickly help your 15-level friend gather an army of the 35-level Tyranitarians.
How to influence the IV
You can influence the IV that a Pokemon receives after trading by increasing the friendship level. According to a post on the official developer blog, the game assigns the minimum IV a Pokemon can receive after trading, based on the friendship level between the trainers involved in the trade. So raise your friendship level – and the chance of getting good IVs will increase.
For every Pokemon trade you make, you get extra candy
Their number depends on the distance between the places where the Pokemon participating in the exchange have been caught.
- 1 Candy – close distance;
- 2 Candy – average distance (the smallest distance according to trainers’ reports – 12 km);
- 3 Candy – more than 100 km.
Medals
Pokemon that you receive after the exchange affects the receipt of medals:
- Exchange for a Magikarp weighing more than 13.13 kg counts towards the “Fisherman” medal.
- Exchange for a Rattata less than 0.25 m counts towards the “Youngster” medal.
- Exchange for any Pokemon is counted in the corresponding medal for the type of Pokemon.
A Pokemon can only be “sold” once
You cannot trade the same Pokemon over and over again in the hope of getting the perfect IV. You cannot trade Mythic Pokemon in Pokemon Go. Mythical Pokemon are tied to specific story quests, and all players must complete them.
Information about Pokemon Go trading distance
Currently, for trade to become available, two players need to be within 100 meters of each other. This ensures that both trainers know each other and the trade is fair.
However, on special days, the game developer increases the trading distance. For example, during Pokemon Go Community Day players can trade within a distance of 40 km.
Special trading in Pokemon Go
Special trading is a set of Pokemon trading rules that apply when trading specific types of Pokemon. The following types of Pokemon are traded according to special rules:
- Legendary Pokemon;
- Shiny Pokemon.
In addition, the following types of Pokemon are also more expensive:
- Pokemon that are not yet in your Pokedex.
- Pokemon with shapes that are not yet in your Pokedex (for example – Anouns, Pikachu with a hat, Castform).
You can only perform one special trade per day. Special trade follows the same rules as regular trade – it only costs more.
Facts to know about Pokemon Go trading cost
As mentioned above, just like obtaining CS:GO go most expensive skin, every Pokemon trade is worth Stardust. Some trades are more expensive (especially those that Niantic deemed dangerous to the in-game economy).
In the following table, you can see how much it costs to trade Pokemon in Pokemon Go at the initial “Good Friend” level (higher levels give a substantial discount). The indicated cost is paid by each trainer participating in the deal.
| Trade type | In Pokedex | Not in Pokedex |
| Regular Pokemon | 100 | 20 000 |
| Legendary Pokemon | 20 000 | 1 000 000 |
| Shiny Pokemon | 20 000 | 1 000 000 |
Trade discount
In Pokemon Go, there are discounts for trading based on your friendship level with another trainer:
- Good friend – no discount (0%).
- Great friend – small discount (20%, 800 000 per 1 000 000 trade).
- Ultra friend – average discount (92%, 80 000 per 1 000 000 trade).
- Best friend – big discount (96%, 40 000 per 1 000 000 trade).
Brief summary
As every Pokemon fan wanted, Niantic finally released an updated version of the Pokemon Go game. Now, it features an innovation announced back in 2016 – the ability to exchange captured Pokemon with other players.
Unlike selling Dota 2 items, the trade is not as easy as many hoped. The developers have come up with special rules with many restrictions. You can only send Pokemon to those you know personally and with whom you communicate. After installing the update, players will be able to add each other as friends, and the more often they jointly participate in battles, the stronger their friendship and the more opportunities for exchange become. Friendship and cooperative battles will bring various bonuses and benefits, including higher chances of catching Legendary Pokemon in arena battles.
Initially, any Pokemon can be involved in the exchange, except for legendary and mythical ones, and at the highest level of friendship, even the rarest monsters can change. The exchange is possible only if the players are physically close to each other and requires certain costs of Stardust (the stronger the friendship, the less Dust is spent).
To get a Powerful Pokemon or a Pokemon that you don’t already have, you will need a Special Trade Pass, which can only be obtained once a day.
Another limitation concerns the power of the Pokemon – when exchanging, it is reset, that is, you cannot get a hero as trained as the original owner had, and you cannot quickly assemble an army of strong monsters. They will have to be pumped with the experience again.
Why, then, was such an exchange created if there are so many restrictions in it? Firstly, it will allow Pokemon Go players to get to know each other, and secondly, this innovation will motivate them to travel to other countries, where there are Pokemon that are not found anywhere else. You won’t have to catch them. It is enough to agree with the local players about the swap.
The Pokemon Go update brings another interesting innovation to the game: it will be possible to send baskets of gifts to other players. These baskets may contain Stardust and eggs. To receive a basket that can be gifted to another player, you will need to visit a PokeStop, and donated eggs will allow players to receive Pokemon from the Alolan region.
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