Together with the PvP mode, Pokémon GO also introduced another innovation: Very effective attacks deal more damage.
Attacks that are very effective now deal more damage in Pokémon GO. This means that you can now make better use of the effectiveness of Pokémon. We explain what is new and when your Pokémon are now stronger.
Type effectiveness has been changed
What was it like before? If you used a very effective attack in a battle, the damage was multiplied by 1.4. A very effective attack was thus 0.4 stronger than a normal attack. For not very effective attacks, the damage was multiplied by 0.714. Thus, the attack was weakened.
What is new now? The damage of a very effective attack is now multiplied by 1.6. This means that the damage of the attack is now stronger than before. The damage of a not very effective attack is now multiplied by 0.625. The attack is now weaker.
This means for the players: Those who know the effectiveness of Pokémon are now at an even greater advantage. Those who fight with Pokémon that are not very effective will take longer. The difference is not enormous, but players who pay attention to effectiveness will now be rewarded a bit more.
What does this mean for PvP? Those who rely on Pokémon like Dragoran and Rayquaza, which are generally strong attackers, now lose a bit. It is now better to focus on effective Pokémon instead of all-rounders. Pokémon that have good type coverage, meaning effective against many types, are the winners of this change.
Does this only apply to PvP? The changes are also active in gyms and raids. You can now throw Pokémon out of gyms more easily and defeat raid bosses, provided you use effective Pokémon. It is quite possible that raid bosses can now be defeated alone or with two players, which has not been possible until now. However, time will tell.
Anyone looking for an entry point or further information on trainer battles can check out our guide:
