Long have fans waited for the announcement of the Ultra Bonus in Pokémon GO. When the bonuses were revealed, players were disappointed.
What happened? After weeks of waiting, Niantic finally announced on September 10 what Ultra Bonus they would unlock for trainers. This bonus was earned by players through global challenges during the summer. But the result leaves many cold.
Why are players dissatisfied? Part of the bonus is that Mewtwo will be catchable for all trainers. This monster is actually exclusively tied to EX Raids, which players must qualify for. Many find it silly that now any trainer can catch a Mewtwo without any special qualification.
The Mewtwo Problem with the Ultra Bonus
Mewtwo is special: In August 2017, Niantic announced that Mewtwo would now appear in EX Raids in Pokémon GO. At that time, EX Raids were still new.
“EX” stands for exclusive. This means in this context that only trainers who are invited can participate in EX Raids. The chance of getting an invitation is given when battling normal raids at qualifying gyms.
However, one must also be present on a specific day during a specific time window to participate in the EX Raid battle. Because an invitation is valid for a specific day and expires afterwards.
Many still without Mewtwo: As of September 2018, there are still many trainers without Mewtwo. They have not yet qualified for an EX Raid or were unable to catch Mewtwo after the battle. Because EX Raids are a special feature, Mewtwo is still considered a rare monster.
Players with Mewtwo are upset: The disappointment of the Ultra Bonus is now great among many trainers who already have a Mewtwo in their collection. They say, “I thought it was supposed to be a special, exclusive Pokémon. Now everyone can get it.”
Hard work wasted? Some took extra vacation from work and invested a lot of time in obtaining a Mewtwo in an EX Raid. Now they say that this time was wasted if Mewtwo “is going to be available for everyone someday anyway.” For them, Mewtwo is no longer the special Pokémon it once was due to the Ultra Bonus.
What could Niantic do for the disappointed players?
On Twitter and other social networks, trainers are demanding that Niantic release Mewtwo in its Shiny form. The Shiny form gives Pokémon visual changes, making them special. Shiny Mewtwo has not been in the game before. This would also be a bonus for trainers who have already caught Mewtwo.
Legendary Birds Return in Raids
Another part of the Ultra Bonus is that the legendary birds Articuno, Moltres, and Zapdos will return to Pokémon GO once again. They have already been in raid battles, had a special event day each in the summer of 2018, and will now appear again for a week in raids.
Why trainers are disappointed: These legendary birds have often been in raids of Pokémon GO. They were not exclusive like Mewtwo, but could be battled by all trainers in raids. Since a large part of the trainers already have these Pokémon in their collection, they find this bonus boring.
The Regional Eggs Are Cool
As another reward, the Ultra Bonus brings regional Pokémon into the 7 KM eggs. Currently, only Alola monsters are in there, which will soon share the space with some regional monsters. These are Kangaskhan, Tauros, Farfetch’d, and Mr. Mime.
Here is some positive feedback: Many trainers are happy about the regional monsters. It seems that this bonus is the least criticized. Regional monsters actually only appear in certain regions. Sometimes they appear at events. The fact that everyone now has the chance for these rare creatures makes trainers happy. They can easily complete their PokéDex. And that even as a rural player who has to manage without raids.
Crux – The Rural Players
These rewards are always problematic for rural players. There are few players and few gyms in the countryside. Accordingly, raids are less frequent there, often not enough players to help.
Why are rural players disappointed? They have to travel to the nearest town to participate in a raid for Mewtwo, Zapdos, Articuno, or Moltres. This assumes extra effort again.
It’s worth it though: For a Mewtwo, many players are willing to make the trip to the next city. They coordinate in groups with city players about when the raids start and are then present at the start time.
Others find it annoying because the trip to the next gym is simply too far for them. However, this has little to do with this Ultra Bonus but is a fundamental problem in Pokémon GO. Players in rural areas have had fewer opportunities to fully utilize the features of Pokémon GO since the beginning.
Joy over the eggs: The regional Pokémon from eggs are good for rural players because just through the friends feature, one can quickly get to the 7 KM eggs.
What happens next?
In the coming days and weeks, players can take advantage of the Ultra Bonus. Mewtwo, Zapdos, Articuno, and Moltres can be found during their time periods in raids, and the regional Pokémon will soon hatch from the 7 KM eggs.
New EX Raid Boss? Possibly, the global release of Mewtwo means that a new monster will appear as an EX Raid boss after that. Which one it will be is still unclear.
Voices from our Facebook community: In our Pokémon GO Facebook group and on our Facebook page for Pokémon GO, the bonuses were intensely discussed. It is also clear here that there are many dissatisfied players and that it is an emotional topic. However, there are also positive reports.
How satisfied are you with the Ultra Bonus in Pokémon GO? What bothers you, what do you like? Let us know in the comments.
