Pokémon Home is now finally connectable with Pokémon GO. This way you can transfer your Pokémon from your smartphone to Switch games. However, there are some restrictions and the prices are not exactly cheap. This leads to misunderstandings among some trainers.
What is Pokémon Home? In Home, you can manage your Pokémon from various current games. This is intended to help you keep track of which Pokémon you caught in which game. Additionally, you can trade Pokémon from one game to another.
The system was already introduced in the summer of 2019 and now finally works with Pokémon GO. However, there are a few things to note, as the FAQ from Niantic reveals:
- You can transfer your monsters from PoGO to Pokémon Home
- However, you cannot bring monsters from Home to Pokémon GO. So be mindful of which Pokémon you want to transfer
- Some Pokémon cannot be transferred, including your Buddys, costumed Pokémon, Shadow Pokémon, or Mega Evolutions.
- Pokémon with lucky or purified bonus lose these upon transfer
- To use the system, you currently need to be level 38. However, this level may be reduced in the future
- Every transfer costs you transporter energy
And exactly with this transporter energy, massive resistance is currently growing among the trainers. Because it regenerates slowly or you can buy it for PokéCoins. And that can become very expensive.
A Pokémon transfer costs up to 10 euros
How does the energy work? You start with 10,000 energy, which is also the maximum. Each transfer consumes energy, with you regenerating 60 of it per hour. Total regeneration of 10,000 energy takes you 167 hours, which is nearly a week of waiting time.
Alternatively, you can buy 10 energy for 1 PokéCoin. So 10,000 energy costs 1,000 PokéCoins or roughly 9.99 euros in real money.
What do the transfers actually cost? The costs vary for each Pokémon, as the type of Pokémon, its CP and the shiny version each come with an additional cost. We have compiled an overview of the prices for you:
Standard Pokémon:
- Base cost: 10 energy
- Shiny: +1,990 energy
- CP 1001-2000: +100 energy
- CP 2001 or more: +300 energy
Legendary Pokémon:
- Base cost: 1,000 energy
- Shiny: +9,000 energy
- CP 1001-2000: +300 energy
- CP 2001 or more: +500 energy
Mythical Pokémon:
- Base cost: 2,000 energy
- Shiny: +8,000 energy
- CP 1001-2000: +500 energy
- CP 2001 or more: + 700 energy
Shiny versions of Legendary or Mythical Pokémon consume your entire quota of 10,000 energy. Alternatively, you can wait an entire week or pay for another transfer with PokéCoins.
How exactly the transfer works for Pokémon that cost more than 10,000 energy, we have not been able to test yet. However, we will update the article accordingly.
How do trainers react? The user @A_DV_NTT has already complained on Twitter that he would have to wait 3.5 years or pay 1,830 dollars for all his 183 shinies.
He merely comments on this with a terse “Yikes Niantic”.
The webmaster of Serebii.net, a website dedicated to Pokémon, also criticizes Niantic for the new system. On Twitter, he wrote:
I generally consider myself a positive person, and I try to look for the good in things.
The mechanisms behind this prioritize profit over the user experience 100%. I don’t care whether Niantic or TPC are behind it, it’s wrong.
Joe Merrick, Webmaster of Serebii.net
There is also strong discussion in a reddit thread about the announcement of the feature.
However, some users are happy about the small rewards when transferring to Pokémon Home. These rewards revolve around Meltan and Melmetal.
Melmetal for Switch and Meltan in Pokémon GO
What do you get for a transfer? If you transfer a Pokémon from PoGO to Home, you will receive a Melmetal with Gigantamaxing as a thank you. However, you can only use this in Pokémon Sword and Shield.
For users of Pokémon GO, there is a Wonder Box. This can attract Meltan, but probably not in a shiny variant. You can reopen this box – every 7 days according to Niantic and every 3 days according to the community – through a transfer.
What do you all think of the new system? Will you use the transfers or are they too expensive for you?
Another change that has now been introduced is a level adjustment for submitting PokéStops. This is now possible a few levels earlier:
Pokémon GO now allows you to submit stops starting from level 38 – This is what you need to consider
