In Pokémon GO trainers have the opportunity to challenge the grunts of Team GO Rocket. However, the reddit community has requested a small change that would be very important for all players. We at MeinMMO will show you what it is about.
Who is Team GO Rocket? Just like in the original Pokémon series, there are villains in Pokémon GO causing trouble: Team GO Rocket. Its members, consisting of grunts and Rocket bosses, regularly take over PokéStops to steal items and eggs, or visit you in the typical black Rocket balloon.
To stop them, you can battle them and, of course, after winning, you will receive a reward as well as an encounter with a Shadow Pokémon. However, regarding the occupied PokéStops by Rocket grunts, some trainers on reddit wish for a small change that would be a significant improvement for everyone. We will show you what that is.
Time Display for Team GO Rocket
If you want to face a Rocket grunt, you can look for the occupied stops on the map in the game. They are relatively easy to identify. From a distance, they flicker a bit dark. As you get closer to the respective stop, it turns black. Clicking on it then opens the grunt’s dialog and you have the opportunity to battle them.
However, the PokéStops are only temporarily occupied by the grunts. This means that, unlike the Rocket bosses, who remain in one place for an entire day, they disappear again after a certain time. The PokéStop will then return to normal.
However, it is not easy for trainers to see how long a grunt stays at this location, which is why it is frustrating when you walk to a specific stop with the intention of defeating the grunt and then they disappear in the last few meters.
This also frustrates reddit user BazF91, who asks in his post why Rocket grunts do not have a time display at PokéStops. He writes: “If raids can have timers, why can’t GO grunts? Does Niantic somehow make more money by not having the timer? Maybe the timer should not be visible above, but only when you click on the PokéStop. What are your thoughts?” (via reddit.com).
Community Reactions
BazF91’s post sparks much discussion and receives support from many trainers in the comments. Some of these trainers already have specific ideas on how the timer could be implemented (via reddit.com):
- gizmotherat: “I agree that Grunt PokéStops should 100% have a timer. Too often I have seen Rocket grunts at 2 neighboring PokéStops and fought one only to find that the other disappeared while I was battling the first. It would be great to have a sense of which one to prioritize.”
- gyroda: “This just happened to me today. Very frustrating. Even if they don’t want a literal numerical timer, a circular progress bar could be placed around the photo of the PokéStop (visible when you tap on the stop).”
- TheAdmiral90: “Timers on the map would be too cluttered, but timers when you call up a PokéStop would be great.”
- 0525125625: “A color change like the leveled up PokéStops that get lighter over time would be very pleasing to me.”
However, some trainers find a visual representation of such a timer especially difficult for color-blind individuals. For them, a gradual color shift from black to blue would be hard to notice.
Further Community Wishes
In addition to a timer for occupied PokéStops, some trainers also wish for more time displays in the game that would also be useful (via reddit.com):
- Shayfleafcht: “There should also be a timer for Lure Modules.”
- tkcom: “Also: Timer for gyms with completed raids. How many minutes are left until the gym is back to normal.”
- MonkeeBrain: “And a count of how many GO Battle League sets have been completed. Particularly useful on GO Battle Days.”
Whether Niantic will respond to these community wishes and possibly implement a timer in one place or another in the game remains to be seen. If there are official updates regarding this, you will surely find out on MeinMMO.
What do you think of BazF91’s suggestion to introduce a timer for Rocket grunts? Have you ever wanted to defeat a grunt only to have them suddenly flee from the stop? Or do you rarely battle against Team GO Rocket? Feel free to share your opinion here on MeinMMO in the comments and engage with other trainers about it.
How many trainers do you actually battle with in raids? One trainer has defeated the dreaded Pottrott alone. We will show you how he did it and why it’s so special.
