One quirk ofPokemon GOthat sets it apart from a lot ofPokemongames is that players are encouraged to repeatedly catch each monster in the franchise. They all supply Candy and Stardust that players can spend on making their favorites stronger. That’s a significant difference from many other entries in the series where there’s not much reason to catch multiples of most Pokemon unless players are gathering alternate forms.Pokemon GOencourages fans to seek out droves of almost every Pokemon in existence, but there’s really no reason to collect extra Dittos.
Much like in the core games, Ditto is very rare inPokemon GO,disguising itself as a select few Pokemon each month and only revealing its true identity after being caught. Whenever aPokemon GOplayer finds their first Ditto, it’s an exciting occasion that helps completea difficult part of the Kanto Pokedex. From then on, there’s not much reason to collect Dittos. Ditto is pretty weak as far asPokemon GOcombat is concerned, and its low value inPokemon GOis a stark contrast to its extremely high value as a breeding tool in otherPokemongames. Niantic should tweak Ditto’s role inPokemon GOto reflect its true versatility.
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Ditto’s Place in Pokemon GO
As it stands, Ditto’s only reliable function is helping complete the Pokedex.Ditto’s iconic move Transformmay have some niche utility, but since Transform doesn’t change Ditto’s low HP it’s a weaker move than it appears. Since Ditto isn’t much help in Raids or Gyms, it’s mostly just there to be collected. It’s a shame that Ditto does so little inPokemon GOconsidering how useful it is in other games. In any game where players can breed Pokemon, Ditto is a huge help since it can breed with the overwhelming majority of Pokemon.
If Niantic wants to make Ditto more useful inPokemon GO,integrating it into a new breeding mechanic seems like the way to go. Eggs already exist inPokemon GO,but at the moment players can only get random monsters out of them. It would be great if players couldhand off two compatible Pokemon to Professor Willowfor a while, and then receive a special Egg that’ll hatch another version of the female Pokemon in the pair like in base games. Building this mechanic intoPokemon GOwould simultaneously add a new dimension to Eggs and make Ditto far more valuable.
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Pokemon GO’s Endless Expansion
Even if Niantic doesn’t want to add Egg Groups and new Candy-colored Egg sprites to the game, it could find a new way to integrate Ditto into Eggs. Maybe Niantic could add a new option in which players spend Ditto Candy to have a Ditto incubate an Egg for them, rather than using one of the traditional Incubators. Since Ditto Candy is rare, it’d be a good limiting factor to keep players from dispensing with Incubators altogether. A mechanic like this would be a solid compromise between Ditto’s traditional usage andPokemon GO’s habit of streamliningwell-known facets ofPokemon.
Adding new breeding or incubating mechanics toPokemon GOwould be about more than just giving Ditto something new to do. It’s also about keepingPokemon GOfresh with every update. Niantic only has a limited number ofPokemon left to add toPokemon GO,so it would be wise to explore options for new content that doesn’t involve adding new monsters to the game. Breeding with Ditto is such a famous part ofPokemonthat it seems like a perfect way to pushPokemon GO’s boundaries.
Pokemon GOis available now for Android and iOS devices.
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