Key points
- Some Pokemon GO players are unhappy with the Legendary Heroes event's trading challenges.
- A portion of the fandom has called for the game to have fewer trading challenges from now on.
- While remote trading could go a long way towards alleviating these complaints, Niantic has so far shown no indication that it is willing to implement such a feature in Pokemon GO.
Some Pokémon GO players recently took to social media to express their displeasure with the ongoing Legendary Heroes event. Specifically, their grievances are directed at some of the Pokémon GO commercial challenges that are part of the promotion.
The Legendary Heroes event began in Pokémon GO Thursday 26 September. To complete it, players must choose one of two themed paths Pokémon Sword and Shield. Each comes with its own collection of capture and trade challenges.
Some Pokemon GO players want fewer trading challenges
A portion of the game's fandom has now taken issue with the latter, claiming that Niantic events are placing too much emphasis on trading. “They have been requesting trades more often,” Reddit user SpazsAvatar wrote in a recent post, calling for the developer to “stop doing this.” The fan specifically targeted the Shield Path commercial collection challenge in Pokémon GOwhich requires players to obtain Swirlix, Gothita, Seedot, and Scraggy by trading with others. Since the game does not support remote trading, this effectively presents an insurmountable challenge for rural players or others who are unfortunate enough not to live in an area where Pokémon GO it's popular.
“Now I'm completely shut out of any of this research because Niantic for some reason thinks we all have tons of close friends or family playing with us,” SpazsAvatar explained. Their complaint garnered over 3,000 upvotes and promptly made the front page of gaming's largest subreddit in late September 2024, indicating that many Pokémon GO players share their frustrations.
Pokemon GO remote trading would address some complaints from current players
The chances of Niantic doing anything about these complaints are dubious. Although player feedback occasionally influences the change Pokémon GOgaming has always been conceived as a highly social experience, and the emphasis on commercial challenges is in line with that philosophy. This could also be the reason Pokémon GO has not yet implemented remote trading, despite fans asking for it for years. Calls for adding this feature last intensified during the pandemic, when Niantic made some concessions that allowed people to play without traveling too far, including remote raids, an increase in interaction distance, and specialized events.
Now I'm completely shut out of any of this research because Niantic for some reason thinks we all have tons of close friends or family who play with us.
Even if the developer wanted to act on these newly surfaced complaints, the company most likely doesn't have enough time to do anything about the ongoing Legendary Heroes event, which is scheduled to end on Tuesday, October 1st at 8pm local time. Those lucky enough to have friends to trade with can make special trades at a 50% Stardust discount for the duration of the event.