Pokemon Go players furious over Poke Ball nerf “ruining” XP farming
NianticLanding Excellent Throws in Pokemon Go has been nearly impossible since the 0.317.0 update and trainers are now outraged for being unable to farm XP like they did before the changes.
This update halts how quickly players could previously level up and complete certain Field Research tasks. The difficulty in catching Pokemon with Excellent Throws is so difficult, that many thought it was a bug.
Many trainers breezing to level 50 have faced the brunt of this update, and one of them is Reddit user ‘BarneyNerd’ who enjoyed farming up to 100k XP from nailing Excellent Throws during their walk. The OP claimed they are now getting only a 20k haul from the same grind.
The post prompted several users to jump into the comments section and share their post-update experiences. They stated that they’ve failed to get an Excellent Throw even on Furfrou, one of the easiest catches in the game.
Others commented: “It’s honestly ruining the game for me. I cannot catch anything with less than two balls. It’s a waste of my time!!” and “Nothing like changing the basic fundamentals of a game after 8 years for no other reason than to make the game more annoying.”
Some people mentioned that the Poke Ball bounced off the Pokemon and out of the circle before the catch animation triggered, which made Nice and Great Throws a challenge as well.
Aside from catches feeling like a “chore,” fans also pointed out Poke Balls have been making contact with the target species in a different way. “What is especially frustrating is that apart from the mechanic being different, the ball also sometimes has to hit the Pokémon twice for it to register the throw,” a player explained.
With the annual Go Fest 2024 event looming, Pokemon Go fans hope these catching issues don’t become a mainstay feature.