Pokémon Go has finally added Trainer Battles, giving players the opportunity to fight against their friends.
Developer Niantic first made battles available to level 40 players, but they are now accessible to those as low as level 10. Here’s everything you need to know about battling your friends.
Trainer Battles, a staple of the original Pokémon RPG series, has always been a glaring omission from Pokémon Go. But when Niantic finally added friends lists to the game back in June, fans hoped that player-vs-player (PvP) battles would come next.
Niantic finally confirmed in August that PvP battles would arrive before the end of 2018, and four months later, the feature is rolling out inside its hugely popular free-to-play game.
Battle it out in Pokémon Go
Niantic confirmed earlier today that Trainer Battles had been made available to trainers who had reached level 40. However, several hours later, players as low as level 10 are getting access, too.
Level 10 will always be the minimum you’ll need to reach to access the Trainer Battles feature. Once you’re there, you’ll be able to use the Pokémon you’ve caught to fight friends — but there are some caveats.
For most battles, you’ll need to be in the same location as your friend. You can then initiate a fight through your friends list, or by using the built-in QR code scanning function. Remote battles are available, but only against friends with whom you’ve reached Best or Ultra Friends status.
You can battle AI trainers, too
You can practice your battle skills against computer-controlled trainers, however, so you won’t miss out entirely if you don’t know anyone else who plays Pokémon Go. You won’t earn the same in-game rewards you get from battling other humans, though.
Those rewards include the Sinnoh Stone, which lets you evolve your Pokémon to their final, most powerful forms. You won’t receive one of these after every win, however.
To access PvP battles in Pokémon Go, ensure you have the latest version of the game installed and then wait for the Trainer Battles feature to appear.
