The Wonders of Weather in Go

One of the more enigmatic of features currently present in Pokémon Go is dynamic weather, which I've only mentioned indirectly in an earlier post, and as I've mentioned in this year's anniversary post for the game, is something which has not been discussed at length here. And yet, it's one that affects gameplay, perhaps to a significant effect in certain circumstances, so it does deserve such a discussion to point out what happens and what it means for gameplay in general.

Weather in Pokémon Go is roughly based on the local weather that is displayed in the Weather app of a smartphone (which is most likely from accuweather.com). Weather in the game is also updated hourly, which also means it may change at the same rate. In rare situations, a player may happen upon the boundaries of two areas with different weather, but this is indeed rare. The current weather is indicated at the top-right of the screen with an icon, which gives more information when tapped; the information screen also gives access to a "report weather" feature should the weather appear inaccurate to the real-world weather.

Weather affects the game by primarily affecting certain types of Pokémon. The possible weather and affected types are Sunny (Fire, Grass, Ground), Partly Cloudy (Normal, Rock), Cloudy (Fairy, Fighting, Poison), Rain (Bug, Electric, Water), Windy (Dragon, Flying, Psychic), Snow (Ice, Steel), and Fog (Dark, Ghost). During certain weather, Pokémon of the affected types tend to appear in greater number and are also "boosted" - they are stronger to be captured and also in battle. This last bit is important because weather may be exploited so that certain Pokémon may be used more effectively in battle and that raid bosses are stronger during the bonus capture.

Because of weather, it may be possible for a well-designed team to lay waste to a number of Gyms while in a specific weather, or deliver a significant amount of blows during raid battles, perhaps enabling greater results to be achieved with fewer people playing. In turn, certain events (like Water Festival and Community Day) may also be benefited with certain kinds of weather, increasing the number of available Pokémon to be captured as well as their strength. How players can take advantage of certain weather situations is up to them individually as well as their groups.

The weather system in Pokémon Go is simple, but it has far-reaching consequences for gameplay, one that players may take advantage of in order to obtain the best possible results. With the system being of such nature, it becomes an important one for any player, especially to keep in mind as they play. It's a useful reminder, even for myself. The system remains as a source of enigmatic wonder for all players involved in the game.

One year ago: Going Back to the NDS