Niantic and The Pokemon Company have announced that later this year, the level cap for Pokemon Go will be increased, which the developer says will lead to a "more fun and engaging" leveling experience.
In a blog post, Niantic says that on October 15th, the Pokemon Go level cap will increase from 50 to 80, which, according to Niantic, will lead to players "celebrating leveling milestones with new rewards, new cosmetics, and more".
According to Niantic, the new level cap means that some players "can expect to jump in level based on their total earned XP", but that nobody's level will decrease. As such, when the update arrives, if you suddenly find yourself at a higher level, that's why.
Not only is the level cap itself increasing, but leveling between 1 and 80 will be rebalanced, according to Niantic. Naturally, Level-Up Research tasks for levels 41 through 50 will be replaced with tasks from levels 71 through 80.
You can also expect other goodies like a boosted chance of becoming Lucky Friends with other players when you hit level 70, as well as new rewards for progression, including increased storage capacity and new avatar items.
By the time October 14th (the day before the update is set to hit) arrives, you'll get a "special medal" commemorating the highest level you've achieved in Pokemon Go, and if you hit 50, you'll get a special jacket and avatar pose.
Between now and October 15th, you'll get double catch XP from Nice, Great, and Excellent throws, and you'll get an extra 3,000 XP for winning raids and Max Battles. Timed Research will also become available to those level 7 or over, giving you the chance to "earn over 7 million XP", Niantic says.
News of the level cap follows the announcement of a new season in Pokemon Go, with various new 'mons set to debut from September 2nd, including Mega Metagross, Keldeo, and more.
All of this follows the sale of Niantic to the Saudi-backed firm Scopely back in February, a move that Scopely was quick to reassure fans would not affect the day-to-day operations of Pokemon Go.
