Pokemon GO Gigantamax Max Battles are set to be easier and offer better rewards

Niantic announced on October 29, 2024, the upcoming some changes to Pokemon GO Gigantamax Max Battles. This followed community outrage against 6-star Max Battles (featuring Charizard, Blastoise, and Venusaur) on October 27 and 28. The developer announced that this challenge — set to feature Gigantamax Gengar next — would be easier and offer better rewards and a higher catch rate.

This article discusses what changes Niantic is bringing to Pokemon GO Gigantamax Max Battles starting October 31, 2024, and how they might impact player participation.

Halloween-themed Pokemon GO Gigantamax Max Battle will be less of a challenge and offer Stardust upon completion

In an X post on October 29, the Niantic Support page announced the following changes to Gigantamax Battles starting from October 31, 2024:

While these 6-star Max Battles featuring Gigantamax Gengar will still be challenging, they will have reduced difficulty compared to Venusaur, Charizard, and Blastoise.
In addition to the rewards players received for completing Gigantamax Battles, defeating Gigantamax Gengar will give them 25,000 Stardust.
Higher catch rates will be available for Gigantamax Gengar than the Kanto starters on October 27 and 28.

While the developer did not mention in what ways the challenge involving Gengar's Gigantamax form would be easier than the Kanto starters, it can be assumed that the Power Spot boss will either have a lower total HP or its attack frequency will be lowered.

Either way, this change should help trainers beat these 6-star Pokemon GO Gigantamax Max Battles with fewer members, making the mechanic more accessible than before.

The addition of 25,000 Stardust to the reward list will also give players greater incentive to participate in Max Battles. Stardust is one of the most precious resources in the game, and getting your hands on such a huge amount of it in one go can make the effort feel worth it.

Lastly, having Gigantamax Pokemon that took such an uphill battle to defeat run away would be heartbreaking for anyone. The increased catch rates will help prevent this.