Pokemon Go players frustrated by Pokeball ‘nerf’ ahead of Kanto Tour

Pokemon Go players have expressed their frustration as the game appears to have “nerfed” Pokeballs ahead of the upcoming Kanto Tour event.

As the iconic Pokemon franchise prepares to mark its 25th anniversary, Niantic are running a Kanto Tour celebration event on February 20, 2021, which will feature plenty of chances to catch favorite creatures from the Gen 1 region, including Shiny Ditto for the first time.

Trainers have been busy preparing for the one-day event, as they want to get the most out of it. For many, this means stocking up on Pokeballs so they don’t run short on the day – but some people have been finding it very difficult to get their hands on them.

The main way for trainers to find Pokeballs has always been walking to Pokestops that appear at various landmarks on the real-world map. But with many countries advising citizens to stay home right now, that’s not really an option.

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As a result, a lot of trainers have turned to gifts instead. These are in-game presents that can be shared between Pokemon Go players for free, and usually include a variety of items including Pokeballs, berries, and healing items.

But, as pointed out in a popular Reddit thread by user Benster404, gifts don’t seem to be giving many Pokeballs right now – if any at all – and many players have been left feeling like buying them from the in-game shop is the only way to get them.

“Why does this game not want me to play it? I’ve run out of Pokeballs consistently over three days just playing it as I used to normally,” wrote one frustrated gamer, while another added, “They definitely nerfed them just now. Opened a ton of gifts and very few balls.”

A third explained: “Legit had a stretch where I had about only 10 great balls for over a week straight. Couldn’t go out much and was getting like 5 balls a day (on a good day) from gifts.”

It’s likely that players have been experiencing a lack of Pokeballs because the Valentine’s Day event, which runs from February 14 to February 18, features an increased chance of getting berries in gifts instead of Pokeballs.

This has meant that many Pokemon Go players have found themselves running low on Pokeballs, which is causing frustration as the upcoming Kanto Tour event is going to be a busy day for catching iconic Gen 1 ‘mon.

Some even took to Twitter to directly ask Niantic for help with this problem, with one player writing: “With the Kanto ticket this weekend and you limiting the ways to stock up on Pokeballs it is starting to look like you’re actively trying to rip off your player base.”

Not everyone has experienced the same problem, though. Others joked that it feels like the game nerfs whichever item you currently need, whether that’s a revive or potions or berries, and a few well-prepared trainers had plenty of Pokeballs stocked up from previous weeks.

While the Kanto Tour event only lasts one day, Niantic have since announced that a free Kanto-themed event will run until February 27, meaning players will hopefully have enough time to ready up all the Pokeballs they need by then.