Trading is an integral component of Pokemon Go’s experience. You can utilize an online trade feature to swap Pokemon with nearby players or pair up in your Friend feed.
Players must first become Good Friends before trading gifts with each other. Each transaction costs Stardust which you can earn by raiding, catching Pokemon, or competing in gym battles.
Link Trade
Let’s Go, Pikachu, and Let’s Go, Eevee provide players with several methods of trading Pokemon with each other. This includes local trading through Link Trade, requiring both parties to be on the same network or proximity, and international trading through Surprise Trade, which may occur anywhere around the globe.
Players must access the Y-Comm Screen by pressing Y and choosing Link Trade from its menu to use Link Trade with friends. They will be asked to set a Link Code that may consist of up to eight digits before sharing it with their partner in trading. When both players have entered identical codes, they will be connected and can select Pokemon from each box before trading!
If the player opts to trade in an uncommon or hard-to-find Pokemon, they will receive one of a comparable rarity in return. This system can help players obtain version-exclusive pocket monsters, which cannot be traded any other way – although its random nature makes it hard for some to get exactly the one they are after.
Surprise Trade allows players to trade Pokemon at random through Surprise Trade partners. While it can be more of a gamble than usual, Surprise Trade can provide an excellent way to collect multiple types of Pokemon simultaneously.
Players can trade Pokemon online via Poke Centers and Festival Plaza. This process mimics trading through the Y-Comm Screen but is available worldwide – the only requirement being both players possess a Nintendo Membership service account.
Players can trade with people within Union Circle through the Y-Comm Screen by selecting this option and entering a four-digit code specific to that group. This can be an ideal way to meet other trainers in Galar and form new relationships.
Special Trade
Special Trades offer Trainers the unique ability to trade specific Pokemon not accessible through standard means – for instance, Legendary Pokemon, Shiny Pokemon, and purified shadows of regular Pokemon that haven’t registered with your Pokedex yet. However, performing such trades requires extra Stardust resources that players rarely utilize.
Niantic typically limits players to performing one Special Trade per day; however, it will increase this limit to three during significant events. Community Days allow Trainers an additional opportunity for three per day!
To create a Special Trade, both trainers must possess the same Pokemon in their party and be within 100 meters of each other. Once in range, they can then choose and confirm which Pokemon they want to trade; both parties will then see which of each other’s Pokemon is being sold as well as its moves, where it was captured, its potential CP and HP values post trade – helping prevent bad deals and ensure each is trading Pokemon that are useful to both of them.
Once a Special Trade is completed, each Pokemon that each Trainer receives will have its CP and HP adjusted accordingly to prevent Trainers from repeatedly re-rolling their Pokemon’s stats through trades which could give them an unfair edge over other players. Furthermore, traded Pokemon cannot be sold again to prevent any Trainer from receiving powerful Pokemon that they would have otherwise been unable to catch.
Particular Trade is an invaluable feature that enables Trainers to collect rare Pokemon while strengthening relationships between Trainers. As with other elements in Pokemon GO, careful planning and cultivating friendships are keys to taking full advantage of Special Trade’s mechanics – by prioritizing priority targets, prioritizing companies, and managing Stardust wisely, you can successfully utilize its mechanics and create an impressive collection of pocket monsters!
Offline Trade
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet stand apart from previous Pokemon games by offering local, real-time trading via Link Code without being connected to the internet. For this feature to work correctly, both players must be within close range (in the same room, say) when both input a code from Poke Portal; after an exchange between both users, trading begins automatically.
