For instance, Pokemon GO players frequently voice concerns about the game’s challenges, some of which are either impossible to complete or too difficult to be practical. Certain Pokemon GO medals are hard to max out, and some Special Research quests have sat uncompleted for months or years. Pokemon GO’s ongoing new content and bug fixes are great, but Niantic seems to have unintentionally left certain aspects of the game behind. For the sake of Pokemon GO’s quality and the satisfaction of fans, Niantic ought to take another look at Pokemon GO’s oldest Special Research and medals.

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Pokemon GO’s Outdated Challenges

Although Niantic has tweaked some of the game’s achievement-like medals to match other changes in Pokemon GO, others have fallen by the wayside. For instance, the Pokemon GO Fisher and Youngster platinum medals require catching 1,000 extra-large Magikarp and extra-small Rattata, respectively. Even for day-one Pokemon GO players, these are difficult medals to get, especially since Magikarp and Rattata get rarer as more Pokemon join. Other daunting platinum medals include the Ultra Hero badge, which requires beating Giovanni 50 times. Considering how rarely Giovanni rears his head in Pokemon GO, that medal can take years to claim.

Pokemon GO fans also have a few different Special Research quests that they can’t complete because their objectives were intrinsically tied to a past Pokemon GO event. The “Let’s GO, Meltan” quest’s request to catch five Exeggcute may seem innocuous, but if players don’t live somewhere that Exeggcute are common, they’re stuck with an incomplete Meltan quest. Perhaps even more daunting, the Season of Legends Special Research asked players to take a snapshot of Landorus, which only appeared briefly in Raid Battles. Players who never managed to complete a Landorus raid are now stuck with a months-old quest, barred from its rewards.

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Leniency for Pokemon GO Players

Many Pokemon GO players are annoyed that the game asks them to complete near-impossible objectives, and Niantic ought to pay attention. Challenges like these are starting to pile up, and players want an earnest shot at completing some of them. Niantic might want to consider running an event that’s tailored toward finishing off outdated Special Research, bringing back Landorus, Exeggcute, and other specific Pokemon mentioned in Special Research. It might consider tuning Pokemon GO’s medal numbers a little to make platinum medals more achievable.

None of this is to say Niantic should simply hand players medals and Special Research rewards. These objectives are part of the long-term fun in Pokemon GO, offering players more specific challenges than simply looking for strong or rare Pokemon. However, Pokemon GO’s objectives need to be balanced and achievable. If there’s no practical way for players to complete Pokemon GO challenges, those activities lose their value and become sources of frustration. Pokemon GO seems to getting more of these stubborn objectives, which suggests it’s time for Niantic to hit the refresh button.

Pokemon GO is available now for Android and iOS devices.

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