Highlights
- Niantic is banning Pokemon GO players who exploit the Routes feature to farm XL Candies, with bans ranging from 30 days to nearly a year.
- Players used outside apps to trick their phone’s GPS into completing the Routes instantly, using an auto clicker for quick completion.
- Some players argue that accidental GPS drift could lead to exploiting the feature, but others find it unlikely. The Routes feature also has other problems like finding routes and technical difficulties.
Pokemon GO developer Niantic is banning players who use a particular exploit to farm XL Candies. The exploit lets Pokemon GO players farm hundreds of XL Candies with little effort, but Niantic is cracking down hard on those who take advantage.
Niantic released Pokemon GO in 2016, and the game has evolved significantly over the last seven years. The most recent addition to Pokemon GO is the Routes feature, which the studio introduced last month. Routes are pre-defined paths for the player to use while exploring. Niantic sets some, while others are set by promotional partners or regular players. Players earn rewards by completing the Route, encouraging exploration.
Players recently discovered a way to abuse the Routes mechanic to farm Pokemon GO‘s XL Candies for virtually no effort. Players used this exploit to gather hundreds of XL Candies by leaving the Pokemon GO app running overnight, with one YouTuber claiming to earn over 100 XL Candies per hour. Unfortunately for any Pokemon GO players hoping to take advantage, Niantic learned about this exploit and is banning players who use it. These bans are temporary and reportedly range from 30 days to 230 days. However, Niantic’s ban message warns that repeat offenders may be permanently banned from the game.
While banning might seem extreme, it’s hard to argue that the people using it were cheating, especially since it requires multiple third-party apps. Essentially, Pokemon GO players were using outside apps to trick their phone’s GPS into thinking they had completed the Route. Normally, a speed cap prevents players from finding a Route too quickly. However, a glitch causes that not to work, allowing them to complete the Route instantly. The players would then use an auto clicker to automatically restart the Route, letting them complete it as quickly as their phone’s CPU speed allows.
The news did not trigger a strong reaction from the Pokemon GO community, with many feeling that this is the cost of cheating. One user suggested it could happen accidentally through GPS drift. However, other players are skeptical, as 40 kilometers or more of GPS drift seems unlikely.
Still, this exploit is just one of the many problems players are having with Pokemon GO‘s new Routes. Some players have trouble finding routes, and the Routes they can find may be impossible to complete due to technical difficulties or because the Route passes through private property. Other users report bugs and crashes with Routes. Between bugs and exploits, it’s safe to say that the new feature could have seen a smoother rollout.
Pokemon GO is available on Android and iOS.
Source: Dexerto
