Pokemon GO is slowly becoming the constantly evolving Alternate Reality Game title that it was promised to be when it was first introduced to the world over a year ago. Over the course of its first year,Pokemon GO has changed dramatically, removing features that werent functioning while adding content that is meant to both keep players engaged and bolster the apps functionality. Even amongst all the changes that have occurred within the game lately, though,Pokemon GOs latest patch is a different animal altogether, offering what is arguably the single-most impactful collection of updates in the history of the game.

Part of the reason the last update is so huge forPokemon GO is because it finally introduces a core mechanic from otherPokemon games Technical Machines, better known to veteran players as TMs. In the classicPokemon games, TMs teach Pokemon a specific move, giving trainers more control over their creatures and making specific kinds ofPokemon battles much easier with a little planning. InPokemon GO, TMs function a little differently, but theyre still a vital and useful tool worth embracing for those looking to hone the perfect gym sweeper lineup.

TMs are a reward from the newly-addedPokemon GO raid battles, so players who end up competing in the larger-scale fights in gyms will have the potential to acquire these items. There are two types of TMs Fast TMs, which teach moves that a player uses by tapping the screen in battle, and Charged TMs, which teach moves that a player uses by charging the meter in a battle and holding their finger on the phone screen.

Fast TMs drop fromPokemon GO gym raids for players level 15 and over. Ultimately, the official requirements for gym raids make it so that any participant will already be higher than level 15, so simply participating in a gym raid will give players the chance to acquire a Fast TM.

Charged TMs, on the other hand, only drop from gym raids that are level 25 or higher. This isthe minimum level for gym raids, meaning newer or less experienced players will still have to grind up to level 25 in order to have access to Charged TM drops as well as Fast TMs no matter what. Its possible the level requirements for these items dropping is related to the fact that Niantic is already testing level 5 raid battles presumably, if those get implemented later, TMs will not be available as rewards at such low levels.

TMs simply exist in the item bag and can be used on Pokemon whenever a trainer wishes. This does come with a caveat, though, and is the major difference between TMs in traditionalPokemon games and those that are found inPokemon GO the move they teach is assigned at random. Using a Fast TM will, of course, teach a Fast move no matter what, but trainers cannot choose which one they will receive.

That being said, there are a few rules that help narrow things down. A Pokemon will not learn a move from a TM that it couldnt already have, which typically limits the random move pool to about 4 moves for each move type. Furthermore, a Pokemon will never learn the same move it already had in its slot from a TM, so players wont have to worry about wasting a TM and getting nothing out of it.

Ultimately, the introduction of TMs allows trainers to have more control over the development of their Pokemon than ever before. This is particularly useful for those who have a high CP Pokemon that has an undesirable move for battle simply using TMs until the right move is learned will likely take less time than constantly grinding for a high-level variant of the creature in question with the desired move.

Pokemon GO is available now on Android and iOS mobile devices.

Source: VG 24/7

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Pokemon GO: How to Get and Use TMs - Game Rant