Reaching Level 44 and the Uselessness of Levels after 40

After a long, slow grind, I finally made my way to level 44 in Pokemon GO. It took me ages, and the last 100k of experience needed felt like wading through treacle, with how slow it felt. But I finally did the four tasks I needed to reach level 44, and I also finally had enough experience to actually level up. Some lucky people got free wins off me, thanks to me needing to play in the GO Battle League 20 times. But the other three challenges, I borrowed my brother’s phone and I did 90 games, 30 in each league, just battling the same 10cp Pokemon over and over.

Now I’m here, I am, kinda looking back and asking myself, why am I doing this? I guess my brain likes it when numbers get bigger. But there isn’t really any reason to leveling up. Most of the perks of being over level 40 are cosmetic. It used to be that only 40+ players could get XL candy, but that was lowered to level 30. The ability to nominate Pokestops was originally for level 40 players only, but that was reduced to level 38. Most things have been lowered to be more obtainable by the masses. Many things in Pokemon GO are made easier over time, and the perks of formerly level 40 players have also been passed down to lower players.

Really, me being level 44 is almost identical to me being level 43. Or 42. It’s all about bragging rights, showing off how much you’ve grinded to reach the level you’re at. And plenty of people have done so, to the point that I have multiple level 50 players on my friends’ list. But all the rewards of being level 44 are temporary and easily used up. That one premium pass and incubator are nice, but they’ll both inevitably get used up at some point.

However, there are cosmetic rewards. Not for being level 44, mind you. At levels 43, 45, 47 and 50, you do unlock some new cosmetics for your character. But the effort required is absolutely huge. Just the amount of experience you need is beyond the reach of many players, and the challenges for every new level are just as challenging.

On the plus side, my hitting level 44 means I get a half-decent set of tasks. The challenges are… not easier but are something I enjoy doing anyway. 100 Grunts, 50 Leaders and 100 purified Pokemon. I love doing Team Rocket battles, so this one doesn’t really bother me. My only concern is that, in reality, I have to fight 300 Grunts in order to be able to finish the 50 Leaders challenge. Purifying Pokemon is also a tad tedious but, out of the 300 grunts I need anyway, I’m sure I can get a bunch of 1km and 3km Pokemon to purify. Screw any 5km Pokemon though, stardust doesn’t grow on trees.

At the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter though. I’m at 28k and I need 13 million experience to be able to reach level 45 anyway. It’s such a long slog that it’s not worth thinking about. Heck, considering how slowly I get experience, I might not reach level 45 for an entire year. So I’ve got plenty of time to level up and do these tasks…