'Pokémon Go' New Gyms Open: Update is live, and badges are available

Pokémon Go gyms are open again and offer a bunch of new and changed features. When approaching an open gym, you'll still have the same goal: battling Pokémon so your team can control the gym.

However, the latest update has revamped the whole Pokémon Go gym experience, and new players and old players alike should like the changes. Some of the new gym features according to WWG are below.

Pokémon Go new gyms live: Prestige is gone, and defender slots are set

Before, defending Pokémon would generate prestige, and attacking Pokémon would wear it down. Gyms with less prestige had fewer slots for gym defender Pokémon, and that made them easier to capture.

With the new Pokémon Go gym update, each gym only has six defender slots for Pokémon. Instead of prestige being an indicator of strength, motivation is now the key to taking or taking down gyms. Motivation decreases steadily over time and also decreases when a gym loses a defender. Trainers can restore motivation by feeding defender Pokémon berries. This system should make it a little harder for groups to take over gyms and hold them forever and will switch up the gym defending metagame significantly.

Pokémon Go new gyms live: Only one Pokémon per species can defend gyms

In the new gym system, there can only be one of a certain Pokémon species defending at a time. That means all six Pokémon will be different. This should add a more even rotation to gyms and encourage players to develop new strategies.

Pokémon Go gym badges and items: New features added to gyms

With the new update, you will be able to get items from gyms in Pokémon Go. Gyms now have a photo disc like PokéStops do, and you can collect items from them every five minutes. Raid Passes, an essential item for the new raid system, will be able to be obtained once a day at gyms.

Gym badges are a new reward for using the new gym system. Each gym will have a different badge that players can level up at that gym. Niantic wants players to participate in their new gym system, and badges will be a great incentive.

More Pokémon Go news, updates, tips and tricks

Check out Mic's coverage of Pokémon Go, including our breakdown of what's coming in patch 0.67.1/1.37.1, some juicy details about what's coming down the pipe for the gym update and Pokémon raids and what fans can expect to see at this summer's live event in Chicago. Additionally, you can see what's changed in the egg groups recently, why you shouldn't panic about Pokéstops getting replaced with gyms and some speculation on what a Niantic exec's comments mean for the future of the game.