Berries are one of the many tools used by Pokémon GO players to capture Pokémon they encounter while exploring. There are currently five different berries that players can use on Pokémon during encounters, and each offer different bonuses for players. However, the use of berries can seem like a waste after a player has thrown a few, because the effect only works if the Pokémon is caught directly after the berry is used.
While this is understandable for Pokémon Go's Razz Berry and Golden Razz Berry, which give players a boost when trying to capture a Pokémon, the limitation for Pinap berries doesn't make as much sense. A Pinap berry doubles the amount of candy a Pokémon will drop after a battle, with the effects marginally boosted on 2nd and 3rd evolutions compared to 1st stage Pokémon. Because third evolution Pokémon GO spawns are quite rare, players are gambling their berries for a chance at a boost between 6 and 10 candy.
Players can also use a Silver Pinap berry, which has a slightly higher candy bonus, as well as making the Pokémon easier to catch, but these rare berries are not worth using unless the player is facing a higher evolution, as players usually have a limited quantity. Pokémon GO berries would be an asset to players if they each had their effects and mechanics built around the berry's effects, instead of limiting use by generalizing how all berries work within the game.
Pokémon GO Berry Use Limits Players From Building Good Strategy
There are many ways that developers could change the Pinap Berry limitations to be more advantageous to Pokémon GO players. The berry could have a time limit of three turns, or if it is used at the start of battle, the effect lasts the duration, but players can no longer use a razz berry to improve catch rates. This will cause players to potentially use more Poké Balls for the cost of a candy bonus. Pinap berries could also stack when used, with players able use up to three per battle to help shake the candy loose from a Pokémon, rather than having players use berry after berry for the same bonus.
It would also be interesting to see a Pokémon GO mechanic where Pinap berries used to capture raid Pokémon have a boosted effect. This would incentivize the use of Pinap berries during a raid battle capture, and further reward players for defeating the more difficult Pokémon. Because the Pinap berry has a completely different effect from Razz berries, having the same limitations hurts players. Pokémon GO players would have more fun using berries with better mechanics, making the use of these items as a tool for catching much more satisfying.