Pokémon GO: This is how Campfire works, Niantic’s new app that lets you chat with other trainers

In Pokémon GO, many trainers have long been waiting for a way to chat with each other and arrange raids. Campfire should now make this possible. Our MeinMMO author Franzi Korittke tried out the new app and will show you how it works.

Which app is it? After the Pokémon GO trainers have been asking for a chat function for many years in order to better arrange raids or plan level rises together, Niantic has now developed a new app to make this possible: Campfire.

You should not only be able to network within Pokémon GO, but also across the various Niantic games. I took a closer look at the new app and will show you how it works below.

This is how you can get access to Campfire

What is Campfire? Campfire is a Niantic app that revolves around communication between players of the various Niantic games. So you can chat with it, join groups and give each other smoke signals if you want to play raids.

How do you get access to Campfire? In principle, Campfire has not yet been released for all players. In order to be able to use the app, you currently need an invitation from another player who is already using the app. Download Campfire from your Play Store or App Store in advance.

To get access, you can on reddit under special campfire threads Report. The concept of the thread is pretty simple: you indicate that you want an invite to Campfire and then wait for a message from another reddit user.

With this you exchange your trainer code from the game so that he can send you a friend request and finally invite you to Campfire. Depending on how many requests you have in the reddit post, this can take a while.

If you have successfully registered for Campfire, a small green icon will appear on the right-hand side of the screen in Pokémon GO. You can use this to switch directly to Campfire. In addition, you now have the option of inviting other players yourself. In the case of the reddit thread mentioned, for example, it is assumed that you continue the concept and thus invite the next user.

How to invite friends to Campfire

How to send invitations? To send an invite to another trainer, you must already be friends with them in one of your Niantic games. If this is the case, you can click on the round symbol with the person at the bottom right of the screen in Campfire.

Now you can see in the orange field how many of your friends are already using Campfire. If you click on them, they will be displayed to you. If the friend you want is not listed here, you can use the “Add friends” button to invite other trainers from your friends list.

How many invitations can you send? Currently, each trainer has a maximum of 5 invitations to send to friends on their friends list. It is therefore best not to send out random invitations, but to ask people in advance whether they want access to Campfire at all.

Use Campfire – Raids and Chats

How do you show you want to raid? Once you’ve opened Campfire, you’ll end up in an area map. All stops and arenas in your area are displayed in this and raids that are taking place are also shown there. Alternatively, you can access this mode by clicking on the map symbol.

If you have found a raid near you that you would like to take part in but are still looking for fellow combatants, you can simply click on the relevant arena in the Campfire. Now you can join the arena. This will open a chat window through which you can coordinate with other players about the raids and set a signal.

Your signal runs for 15 minutes after being set and then ends automatically. If you are still looking for like-minded people, you could set it again now.

You can also use the orange borders around a raid boss on the map to recognize signals from other players and join the respective arena if you are interested.

This is how you can chat with other trainers

In Campfire you have several options to write with other players. A variant that only exists intermittently is the chat function on arenas. However, if you want to remain in constant contact with your fellow players, you can do this either through a private chat or through a group chat.

How private chat works: To be able to start a private chat, you must already be friends with the respective trainer in one of the Niantic games and they must also be using Campfire. If so, you can select them from your friends list and click Send Message.

Once you have had contact with each other, all messages will be displayed to you by clicking on the speech bubble at the bottom of the screen. Alternatively, you can also start a new chat using the speech bubble. To do this, click on the pencil symbol in the lower corner and select the desired trainer.

If the respective player is not yet connected to Campfire himself, you cannot write to him directly. Then send him an invitation.

How do group chats work? If you have a local community that prefers to exchange ideas in Campfire from now on, you can also use groups to communicate. To do this, you can click on the symbol with the two people.

Now the group menu opens. Here you can see numerous groups that have already been created. By clicking on the “Join” button you can become a member there and exchange ideas via so-called channels.

These were created by the group admins and offer users, similar to Discord, better orientation and a clear structure for the group. For example, you can use the “lets-be-friends” channel in the “Pokemon GO Official” group to find new trainer friends.

Create your own groups: If the group you are looking for is not listed, you can alternatively create your own group and invite your friends to join. To do this, click on “Create group” in the group menu. Now all you have to do is give yourself a name and make a few settings and you have your very own group.

You can then add your friends to the group using the “Invite” button. If you haven’t used Campfire yet, you also need a corresponding invitation to the app. It is also a good idea in your own groups to better structure communication by assigning channels.

My personal conclusion to Campfire

I really liked this: I think it’s great that with Campfire you finally have the opportunity to get in direct contact with other trainers. This is particularly worthwhile if you often take part in raids together or want to discuss friendship upgrades.

And I also think the setting of signals to draw attention to an interest in a raid is great. Especially if you’re in a region where you don’t know any people, it’s easier to find fellow campaigners who will support you in a raid.

In addition, you can move the map. So – unlike in Pokémon GO – you don’t just see a small section, but you can also move it to the neighboring town and see what raids are taking place there.

With the group function, you can also meet other players in your area that you may not have had contact with before because they are not in the typical local WhatsApp groups. At the same time, there is no obligation to be friends with these people in the game or to share private contact details, as is common in many messengers.

This should be improved: From my point of view, the biggest sticking point about Campfire is that it is still a standalone app. You always have to switch back and forth to write, which is especially annoying if you want to do a raid together.

I’m missing an overlay function here that would allow you to write with the players while you’re already in the raid lobby. It would be useful then to be able to receive information such as last-minute registrations from other players or, when participating in a long-distance raid, to be able to report that there are problems so that you can wait a moment with the raid if necessary.

In my opinion, the signals at arenas should also be integrated directly into Pokémon GO. If you don’t get a notification that a signal is active nearby, you might not even notice it even though you were in the game.

Can I recommend the new app? I can generally recommend Campfire because I really like the many different functions. Finally I can chat with other trainer friends, join local groups without everyone having my personal information and I can show that I want to raid.

Unfortunately, since Campfire is not yet accessible via a simple registration, there are not that many players active in my area. As a result, the use is currently still very clear. Contact with these people often already exists through other channels, which is why it is still difficult at the moment to establish new contacts in one’s own region.

Hopefully that will change with the official release. It is not yet known when the time will come and when you will be able to secure Campfire without an invitation. If there is any new information on this, then you will definitely find out from us, on MeinMMO.

Do you already have access to Campfire? If yes, how do you like the new app? Let us know in the comments.

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