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When Pokemon Sleep was revealed to feature microtransactions and a Premium Pass, many Pokemon fans chafed at the idea. "Why must everything be this way," some folks wondered. Thankfully, it's not as bad as it might sound. Think of it this way - plenty of sleeping apps exist that charge monthly subscriptions for a more premium experience. This is the only one with a Pikachu.
But what do you get out of Pokemon Sleep's Premium Pass? And what's the deal with those aforementioned microtransactions? You might find the base product suits your needs just fine. Consult this guide, then determine whether it's worth shelling out.
Playing For Free: The Regular Sleep Pass
In Pokemon Sleep, every player has access to the General Store, where you'll exchange Diamonds for a variety of useful items. Alongside Sleep Points, Diamonds are Pokemon Sleep's primary currency, and while yes, you can purchase them outright by spending real-world money, you should spend some time with the game before deciding whether to spend hard-earned dollars.
You'll get these Diamonds through building your Sleep Style Dex, completing missions, and more.
The General Store
Now, what's on the menu at the General Store, and is it good enough to suit your needs without investing in the monthly subscription for the Premium Exchange? Here's what you'll find at the General Store:
- Poke Biscuits
- Great Biscuits
- Focus, Luck, Growth, and Friend Incense
- Good Camp Tickets
- E-ZZZ Travel Tickets
- Energy Pillows
- Helper Whistles
- Inventory expansions for Items Pocket, Pokemon Box, and Ingredients Pocket
All told, that's a good variety of stuff, much of which has a premium air to it, if you will. Investing Diamonds can pay off rather nicely. But the Diamonds aren't going to pile up all that easily. You'll need to be choosier about what to purchase, and if your goal is to catch lots of Pokemon, you should focus on Poke Biscuits and Great Biscuits first and foremost. Get a good pile of those going.
The Regular Exchange
The Regular Exchange is where you'll spend Sleep Points if you lack the Premium Pass. Well, more accurately, you should feel free to spend them here even if you do have the Premium Pass; it's just that the Premium Exchange, which we'll soon cover, is easily the better place overall.
Since you can access the Regular Exchange with the ordinary pass - the Regular/Sleep Pass - you can expect somewhat steep prices. Here, you'll find evolutionary stones, Ingredient Tickets, Biscuits and Master Biscuits, Linking Cords, and more. You'll need all of these to keep up with the game's sure-to-be-expanding pile of Pokemon pals.
Playing For A Price: The Premium Pass
Now for the crux of this guide, right? Is the Premium Pass worth it in Pokemon Sleep? Armed with what you now know about the exchange rates for Diamonds and Sleep Points in the regular pass, you're ready to see what 'premium' really means.
Loads of little perks add up fast with the Premium Pass. 100 bonus Sleep Points every night (so long as you keep up with sleep-tracking, that is) is pretty rad in its own right. You'll get 1,000 bonus Sleep Points on a monthly basis, too, which ties in nicely with the fact that the Premium Pass renews on a monthly basis.
There's also the Sleep Diary, which is the sort of staple you might get with other paid sleep-tracking apps. In this case, you're paying about what the competition expects from you. Tracking your sleep performance over the course of a long period of time can be pretty healthy.
The Premium Exchange
But the biggest deal for most will be the Premium Exchange, which sells the following highly useful items. Do note, you will also receive a free Bonus Biscuit daily, as well as a Sub Skill Seed and a few other perks every month. The Premium Exchange operates on Sleep Points.
- Poke Biscuits and Great Biscuits (that don't need to be purchased with Diamonds as with the General Store)
- Handy Candy
- Dream Clusters
- Main and Sub Skill Seeds
Those Skill Seeds are quite nice. Raising the level of a Pokemon's skills is the sort of thing that'll provide big boosts to your overall Pokemon Sleep gameplay experience over time.
Determining If The Premium Pass Is Right For You
That's the million-Diamond question, isn't it? The answer is going to vary per player, as is the nature with these things. If you expect to engage with Pokemon Sleep on a rather casual basis, we don't recommend investing.
If, over time, you realize you're more reliant upon it (or simply have more fun with it) than you'd anticipated, and you feel like the perks involved in the Premium Pass will genuinely increase your fun, $10 a month isn't too steep an ask for what's on tap. You can also pay $50 for a six-month subscription, if you're certain you're in it for the longer haul.
The one thing we wouldn't necessarily recommend is popping into Pokemon Sleep and immediately spending real-world money on Diamonds. You'll get Diamonds at a passable rate, especially if you aren't prioritizing Pokemon Sleep as a major health check. On the other hand, the inclusion of a Sleep Diary with the Premium Pass is pretty enticing if you are wanting to make the healthiest life change out of this.