Someone's hit the Pokémon Go level cap
Here's what happens when you reach Lv 40.
At last, someone has managed to reach Pokémon Go's level cap of 40.
Hitting level 40 is very, very difficult. Pokémon Go's levelling system seriously stretches out the XP needed to climb higher from around level 30 onwards.
Then, between levels 39 and 40, you need a whopping 5m XP - a tenth of the full amount it takes to go from zero to 40.
Earning this amount of XP normally would be incredibly difficult. A single PokéStop log-in is worth just a measly 50 XP, although there are strategies for quicker XP gains. Regardless, the only way level 40 has been reached so soon? Someone used a bot.
Pokémon Go player Luca, Reddit name _problemz, managed the feat with a script that sent his character around automatically hoovering up Pokémon without the need for any legwork.
He also bought and used 125 Lucky Eggs, an item which doubles your XP for 30 minutes. At their cheapest, this amount would clock in around £38.
Why did he do it? Apart from being the first, Luca was simply interested in if it was possible.
On achieving his feat, Luca posted his findings to the Pokémon Go Reddit and promptly retired from playing. His journey with the app was now over.
As he had used a bot, he also said he would email developer Niantic and ask for his account to be deleted.
Finally, he stressed, he never used Pokémon Gyms in the game as it would be unfair to other players.
The Pokémon Go community has reacted pretty positively to Luca's work, despite his admission of using a bot to catch critters. The community simply did not know what would happen - if anything - when level 40 was reached.
Now, we know. But, as it turns out, there's not a lot that does happen.
As with any level up, at 40 you receive a bunch of items as a reward: 40 Ultra Balls, Max Potions, Max Revives, Razz Berries, plus four Incense, Lucky Eggs, Incubators and Lure Modules.
And that's it. No Master Ball, as some had predicted - despite it being spotted in the game's code.
But the items given out do point to something else. Level 40, it seems, is only the level cap for now.
Why else would the game gift players items which help boost their XP if there is no XP to collect? And considering how it's possible to collect all of the Pokémon in the game currently and still be nowhere near 40, why does the app gift items for catching even more?
Level 40 appears to be the hard level cap, but this will likely be raised, and the final 10 levels' brutal XP curve straightened out, as more Pokémon and features are added over the years.
Niantic said last weekend at San Diego Comic-Con that the app currently only boasts 10 per cent of planned features.
The quest for the Master Ball continues, then, as does any hint of other things such as the ability to catch legendary monsters. You can read about these and much more in our series of Pokemon Go guides, tips and tricks pages.