Niantic released a ton of information on its upcoming overhaul of the Gym system in Pokémon Go and the introduction of Raids and Boss Battles. Now, the company has revealed more in-depth information on both.
According to the official Pokémon Go support site , when a Boss Pokémon appears in a Gym, a Raid Battle will start. Members of the same team will be able to enter that particular Gym and weaken the Boss.
To find a Raid Battle , the Nearby function on the bottom-right corner of the screen will have another tab to find these types of battles. This tab will show where exactly the battle is being held and whether it is ongoing or if the battle has begun yet. A Pokémon Egg with a timer underneath will appear in Gyms that are not yet ready for Raids. Once that timer hits zero, teammates can enter a Gym to take the Boss Pokémon down. Niantic says these Raids will happen often, so don’t kill yourself trying to get to a Raid Battle before it finishes.
Trainers will have one hour to defeat the Boss Pokémon and only groups of 20 will be working together. You can join a Raid privately with friends if you wish, but if you don’t mind working with strangers, you’ll be matched with other trainers once you enter that Gym.
To join a raid, you’ll first need a Raid Pass. There are two types of Passes: Raid Passes and Premium Raid Passes . You gain a Raid Pass by spinning the Photo Disc at a Gym. You can only hold one Raid Pass at a time, and you can only receive one per day. If you have already used your Raid Pass, you can purchase a Premium Raid Pass from the Shop.
Just like in normal Gym battles in Pokémon Go, you will choose your six Pokémon and go into battle. Once in battle, you can perform fast attacks by tapping the screen or charged attacks by holding down on the screen. Trainers will also want to swipe left and right on the screen to dodge incoming attacks.
If the Boss Pokémon takes out your team, you can re-enter and try again. You won’t need another Raid Pass, that one you used earlier will last for the duration of the Raid.
Once your group takes down the Boss Pokémon, you will earn special items like TMs, Rare Candy and more. But taking down the Boss will also allow trainers a chance to catch the Pokémon.
After the battle is over, each trainer will receive a certain number of Premiere Balls to use to catch the Boss. If your group made substantial progress in taking down the Boss, you’ll earn more Premiere Balls.
Great and Ultra Balls will not be used but berries may be used to make it easier to catch the Boss. Keep in mind you’ll only have a certain number of Premiere Balls, so aim carefully.
So what do you think of the new Raid and Boss Battles coming to Pokémon Go ? Let us know in the comments section below.
