'Pokemon GO' Raid Battles: Crash Course for Raid Battles, Bosses, and Rewards
"Pokemon GO" just released their latest feature, and while originally reserved for high-level players above level 35, it has gradually come down to level 25. Now with more players being able to participate, here are a few essentials before participating in a raid battle.
What Are Raid Battles?
A raid battle is when nearby players team up to defeat a powerful Pokemon known as the "raid boss." Raid bosses have massive amount of CP and can be up to 10 times as powerful as their regular counterparts.
The goal of the raid is to work with other trainers to defeat the raid boss. This must be done within the span of an hour starting when the raid boss's egg hatches.
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These battles are rated one to five depending on the bosses, one being the easiest, where players will often face a buffed up Magikarp, while four- and five-tier battles will feature stronger bosses such as Dragonite. It is also rumored that tier-five bosses will include legendary Pokemon, which will be discussed later.
How to Raid
When a raid is about to happen, an egg will appear at a gym, with a countdown replacing the Pokemon assigned to guard the gym. After the countdown ends, the egg will hatch, turning that particular gym into a raid.
Nearby trainers can participate by spending a raid pass along with up to 20 other players. Raid passes are given once a day so players need to make them count. Gameplay is similar to a "Pokemon GO" gym battle, with players able to bring up six Pokemon with them to the raid.
The boss needs to be defeated within five minutes to earn rewards. If a trainer fails, he or she can simply retreat and use potions and try again as long as the raid is still ongoing. After an hour, the raid boss will disappear and the original Pokemon guarding the gym will take its place.
Rewards
A successful raid will result in rewards as well as a chance to catch the raid boss. Prizes include Golden Razz Berries, which can increase the capture rate of wild Pokemon, Technical Machines, which can re-teach new moves to the player's Pokemon, and rare candies, which yield candies without grinding.
Legendary raids, as mentioned earlier, will be available once the player has participated in enough raids. Players will receive a legendary raid pass and will be able to face off with a legendary Pokemon. So if trainers want the bragging rights of owning a legendary Pokemon, this is their chance to do so.
After the raid, players will be given Premiere Balls to capture the Pokemon featured in the raid. Once the Balls are exhausted the Pokemon will flee never to be seen again. After that happens, what else to do but play more "Pokemon GO."
