Pokémon GO Announces Raid Battles & Overhauled Gyms

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Pokémon GO will temporarily be closing gyms across the world, but exciting new features are coming to the game soon. You can read the official update below and also check out the blog post for pictures!

New Gym Features and Updates: Starting soon, Gyms are undergoing a major facelift. You’ll soon be able to spin the Photo Disc at Gyms to acquire items just as you do at PokéStops—but that’s only the beginning. More updates to Gym battles are also just around the corner. Gyms are no longer based on Prestige and training. Instead, they now feature six permanent slots that can be filled by the controlling team’s Pokémon. Each Pokémon assigned to these slots must be unique. For example, only one Blissey can be assigned to a Gym at a time. In addition, opposing teams will battle the Pokémon in the order they were assigned to the Gym.

At the heart of the update is a new motivation system that will significantly change how you interact with Gyms. When a Pokémon is assigned to a Gym, a motivation meter will be displayed. Pokémon assigned to defend a Gym lose motivation over time and as they are defeated in battle. As a Pokémon loses motivation, its CP will temporarily decrease, making it easier for opposing teams to defeat. To help keep the Pokémon motivated and in tip-top shape for their next battle, Trainers can treat their team’s Pokémon to some Berries, which restore their motivation. If a Pokémon loses all motivation, it will leave the Gym and return to its Trainer the next time it loses a battle, so you’ll want to keep your team’s Pokémon motivated by giving them Berries frequently!

Gym Badges: Now you’ll be able to earn Gym Badges when interacting with the many Gyms around the world. Gym Badges serve as mementos of your Pokémon GO adventures and reflect your contribution to a Gym’s success.

You’ll be able to level up your Badges by battling, giving Berries to the Pokémon in the Gym and spinning the Gym’s Photo Disc. You can earn the opportunity to receive bonus items and increased rewards from Gyms by raising the level of your Gym Badge.

New Raid Battle Feature: All around the world, you’ll soon be able to participate in the new Raid Battle feature at Gyms. A Raid Battle is a cooperative gameplay experience that encourages you to work with other Trainers to defeat an extremely powerful Pokémon known as the Raid Boss. Before a Raid Battle begins, all Pokémon assigned to the Gym will return to their Trainers, and a large Egg will appear atop the Gym. When the countdown above the Egg reaches zero, the Raid Boss will be revealed.

Before you can battle the Raid Boss, you’ll need a Raid Pass. You can get one free Raid Pass per day by visiting a Gym, but you can only hold one at a time. You can also get Premium Raid Passes from the in-game shop. Upon using your pass to join the battle, you and up to 20 other Trainers work together to defeat the Raid Boss. If you successfully defeat the Raid Boss within the five-minute time limit, you’ll have the chance to catch an extra powerful Pokémon of your own!

New Items: After defeating a Raid Boss, you’ll receive a collection of rewards, including some new items obtained only by defeating a Raid Boss: Rare Candies, Golden Razz Berries, and two types of Technical Machines—Fast and Charged. A Rare Candy is a mysterious candy that, when used on a Pokémon, turns into that Pokémon’s Candy. Golden Razz Berries will greatly increase your chances of catching a Pokémon you encounter in the wild and can also be given to a Pokémon assigned to a Gym to fully recover its motivation meter. Technical Machines are items you can use to permanently teach a Pokémon a new Fast Attack or Charged Attack.

To put these exciting changes in motion, we’ll be temporarily disabling all Gyms. Once the update has been rolled out to players around the world, Gyms will return. The Raid Battle feature will then be rolled out slowly over the next few weeks, starting as a beta, with raids visible only to a subset of players at certain Gym locations. Over a few days, we’ll invite more players to participate and enable raids at more Gyms around the world. Keep an eye on our social media channels for updates on when you’ll be able to start battling in raids. We can’t wait to see you outside battling at your local Gyms!

Phew! Lots of changes, but they certainly sound exciting!

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1,299 thoughts on “Pokémon GO Announces Raid Battles & Overhauled Gyms”

  1. so hows this sound
    Xishzao
    Cricket PKM
    Bug/Dragon
    Shield Dust/Tinted Lens HA: Super Luck
    it is a very small greenish red insectoid pokemon with small tiny wavy ridges on the length of its body, its small head has very bright wide purple compound eyes. on the head is two sets wire thin antenna with a glowing dew at the tip one pair on the head and a second pair around its mouth. it has only four limbs which are often folded, each limb has rows of hooks and a small foot with reptilian claws, and lastly a short pointed tail.
    “a mystic and rare pokemon renowned for its beautiful chirping, their song is said to fill the listener’s hearts with hope and peace”

    Reply

  2. Well I defeated Clair… it was a massacre. I lost 4 Pokémon.

    Jack Sparrow – Fearow

    Bolt – Jolteon

    Hiemlich- Butterfree

    Dopey – Slowking

    All killed by that Kingdra. Hiemlich tried to paralyze it, dopey tried to avenge Bolt, and Jack Spearow wicked it down to red only for it to heal.

    I only barely snatched victory. It ran out of PP for all of its moves besides smoke screen so Jasmine was able to take it down.

    Only Jasmine the Nidoqueen and Jack Jack remain…

    My god…

    I already know I’m using Heracross and the Dratini in The Dragon’s Den. But I need two more Pokémon.
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/44e43da682bf3a1b3bdefedef1432761932263460352420d757a8037515e1e53.jpg

    Reply

  3. fuck Hedlok i’m done…….i truly cannot beat him……..i’ve been fighting him since Saturday and i still cannot beat him

    Reply

  4. Guys, this is a weird question but it’s driving me crazy! Sylveon in SM has three battle poses if you like, special, physical where she lunges forwards and this third one I love where she basically flies. But I can’t find any moves where she uses the third one? Not reflect, not work up, not light screen!!!!

    Anyone have any clue or ideas?!!

    Reply

  7. Does anyone know how game freak chose which moves go with which animation ? I have used so many heart scales and so many tms trying to work out what move this animation for Sykveon is for

    Reply

  12. Ngl Seraph the Rotom and Earthen the Golem are like the perfect in game duo, I can spam EQ without a care in the world

    Reply

  13. Uhggggg I wanna animate stuffffff

    I made a little Samus animation that didn’t look entirely awful in flipnote studio last night and now I just wanna do more

    Reply

    • I have a confession to make. For years I have been thinking up an anime, where no humans are taking the spotlight, and are only implied. It focuses on a Kirby-shaped reptilian race on the planet Chimeria. I have based it on my favorite Lego franchise, Bionicle. The eight tribes, the eight elements that make up the planet are water, fire, earth, wind, darkness, light, psychic, and grass. I would also have Namco collaborate with Takara if I had the chance to create the anime I had in mind. Oh and the enemy the race faces are huge virus-like beings called Viroi.

      Reply

  18. Ok so I think I may start a W2 Nuzlocke, but some questions…
    -Do fishing and surfing count as finding the first Pokemon on a route: as in just the first Pokemon in the water is the only one you can catch?
    -Can you catch events like Braviary and Jellicent?
    -Do different rods count as finding as different Pokemon or the first one you find fishing the only one?
    -Can you catch Legendaries like Virizion?
    – Do I have catch Purloin on Route 1 because its the demonstration Pokemon?
    -Should I do for names Marvel Super hero’s? Or Other Nintendo characters?
    – If I’m in Dark Grass and find 2 can I catch both Pokemon?

    Reply

  21. I’m going to be a f*cking troll cause I’m going to use after getting past the first gym Dunsparce (the route to Virbank City is different then to Floccasy ranch so i can try for my wittle Sewaddle first then go for Dunsparce)

    Reply

  24. Siiiiiiiiigh, another lonely night. My brothers are out and my parents the same, I sit alone in my gazebo in the rain and darkness, the rhythmic pounding of raindrops on the roof and the humid breeze wafting through, I feel like heading in but lost the enthusiasm to make it happen. The rain dies and rises devoiding all forms of sounds, I sit in my gravity chair staring into the ceiling with occasional lone drop finding its way in my eye, I want to go inside to eat but we have nothing, so why bother going in. It gets darker by the minute contemplating weather not to sleep here for the night probably not since I have work the next morning, it’s times like this I wish I had somebody to accompany me in the secludedness

    Reply

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