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. It’s kinda quiet this mornin’. What the crud? Is everyone else still asleep? Pretty soon I might make a comment that will wake everyone up. Does it even work?

    Reply

  3. Ideas for the Sound type pokemon:
    Existing pokemon:
    Whismur, Loudred and Exploud-pure Sound
    Noibat and Noivern-Sound/Flying
    Igglybuff, Jigglypuff and Wiigglytufff-Fairy/Sound
    Chatot-Sound/Flying
    Chingling and Chimecho-Sound/Ghost
    Kricketot and Kricketune Bug/Sound
    Meloetta-Sound and Sound/Fighting
    Bronzong-Steel/Sound
    New pokemon:
    Boombox pokemon-Sound/Electric
    Eeveelution-Sound
    Echo pokemon-Sound
    Blue Whale-Water/Sound

    Reply

  4. I played Arms last night and it’s actually pretty fun. I like the Grand Prix mode. I think so far my favorite fighter to play as is Twintelle. And I can kinda see what people are saying about grabbing being a bit OP. It seems to break through shielding, which idk if I like

    Reply

  5. Graaaack I’m so freaking bored
    Another 6 hours of boring ass work, we need some USUM info or even a date of information would suffice
    Also my new boss is annoying and constantly hovering over me which I don’t like

    Reply

    • I am surprised that we didn’t get any USUM footage at E3, but I am hoping that this means that they are going to a similar information campaign as SUMO. I am expecting Corocoro to start having USUM stuff next month, and I also speculate that we might start getting small mini trailers the beginning or end of next month, to allow gamefreak to have enough time to properly advertise and hype up USUM. Most of my friends aren’t getting USUM, but I am getting both versions. I think there might be some hype worthy stuff.

      Reply

  9. Me: Okay! I got a lot of fanmons to make tonight! Lemme just ope a doc for each and
    Wifi: nope, fuck you dude

    Reply

  13. If there is anything that will make me forgive the Sun & Moon anime’s crappy animation, it will be a certain scene from the episode in which James gets his Marinie. At least Lana gives us a little fanservice.

    Reply

  16. Bored I need ideas
    I kinda want to work on my Grass/Electric Sea Anemone
    Anenemi
    The Alluring Pkm
    Grass/Electric
    Natural Cure/Suction Cups HA: Regenerator
    It is a tubular sea anemone with a magenta and green coloration with a single blue eye, multiple legs that keep it rooted in the sea floor or the ground ( they’re amphibious) on top they have a gigantic cluster of pink and green tentacles and three special tentacles that have a glowing flashing bulb that entices prey with hypnotic colors and wavy motions, and a unseen mouth lies inside it
    “Capable of living both underwater and on land it sways its tentacles to lure prey in, once close enough it delivers a powerful shock to stun the prey long enough to consume it”

    Reply

  20. My computer is labeled with having impressive battery life yet it lasts 20 minutes without a charger on a good day

    Reply

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