Mega Evolutions have finally made their debut in Pokemon Go, but that’s not the only big change the game is seeing this week. Coinciding with the launch of Mega Evolutions, developer Niantic is making some significant adjustments to Raid Battles.
First, Niantic is removing two- and four-star Raids, leaving only the one-, three-, and five-star Raid tiers. According to product lead Matt Slemon, the reason these Raids are being removed is because they weren’t as popular as the other tiers. Their value proposition also wasn’t as apparent; for example, players would know at a glance that they could clear a three-star Raid with one or two companions, although it wasn’t as obvious how many players it would take to beat a four-star Raid or what the incentive was to join one of those over a five-star Raid.
Although two- and four-star Raids will no longer appear in the game, the rewards you’d normally get from them are being folded into one- and three-star Raids, respectively. Niantic says this solution offers “the best of both worlds” and should make Raids more fun and rewarding to join.
Additionally, Niantic is removing the team contribution bonus for Raids, as the studio felt the system unfairly penalized players who were on the minority team. In its place, Niantic is implementing a new speed clear bonus; the faster your team is able to defeat a Raid boss, the more rewards and Premier Balls you’ll earn after the battle. This change rewards players for completing Raids quickly and ties into the new cooperative elements that Mega-Evolved Pokemon bring to the game.
Finally, Niantic is introducing a new type of Raids to the game: Mega Raids. These feature Mega-Evolved Pokemon as Raid bosses and are roughly equivalent to five-star Raids in terms of difficulty, so players will need to band together to conquer them. If you manage to defeat a Mega Raid boss, you will net that Pokemon’s corresponding Mega Energy, a new type of resource that’s required to Mega Evolve your Pokemon.
These Raid changes will roll out alongside Mega Evolutions this Thursday, August 27. You can read more about the new feature in our Mega Evolutions guide.
Niantic is continuing to tweak and change Pokemon Go. The studio recently announced it has adjusted Pokemon spawn locations again, making Pokemon more common in areas they hadn’t previously appeared. Beyond that, the Legendary Pokemon Heatran has returned to five-star Raids for a limited time, while Porygon and Charmander were recently selected as September and October’s Community Day Pokemon.
Pokemon Go News & Announcements
- Pokemon Go September 2020 Events: Victini Research, Mega Evolutions, And More
- Pokemon Go Is Making Big Changes To Raid Battles
- Pokemon Go Mega Evolution Details: Release Date And How To Get Mega-Evolved Pokemon
- Pokemon Go Brings Legendary Pokemon Heatran Back To Raids
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