It might be natural to want to go it alone in pokemon Go, catching what you need and taking down gyms, but sometimes we all need a helping hand. If you’re looking to demolish one of the Pokemon Go raids, then you’re going to struggle to do this on your own. Planning how you take down the raid might be required which is especially true for the stronger bosses you encounter. This is where our Pokemon Go raids guide comes in!
Pokemon Go raids guide: What are Pokemon Go raids?
Pokemon Go raids have been around for a while now, so you’ve probably encountered one on your Pokemon Go travels. But what exactly are they and how do you complete them?
You can only find Pokemon Go raids by visiting a gym, and you’ll know there’s a raid available as there’ll be a massive egg with a countdown timer hovering above the gym. If the pokemon has already hatched, it means the raid is in progress and assuming that’s the case you will see which pokemon the boss is of the raid. You can check how long is left on the raid by checking the timer which is counting down.
There are a variety of raid tiers that are defined by emblems which look like masks. The highest of the raid tiers is level five, with the lowest being level one. Themed events often apply to raids under tier five, but the highest level tiers will typically contain a Legendary Pokemon which changes each month. Raids at the most upper-tier might include pokemon such as Rayquaza or Giratina. You might also get lucky and grab a shiny pokemon in one of the Pokemon Go raids too.
Pokemon Go raids guide: The best Pokemon to use in Pokemon Go raids
It’s worth noting that the squad you use in a raid will vary depending on which Pokemon you’re up against as the raid boss. The first piece of advice is to use your highest level pokemon (combat power) with skills that’ll have devastating effects on the raid boss. In other words, if you’re fighting a Legendary flying-type Pokemon, then you should try and use an ice type or perhaps a thunder type to counter it.
That’s not to say an ice Pokemon own a list full of ice moves, Crabominable, for example, is an ice and fighting Pokemon, although it might only hold fighting moves. Planning to ensure you have the right pokemon type, with the right moves at a decent level will be crucial during Pokemon Go raids. Check out the Pokemon Go Gamepress raids list to see which pokemon counters to use for the most recent raids.
If you’re looking for the number of players required to finish a current raid, and which Pokemon are currently in the raids then Silph Road is the way to go.
Credit: Pokemon Go Fandom
Pokemon Go raids guide: Joining current Pokemon Go raids
To begin a raid, you will first need to ensure you are close by a gym that has the egg/pokemon above it. If there’s a Pokemon rather than an egg, then you can join the lobby, but it’s good to get there at the raid start as it can only take a total of 20 trainers. To initiate the battle, you will need a raid pass; you can either purchase one at the store or grab a free Raid Pass by visiting a gym Pokestop.
Once you begin one of the Pokemon Go raids, it looks almost the same as starting a gym battle. Select six pokemon from your roster to form a team and tap the enemy Pokemon quickly to dish out moves. Should all of your squad pass out then you’ll need to revive them and then heal them with a potion, or instead you can select a new team. Bear in mind that the higher tiers of raids are going to be trickier. If you manage to take down a raid boss, it’s yours to try and catch.
Pokemon Go raids guide: How to catch Pokemon in Pokemon Go raids
Several Pokemon Go raids bonuses give you a better chance of catching the Pokemon. If the gym is your team colour, you have mates in your friends list helping, and how your squad contributes will determine how many Premier Balls you obtain.
Let’s suppose you get ten balls provided that means you will only get ten catch attempts. It’s not uncommon for trainers to leave Pokemon Go raids without catching the pokemon. You need to be getting curveballs and excellent throws to give you the best possible chance of a catch. Encounter a shiny boss (which doesn’t appear until the catching stage), and you’ll have a 100 per cent chance of catching, as that’s their catch rate. Of course, if you miss entirely with your throws, then that’s a zero per cent catch!
Pokemon Go raids guide: Pokemon Go raids: getting to know Ex Raids
The final aspect of Pokemon Go raids is Ex Raids. You can only visit an EX Raid if you receive an EX gym invite. You can tell which gyms are EX raid-only as they have a small symbol next to the name of the gym. Should you be successful in taking down an EX raid gym, you will get another invite to catch a super rare Pokemon. You might encounter the Legendary Deoxys, and if you do, it’d be wise to take along a friend who qualifies as an ultra friend.
If you don’t ever seem to stumble across an EX raid gym, fear not. The pokemon for an EX raid was once Mewtwo, and after the EX raid finished Mewtwo was brought in as a five-tier raid Pokemon shortly after. No one likes to miss out on rare Pokemon, and Niantic has kept all players in mind to return EX raid Pokemon to regular raids occasionally.
Have you enabled pokemon Go adventure sync? If it’s not working, check out our Pokemon Go adventure sync guide.
