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Niantic is making some big changes to Pokémon Go's Raid Battles

Niantic is rolling out a new update to address player concerns about Raid Battles. It's also releasing the previously beta-only EX Raid Battles to everyone.

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Published onNovember 22, 2017

According to a new blog post from Niantic, some changes are coming to Pokémon Go’s Raid Battles. The biggest changes will come to the new EX Raid Battles: the multiplayer game mode that takes an invitation to play. Niantic says that it’s acting on the feedback of its beta testers and bringing the following changes to the raids:

EX Raid Battles will take place most commonly at Gyms found in parks and sponsored locations.
Trainers with a high-level Gym Badge are more likely to be invited to EX Raid Battles taking place at that Gym.
Trainers who have completed a larger number of Raid Battles are more likely to be invited to EX Raid Battles.
EX Raid Battle start times now take into account popular Raid Battle times at that Gym.
Trainers invited to EX Raid Battles will receive an in-game notification if the EX Raid Battle is canceled.
Trainers will receive Stardust and Premium Raid Passes when an EX Raid Battle is canceled.

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Niantic’s goal with these changes is to reward those who are actively participating in raids and make them easier to attend. The raids faced criticism due to when and where they were held. Now that the events will be held in parks and sponsored locations, more people should be able to attend them. Additionally, scheduling the events around popular raid times will make sure that the more hardcore players aren’t missing out by being at work, having a meal, or catching up on sleep.

In addition to these changes, Niantic is officially launching the EX Raid Battles. This new battle has been in beta since it launched last month, but will now roll out to the rest of the Pokémon Go players. Niantic says that even though the game mode is no longer in beta, it will still keep an eye on player feedback.

The changes don’t stop there. In addition to the EX Raid Battles, the standard raids in Pokémon Go are seeing some changes too. Trainers will now receive Golden Razz Berries for completing a raid. Additionally, the number of potions and revives that are awarded to trainers will decrease, but their quality will increase. Niantic has also increased the likelihood that you’ll receive a Fast or Charged Technical Machine for completing a tier 3 or higher raid. Whether you win or not, you’ll now always receive Stardust just for competing. But, probably the most important change of all is that Magikarp returns to tier 1 battles.

Niantic made the changes to make sure players felt rewarded, even if the raid boss flees. The aim is to help trainers level up their Pokémon with Stardust even if they’re unsuccessful in taking down the boss. With more powerful Pokémon, trainers should be better able to take on more powerful raid bosses over time.

What do you think of the changes? Will you be participating in the new EX Raid Battles? Let us know down in the comments.