(Niantic)
Niantic just released a new update that’s bringing some really exciting changes to Pokemon Go gyms, including introducing raid battles. So far, the battles are only available in beta, but a lot of trainers have already been able to access them. Here are some videos and photos shared by trainers to give you an idea of how the raid battles work. (To learn more about how to join a raid battle, see Heavy’s story here.)
Videos of Raid Battles in ‘Pokemon Go’
Here is a video that one trainer shared of a raid battle in Pokemon Go:
And here’s a video of the egg cracking, indicating a raid is about to start:
When this happens, if you’re nearby, you should get a push notification telling you a raid is starting soon, Pokemon Go Hub shared. The egg timer will last about 30 minutes. After the egg hatches, you’ll have about one hour to defeat the Boss, with each attempt lasting 5 minutes.
Photos of Raids in ‘Pokemon Go’
And here are some photos of raids in Pokemon Go. This is what it looks like when a raid’s beginning. These were shared by Redditor zslayer89.
This raid involves an Exeggutor, CP 12633.
Here’s what it looked like on the map:
And the giant egg showing up in the battle:
Meanwhile, Redditor Ockaners shared this photo of a raid egg appearing in downtown Los Angeles. This is the message you’ll get if you’re not a high enough level to participate in a raid:
Raid Battle (Reddit/Ockaners)
Remember that if you want to take part in a raid battle, you’ll need to at least be a level 35. Because the battles are in beta right now, not everyone can participate. Niantic is testing the gym raids before they are released to everyone in July. In addition, you’ll need a raid pass to battle. You can get one raid pass a day by spinning a Photo Disc at a gym, and this will give you access to one raid battle. If you need more, you can buy them in the Pokemon Go store.
Have you participated in a raid battle? Let us know in the comments below where the battle was, what type of Pokemon you fought, and how it went. Do you like the changes to the gym or do you prefer how things were before the latest update?
