Niantic
Lugia and Articuno, two Legendary Pokemon, are here. Trainers from Australia to California have already reported seeing the Pokemon in Raid Battles and capturing them. The Pokemon might have shown up in the two-mile radius outside of Pokemon Go Fest in Chicago first, but the Legendaries were showing up in many other locations tonight too. But that leaves a big question. Do you need a special raid pass to participate in a Legendary raid?
No. You don’t need a special raid pass to participate in a Legendary Lugia or Articuno Raid. You can use a regular or premium raid pass to participate in a Legendary Raid Battle.
That’s great news for players who were concerned they would need to figure out yet another way to get a special raid pass.
Redditor Kkranberry, who participated in a Legendary raid in San Francisco, was one of the first to note that a special raid pass wasn’t needed. NordBay confirmed it too, noting that it took 15 people to take down Articuno.
The confusion originated because there was going to be a special Event Raid for trainers who were participating in Pokemon Go Fest. That would have required a special Event Raid pass, which would have been good for participating in a Legendary battle. This was going to be the Mystery Challenge the night of the Festival. However, because of so many glitches and other problems at the Festival, Niantic decided to skip the special Event Raid this time and just release the Legendaries in battles everywhere.
Remember, you can get one free raid pass per day by spinning a Photo Disc. You can also buy premium raid passes which are good for one raid. If you lose a premium raid pass because of a glitch, you can request a refund from Niantic.