Pokémon GO introducing new elite raids to spice up play

Pokémon GO has had raids for a long time. For many Pokémon, namely Legendaries, they are one of the only ways to get them. They’re the only way to get Mega energy to Mega evolve any Pokémon. They have good shiny rates and can be a lot of fun, so they’ve become quite popular.

Now, they’re about to introduce a brand new raid: Elite Raids. Here’s what to know about them.

Niantic adding a new form of raids to Pokémon GO

These new raids will hatch out of eggs that last for 24 hours, which is the first major departure from normal raids. Unless it’s during a special event, eggs hatch after about an hour and players have nearly 50 minutes to get in and defeat them.

Another change is that the time for trainers to get in is decreased. For Elite Raids, there are only 30 minutes available. After that, the raid will no longer be active. Trainers will have missed their opportunity.

Additionally, there is one key caveat to Elite Raids. They can only be completed in person. Remote raid passes are a way for trainers all across the globe to join raids anywhere with an invite. For Elite Raids, only the normal raid passes (or Premium Battle Passes) will work.

It’s unclear how strong these Elite Pokémon will be, but there’s a strong likelihood that a lot of friends will be required. Legendary and Mega Raids usually require at least four to defeat in time, so Elite Raids are probably going to need that many if not more.

Niantic’s main driver behind this new addition is for crowds to gather once again for Pokemon GO activities. The interest in the game sees a slow decline this year, and Elite Raids may be the way to rekindle some of that flame.

Pokémon available in Elite Raids

The first Pokémon available will be Hoopa Unbound. Many trainers who completed the Special Research for Hoopa and unlocked the ability to change its form have Hoopa Unbound. This will be an opportunity for everyone else, though.

After defeating Hoopa Unbound, you will have an opportunity to catch it with a certain amount of Pokéballs.

Hoopa Unbound

That is only the first of probablé many Elite Raids in the future, but the other Pokémon have not been announced. The raids will begin appearing at 1:00 a.m., 2:00 p.m., or 5:00 p.m. local time on October 16th, 2022. The time and date for the rest of the raids is unclear right now.