During the Covid-19 pandemic , Pokémon Go was severely impacted. Because it required players to go outside and gather with others to defeat enemy gyms and raid bosses —which typically involved groups of more than a dozen people—playing during the pandemic was not advisable. Niantic responded by introducing a greater distance for triggering PokéStops and remote raid passes.
With this they were able to make it possible for people to continue playing even in confinement. It also got more people excited to play because it had more PokéStops they could trigger. Now that the world is returning to normal, Niantic wants to boost encounters between individuals in Pokémon Go, without reverting to a pre-pandemic game state. To that end, his first introduction is Elite Raids.
If you want to participate in elite raids, you will have to leave home
Niantic has announced the launch of the new Elite Raid Battles in Pokémon GO. It is a new variety of Raid Battles. These raids will have the following characteristics:
- Special Raid Eggs will appear at Pokémon Gyms. They will take 24 hours to open, so the affected gyms will be 24 hours without receiving combat. These 24 hours hope to be enough to notify the trainers in the area to train their ideal Pokémon to prepare for the raid.
- Once the egg is hatched, trainers will have 30 minutes to fight the Raid Battle boss with their friends in person. With this, they make it clear that the Remote Raid Pass cannot be used. It will be necessary to go in person to the gym where the egg is going to be opened.
- Elite Raids can start at 11:00, 14:00, or 17:00, depending on when the egg spawns. There will be no elite raids late at night, and they will always be when there is sunlight outside, to ensure safety.
The first Pokémon to star in Pokémon GO Elite Raids will be Hoopa in its Hoopa Unbound form. The first of these raids will begin at 11:00 a.m., 14:00 p.m., or 17:00 p.m. local time on October 16, 2022, depending on when Raid Eggs hatch. More Elite Raids will be held throughout the Season of Light , so you'll have more opportunities to participate, try to defeat Hoopa Unbound, and catch it if you do.
