Posted in: Games, Video Games | Tagged: pokemon, pokemon go

Niantic Reveals Raid Battles & New Gym Features For 'Pokémon GO'

This morning, Niantic revealed plans for their biggest update to Pokémon GO since the game was launched last year, promising that it's going to change the way everyone plays the game.

First and foremost, the old gym system is going away by adding a new raid feature that will relieve some of the unnecessary grinding it took to get through one with little rewards in return. You'll be able to spin on gyms and receive items just like you would regular Pokestops, with the usual cooldown time between them. Each gym will now hold six slots with a team's Pokémon, but can only hold one kind of creature each time, so no filling all six slots with Bulbasaurs. Also, you'll fight in the order they were assigned, which means first in is going to be first out after a battle.

Adding to the insanity of collecting, gym badges will now be added to your Pokedex, both to show where you've been and to show off what you contributed then and now. The level of your gym determines the bonuses you receive while a part of it, so best to level it up as best you can.

As for raid battles, up to 20 players can raid a single gym at once and bring it down for their team, making it both easier to shift control to another team but also fortify it once you're done. After you've cleared out a gym of a team's Pokémon, they'll all return to their trainers and an egg will appear over the gym. When the countdown reaches zero, the gym boss will pop out for the final battle to claim that gym for your team.

Full details can be located at the link above, but this is definitely going to change the way the game is played and how people will react as a team to accomplish goals.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!