There are only less than two weeks before players celebrate the first year anniversary of "Pokemon GO," the augmented reality game that took the world by storm last year. Ahead of its anniversary, during which players expect a major update, Niantic has revamped their Pokemon gyms, giving players more reasons to actually visit the gym.
The recent Update was arguably large, as Polygon reported that it not only changed the way gyms worked but also introduced the new cooperative Raid battle feature, as well as two minor tweaks to the game. In fact, it will now be easier for Pokemon players to search through their collections and find monsters faster.
It's now sorted by nickname, species, Pokedex number, and type so that players can easily access them. Raid Battles, one the other hand, are also new to the game. Here's how they work.
Raid Battles introduced to 'Pokemon GO'
According to Kotaku, Raid Battles in "Pokemon GO" are timed events wherein powerful Pokemon raids a particular gym. With five levels of difficulty, it enables players to the same level battle a particular Pokemon. At first, Niantic limited this new type of competition to players of certain levels, but as per Forbes, the required trainer level for Raid Battles has gone down to 25.
Level 25 is considered fairly easy, and some players have already discovered that Magikarp shows up as the giant boss in lower-tier Raid Battles.
Other Pokemon creatures that do appear in as boss battles are Venosaur, Charizard, Snorlax, Flareon, and Electabuzz.
Trainers gain awards for each Raid Battle
Raid Battles in "Pokemon GO" aren't just another way to pass the time, it's also a way for players to gather some awesome rewards. In fact, Kotaku reported that players who engage in Raid Battles can earn special items, as well as get a chance to catch the boss Pokemon.
Such special items that trainers can obtain are Golden Razz Berries, Fast and Charged TM and Rare Candy.
Anniversary update expected
As the first year anniversary of "Pokemon GO" is fast approaching, players are already expecting an update to arrive soon. However, Niantic isn't the type to immediately disclose plans for an update.
Instead, they'll announce it a few days before it happens. Recently, the Solstice Event was extended because players experienced login issues. Niantic promised that they're already working on a fix for this, and players are hopeful that the upcoming Anniversary Update will run smoothly and successfully.
