Pokémon Go is expanding its slate of raids by adding an Elite Raid type that will only have a chance of appearing at set times of day—though the rest of the mechanics might confuse or upset fans.
Elite Raids involve Special Raid Eggs that will appear at Gyms, but instead of spawning within a reasonable amount of time, Elite Raids will take a full 24 hours to spawn. And not only do they take a day to hatch, but once an Elite Raid is revealed, players will only have 30 minutes to clear the raid.
Niantic is also delving further into in-person exclusive content again, making it so only players near the Elite Raid can participate. This means no Remote Raid invites can be sent out, which limits options for completing the Elite Raids if you don’t have a group readily available nearby when the Raid Egg hatches.
That issue is partially mitigated since Elite Raids can only begin at three different times: 11am, 2pm, and 5pm CT. This will correlate with when the Raid Egg spawned, giving players an exact time that the raid will start so they can coordinate properly.
Niantic has frequently reiterated its stance on being dedicated to community building and in-person experiences first, while also promising to not remove certain changes that make it easier for players to enjoy Pokémon Go in other ways. This is another step where the company is adding more content that is exclusive to in-person play rather than removing another feature, though the community likely won’t be thrilled at the limitations.
“We’re always thrilled at the sight of raid groups meeting up for Wednesday Raid Hours and weekend Raid Days; those raid groups are going to love Elite Raids because it gives players more options for raiding in person,” Pokémon Go director of product management Alex Moffit said. “The unique Pokémon which can be battled in Elite Raids, combined with its longer hatch timer and general air of mystery, should provide an opportunity for new local raid groups to form and existing ones to grow even stronger.”
To start, Hoopa Unbound will be appearing more frequently in Elite Raids, with the mechanic set to expand further throughout the Season of Light.
