Pokemon GO Raid Update list : New items you'll need

By Chris Burns/

News of the Pokemon GO RAID Battle update requirements has reached the public – and the public has some questions! What we've learned over the past few hours is that while most everyone will be able to join in on this Pokemon GO update, not all players will be able to take part in every single RAID Battle. The most high-level of these battles might not even be available to people who only joined the game in the past several months.

Levels of Egg

Niantic suggested this week that several different levels of RAID battles at Pokemon Gym locations will be available. There'll be several kinds of RAID Battle and several levels within these kinds. The Pokemon GO RAID Eggs that appear in the latest APK file update include the following three levels.

• Easy — Normal – Level 1, Level 2

• Average — Rare – Level 3, Level 4

• Difficult — Legendary – Level 5*

The game currently shows four levels of difficulty, which means that Legendary RAID Battles will be treated differently. Users will find Legendary RAID Battles appearing more like events, while other RAID Battles will appear at any time. Requirements for a Legendary RAID battle will be different than RAID Battles of other sorts.

RAID Battles : When and Wear

These three eggs will appear at the head of the Pokemon GO Gym at which the RAID will take place. Once the RAID has begun, the RAID BOSS will appear at the head of the Gym. If the user enters the RAID Battle before the battle has begun, they'll see the RAID EGG hatching, as shown here!



Above is the RAID EGG hatching – this takes place at the start of a RAID Battle. Below is the RAID BOSS appearing at the head of a Pokemon Gym. This is what it looks like to get to a RAID Battle late – don't be late for supper!



Each RAID Egg is announced with a 30-minute countdown meter – after that, the RAID Battle is open for business. Each RAID Battle is open for 1-hour. In that time, the user has the ability to join in on a RAID Battle whenever they wish. Each RAID Battle lasts 5 minutes.

RAID Requirements

There is no level requirement for participation in a RAID Battle other than that of the Gym Entry level. That means Player Level 5, which isn't incredibly difficult to attain – a few Pokemon caught and a couple of Pokemon evolved and it's ready to roll. Regardless of the message that's already in the game regarding player level, RAID Battles won't require a player level of anything higher than 5.

"Sorry, but Raid Battles are not yet available for your level. Please try again later." – Pay no attention to this message. Once the RAID Battle is made live for all players, the level requirement will be lifted.

In addition to level requirements – which are slim – each RAID Battle will require a RAID pass. These passes can be attained from a Pokemon Gym in advance of a RAID. They can also be purchased from the in-game store.

Have a peek at our [@TeamPokemonGO Twitter portal] for more information on the next update and Gym Battles. We're also coming close to the Chicago event Pokemon GO Fest, an event for which tickets are all sold out. Take a peek at what's brewing there for people who missed the first launch.

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