'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
While many players surely enjoyed the recent Shadow Mewtwo Raid Battles in Pokemon GO, others have started to grow annoyed with Niantic's disregard for the player experience. While not a new issue for the popular game, these Raid Battles have been incredibly non-user-friendly since their conception, with the recent bunch being especially polarizing.
One user on the Pokemon GO subreddit, u/SeekayBe, posted a complaint talking about their issues with the current handling of many of the game's special Raid Battles. Many players followed suit, commenting on their complaints about the system. The original poster opened by stating:
"Shadow raids need to be reworked... Seriously, I understand the concept that you can do some exclusive raids that require players to be at the location of the gym, but I wasted 4 hours of my life in empty lobbies..."
Trending
One idea that another user (u/JudgeJasonBateman) pitched in the thread is to rework Pokemon Go's Shadow Raids to change the lobbies to function more as portals to a dedicated server lobby. With this idea, players could connect to other teams of trainers through these Shadow Portals to allow for these raiders to always have a party to fight alongside.
Every Shadow Raid could have a similar feature. For example, if a player is queuing for a Shadow Raid against Sandshrew, other trainers also in a lobby for a fight against the hypothetical Shadow Sandshrew could connect to the first player to join them. This would still require players to attend these raids in person, but at least those who did so would find other players to raid with.
Implementing this idea of a rework would continue to allow Niantic to collect location data as players would still be required to be at the physical location of the Shadow Portal. However, given Pokemon GO's notoriously poor servers, it is unclear if a significant change like this could be implemented smoothly.
Another major issue with not allowing Shadow Raids to be remotely challenged comes from the community in rural and lesser-populated cities. Players in these areas rarely even have any nearby raid locations to begin with. Expecting them to get lucky enough to find a Shadow Raid during an event is incredibly unfair.
Even if a Shadow Raid does spawn in their immediate area, it is unlikely that the trainer will even be able to defeat it. Due to the enrage mechanic in these fights, players need to use Purified Gems to calm the boss, weakening it. While enraged, these bosses become much more powerful, making even 3-Star Shadow Raids almost impossible to do with just one person.
Should Niantic rework Pokemon GO's Shadow Raid system?
Most players want Niantic to rework their raiding system, as many have felt the effects of the company attempting to redact their Remote Raiding mechanic, which has caused Raid Battles in Pokemon GO as a whole to suffer severely. For the sake of their bottom line, the developers may want to listen to the community in this instance.
