"Hopefully, there's energy in the research": Pokemon GO community raises concerns over Mega Rayquaza Elite Raids

Niantic has made some questionable choices when it comes to new content in Pokemon GO. Most notably, the existence of Elite Raids has frustrated players for a while now. The biggest issue with these types of battles is that they only appear for around an hour at a time and require trainers to be at the physical location where the encounter is taking place.

This has been made worse with Niantic's announcement that Mega Rayquaza will spawn in Elite Raids on June 29, 2024, at noon, 1:00 pm, 5:00 pm, and 6:00 pm local time. These occasional spawns are a serious problem for many players since it will significantly cut down on the amount of Mega Energy the average trainer can collect.

One user on the Silph Road subreddit, u/raggedy10, said in regards to these fights:

"Hopefully, there's energy in the research, yeah. I wouldn't count on it, but it would be an appreciated move, amongst the rest of this... blegh"

Posts from the thesilphroad community on Reddit

Under the post sharing the official announcement of the Rayquaza Elite Raids in Pokemon GO, many players expressed their disappointment surrounding the event, with some even calling it the worst possible way to handle the reelase of a Mega Evolution.

The biggest heartbreaker for many trainers is the limited time frames in which Mega Rayquaza will appear.

Comment byu/raggedy10 from discussion inTheSilphRoad

With Mega Energy being required to evolve Rayquaza into its Mega form, in addition to a new Meteorite item in Pokemon GO, many players are concerned that they will be unable to obtain the new creature.

Since raids only give away around 80 to 90 Mega Energy each, trainers will have to grind these raids for a long time if they want to obtain a Mega Rayquaza.

ost players seem to be banking on the special research for GO Fest 2024 to include their desired Mega Rayquaza Energy (Image via Reddit)

This gets incredibly inconvenient since many players may not be able to find enough Mega Rayquaza raids in the given time frames. Some may not be able to participate at all due to work or other responsibilities.

With this event being the most grind-heavy of the recent catalog, many trainers are incredibly disappointed.

Comment byu/raggedy10 from discussion inTheSilphRoad

Some players believe Niantic should have featured Mega Rayquaza on a Raid Day instead of Elite Raids.

Raid Days increase the likelihood of the spotlight critter appearing in raids for an extended period rather than Elite Raids, which are not events but rather expressed time periods where the Pocket Monster of interest will spawn.

Since the Mega Rayquaza Elite Raids will start during the afternoon and early evening in Pokemon GO, many players who are interested in battling the critter will not be able to do so due to their jobs or similar responsibilities. This is made worse by the fact that trainers cannot complete Elite Raids remotely.

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The best way to get Rayquaza Mega Energy in Pokemon GO

Mega Energy can be generated from completing Raid Battles, but some creatures get their Mega Energy through research tasks (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Right now, the best way to get Mega Energy is to grind out these Elite Raids in areas with numerous raid locations. However, there is the possibility that Mega Rayquaza Energy will be given out through special or timed research released in the near future.

Primarily, the timed research for both Pokemon GO Fest 2024 and the Elite Raid day itself could contain clusters of Mega Energy.