Pokemon GO: A beginner's guide to battling in Raids

Raids in Pokemon GO are both one of the most rewarding and most difficult things in the game.

They can be hard for everybody, but it’s especially painful for beginner players. When someone starts their journey with their low CP Pokemon and not a lot of options, they won’t be taking down Lugia and Giratina raids. A well prepared trainer, though, can be successful in this area and get themselves loads of rewards.

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How can trainers beat more raid bosses in Pokemon GO?

Every month, there are several Pokemon that can be fought in raids. These Pokemon fall under four separate categories: Tier 1, Tier 3, Tier 5, and Mega Tier. They each feature different Pokemon and have a specific difficulty assigned to them. It breaks down like this:

• Tier 1: Usually weaker Pokemon and first stage evolutions. Easily done with one person.
• Tier 3: Powerful Pokemon. Consider bringing a friend.
• Tier 5: This is always a legendary. Trainers will need to bring strong counters and several allies.
• Mega Tier: Always a Mega Evolution. Bring strong counters and teammates, just like for Tier 5 raids.

To participate in a raid battles, challengers will need a Raid Pass. These can be purchased, but each player gets one a day for spinning a gym. Raid Passes don’t stack, however, and there is no saving a raid pass for a later day. Therefore, trainers should use them on the day they receive them.

Raid battles work on a timer. Challengers will only have a certain amount of time to beat the raid boss. Players can take up to five minutes to complete Mega and Tier 5 raids, whereas bosses from Tiers 1 and 3 must be beat in three minutes.

There are two reasons why trainers might want to participate in raid battles. The first is that there are many rewards, including rare candy, XP, and Mega Energy for winning a Mega Tier raid. The other reason is that trainers have an opportunity to catch a regular version of the raid boss if they successfully beat it in raid form.

The best thing that trainers can do to get better at beating raids is to join a community of raid hunters. Several websites and Discord servers connect players with others who are looking to take down raid bosses. If they are close enough, they can help out so that the trainer will never be in need of extra hands on deck during a raid fight.

The rewards from a raid battle also increase depending on the time that it was completed in. Therefore, it always makes sense to bring as many teammates as possible.

Trainers should also be looking online to find out which Pokemon counter raid bosses well. For instance, Lugia will be the Tier 5 raid boss for September. Lugia is weak to Ghost and Dark-type Pokemon, so if a trainer has access to a Chandelure or Weavile, they should bring it to this raid battle.