Pokemon GO Raids Guide – Difficulty, Invites & More

Here’s the full rundown on Raids in Pokemon GO! This includes everything you need to know from the different kinds of Raids to the rewards you’ll get for beating them.

Raids are some of the biggest challenges that any Pokemon GO trainer can take on and beating them gives players some of the best rewards.

Whether you’re after some Rare Candy and Golden Razz Berries or want to catch Legendary Pokemon, you’ll want to take part in Raids. However, defeating Raid Bosses is easier said than done.

Our comprehensive guide to Raiding in Pokemon GO includes everything from how you join Raids to some top tips on defeating tough bosses!

What are Raids in Pokemon GO?

Raids are battles against powerful boss Pokemon in Pokemon GO. They take place at Pokemon Gyms and defeating the Raid Boss gives you the chance to catch it using Premier Balls.

Every player over level 5 can take part in Raid battles and most of them require a small group of Pokemon trainers to defeat the boss before the timer runs out. Although, up to 20 Pokemon trainers can take part in each Raid.

There are many different difficulties of Raids and beating them rewards players with rare items, a load of XP, and an encounter with the Pokemon they have just defeated.

You can also get shiny Pokemon from Raids, depending on if the shiny form of the Pokemon is in the game. Our Pokemon GO shiny odds guide fully explains the chances of catching shiny Pokemon of different types.

How to Join Raids in Pokemon GO

There are two different ways to join Raids in Pokemon GO, depending on whether you are doing it in-person or remotely.

In-Person Raids

• Have a Raid Pass or Premium Battle Pass in your item bag.
• Go up to a PokeStop with an active Raid.
• Press ‘Battle’ to use up a Raid Pass or Premium Battle Pass and begin the Raid.

Remote Raids

• Have a Remote Raid Pass in your item bag.
• Press the ‘Nearby Pokemon’ tab in the bottom right corner of your screen.
• Swipe to get to the Raid tab.
• If you have been invited to a Raid by another player, it will be highlighted in orange. Click on it to take part in it.
• Or, if you want to join a Raid you haven’t been invited to remotely, click ‘View’ below any Raid you want to take part in.
• Press ‘Battle’ to use up Remote Raid Pass and join the Raid!

How to Invite Players to Raids

• Join a Raid lobby.
• Press the green ‘Invite Friends’ button on the right side of the screen.
• Select up to 5 different Pokemon trainers to invite to the Raid.

It’s also worth remembering that if you back out of a Raid before it begins, you won’t use up your Raid Pass. This is handy to know if not enough players join your Raid.

All Raid Types & Difficulty in Pokemon GO

At the moment there are 7 different difficulties of Raids in Pokemon GO:

• Tier 1 Raid
  • Pink Egg
  • Raid for a common Pokemon
  • Can complete it by yourself
• Tier 3 Raid
  • Yellow Egg
  • Uncommon Pokemon Raid
  • A team of at least 2 Pokemon trainers is recommended
• Tier 4 Mega Raid
  • Red-brown Egg
  • Battle a Mega Pokemon to get Mega Energy
  • A team of at least 3 Pokemon trainers is recommended
• Tier 4 Event Raid
  • Blue cloudy Egg
  • Only available during Pokemon GO events like Community Days or Raid Days
  • Battle featured Pokemon
  • You can’t take part in these Raids Remotely
  • A team of at least 4 Pokemon trainers is recommended
• Tier 5 Legendary Raid
  • Purple Egg
  • Battle a Legendary Pokemon
  • A team of at least 5 Pokemon trainers is recommended
• Tier 5 Ultra Beast Raid
  • Interdimensional portal instead of Egg
  • Battle one of the Ultra Beasts in Pokemon GO
  • A team of at least 5 Pokemon trainers is recommended
• Tier 6 Mega Legendary Raid
  • Green and purple Mega Egg
  • Battle a Mega Legendary Pokemon
  • Rewards a Legendary Pokemon encounter and Mega Energy
  • A team of at least 5 Pokemon trainers is recommended

When Do Raid Bosses Change?

Legendary and Mega Raid bosses change every week on a Wednesday or Thursday, depending on the ongoing Pokemon GO events.

Additionally, the whole pool of Raid bosses is changed with every Pokemon GO event. This includes 1-Star and 3-Star Raids too!

Read More: Every Legendary Pokemon & Ultra Beast in Pokemon GO

How Many Pokemon Can you Bring to a Raid Battle?

Each Pokemon trainer can bring a battle team of 6 Pokemon into Raid battles.

However, if all of your Pokemon are knocked out, you can then choose another 6 Pokemon to enter the battle. You can repeat this as many times as you can as long as the Raid timer hasn’t run out.

Best Tips For Pokemon GO Raids

• Invite as many other Pokemon trainers as you can.
• Pick counters to the Raid boss in your battle team. Even if it may be lower CP than some of your other Pokemon, using a ‘Mon which has a type strength against a Raid boss will let you deal extra damage.
• Mega Evolve a Pokemon to boost that attack of your other Pokemon with the same type.
• Stock up on Berries to make the Raid boss easier to catch or to earn more Candy from catching them.

Pokemon GO Raid Rewards

Beating a Raid will give you a selection of rewards as well as Premier Balls to catch the Pokemon. The harder the Raid, the more rewards you will get for winning.

These are the possible rewards you can get for beating Raids:

• Rare Candy
• Fast TM
• Charged TM
• Golden Razz Berry
• Revives
• Potions
• Poffins
• Stardust
• Mega Energy (Only in Mega Raids)

Read More: Pokemon GO Berry Guide

Additionally, you will also get an amount of XP depending on how difficult the Raid was.

Raid Tier	XP Amount
Tier 1	3,500 XP
Tier 3	5,000 XP
Tier 4	10,000 XP
Tier 5	10,000 XP
Tier 6	13,000 XP

What Are Premier Balls in Pokemon GO

Premier Balls are the only type of Pokeball that can be used to catch defeated Raid boss Pokemon. You can’t use standard Pokeballs to catch Raid boss Pokemon.

For defeating a Raid Boss you get 6 Premier Balls but you can earn more, giving you more chances to catch the Raid boss Pokemon.

How to Earn More Premier Balls to Catch Raid Pokemon

In addition to the standard 6 Premier Balls you get for beating a Raid, a number of different factors reward you with more Premier Balls.

• Damage Dealt
  • 1-6 extra Premier Balls depending on how much damage you did to the Raid boss.
• Friendship
  • 1-4 extra Premier Balls depending on the highest friendship level you have with another member of the Raid Party
• Speed
  • 2-8 extra Premier Balls depending on how fast you completed the Raid.
  • There is no speed bonus for Mega Raids. Instead, you get extra Mega Energy.

For Ultra Beast Raids, these factors will give you extra Beast Balls to catch the Ultra Beast.

Now that you know everything there is to know about Raids, you might want to learn even more about the game. If you want to give the Pokemon you catch powerful attacks, you’ll need to know how to get Elite Fast and Charged TMs in Pokemon GO!