Hoopa Unbound returns to Pokemon Go Elite Raids and fans are furious
NianticPokemon Go has announced Hoopa Unbound will again make appearances in Elite Raid battles. However, instead of excitement, fans are venting frustration about the difficulty and accessibility of the Raids.
Pokemon Go players have opened their games following the November Teddiursa Community Day to again find maps saturated with 24-Hour Elite Raid Eggs above Gyms. The Raids, which will contain the second round of Hoopa Unbound encounters, have infuriated players around the world as the issues from the previous Elite Raids were never fully addressed.
The Elite Raids in Pokemon Go come with a number of hurdles fans must face. The first is the 24-hour wait time for hatching. This prevents Gyms from spawning other Raid battles, or from being challenged as a Gym instead of a Raid location. Additionally, Raids must be done in person with a large group and are only available for 30 minutes.
The previous round of Elite Raids, which happened in October 2022, were so difficult to get to and beat that many Pokemon Go fans slammed Niantic for the experience. The Elite Raids also negatively impacted the October Litwick Community Day, with the Elite Eggs spawning directly after the event and overtaking areas that needed to spawn Lampent Raids.
Pokemon Go fans share anger in Twitter comments
In the official announcement posted to the PokemonGoApp Twitter account, fans have jumped in to express their frustration about the return of Hoopa Unbound.
One player states, “Literally.. 24 hours to hatch and it stays for 30 minutes, [it] should be the opposite. Smaller communities like mine have 2-4 people who play the game, not 20+,” while another added, “Actually have Tier 6 Health – Discovered to have a 20% boost to its Atk and def – Eggs had less than 24 hatch period because you scheduled it after a CD again -Campfire not rolled out 100% yet. How on Earth are smaller communities meant to do these?? They’re more like T7 raid”.
Many Pokemon Go players also share frustration about the timing, as one trainer wrote, “Pov you go to church on Sundays” followed by an image of a hanged character, while another comments, “Where I live prevents me from ever participating and winning this Raid gg”.
The comments were overwhelmingly negative, as many explained they will have to drive an absurd distance to find enough players and spawns to make the Raids worth it, while others expressed a lack of player base anywhere near them that will be adequate in taking Hoopa Unbound out.
Many have also shared a need to have the Elite Raids be eligible for Remote Raid Passes, enabling those wanting to participate more access and resources to join in. However, Niantic has not indicated that this will be possible in this or future Elite Raid events. As a result, many may choose to ignore the return of the Mythical Pokemon in the mobile game.