Niantic have removed two and four-star Raid Battles from Pokemon Go
Pokemon CompanyIt looks like the five tiers of Raid Battles in Pokemon Go was a little too complicated. As a result, Niantic have removed two and four-star Raids from the mobile game.
They announced this via the Niantic Support Twitter account, saying: “There will no longer be two-star or four-star raids.” Consequently, Pokemon that were previously found within these tiers have been removed to the tier immediately below them.
In addition to this, the rewards for completing one and three-star Raids have now been changed. Instead, they will reward what was previously found in two and four-star Raid Battles.
– Rewards for one-star raids and three-star raids are increased to what two-star and four-star raids awarded, respectively.
We’ll be releasing a more detailed update on these changes soon. Thank you!— Niantic Support (@NianticHelp) August 27, 2020
Simplifying Raid Battles
One, three, and five-star Raids will remain. So, don’t worry, Legendary Pokemon will still be featured in the premium tier, so there should be little confusion.
- Read More: Why 2020 actually did Pokemon Go a big favor
Niantic didn’t reveal a specific reason for this change but it seems the Raid Bosses were unnecessarily fragmented. There wasn’t too many differences in the way of Pokemon utility between each tier.
For example, Machamp was recently featured in three-star Raid Battles and Excadrill in four. There isn’t much difference between them in terms of how sought after they are, so having them in different tiers seemed futile.
Pokemon CompanyThe change has reduced the number of Pokemon featured in Raid Battles, though. Before this change, there were 25 across the five tiers and now there are only 17.
Heatran, the featured Pokemon for the end of August, through to September 10, remains as the only ‘mon in five-star Raids. These changes may have something to do with the introduction of Mega Evolution in Pokemon Go, too, as Mega Raids have already been found in the game’s code.
Speed bonus
Niantic also announced that the team-contribution bonus is being replaced by a speed bonus. This means the faster you defeat the Raid Boss, the more rewards all participants in the Raid will receive.
In traditional Raids, one through to five-stat, a speed bonus will give you more Premier Balls. In the new Mega Raids however, obtaining the speed bonus will give you additional Mega Energy.