Just as dataminers have previously discovered hidden within the files of Pokemon Go, the long requested Remote Raid feature has been announced!
This fantastic new addition is the latest in a long line of quality of life updates provided by Niantic in response to player requests and the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. With this, countless players will now be granted substantially more freedom than we have now, and the future of the Pokemon Go raid scene will never be the same again!
Remote Raids
While we still don't know 100% of the information about Remote Raids yet, we do have quite a bit of information to go on thanks to Niantic's update.
- Remote Raid passes will cost 100 Pokecoins at launch, with the final price not yet stated.
- A special box with Remote Raid Passes costing 1 Pokecoin will be made available
- Players will only be able to join remote raids that can be seen via the "Nearby" screen, meaning this feature will greatly extend raid distance, but it will not allow players to raid across extended distances.
- That said, Niantic is considering adding the ability for friends to join raids regardless of distance in the future
- Each remote raid joined will cost 1 pass, and players have a cap to how many they can hold at once
- At the system's launch, remote raiders will deal normal damage. At some point in the future, remote raiders will deal lowered damage. The amount of damage lost is currently TBA, and Niantic has stated that the numbers will likely change as time goes on
- The number of remote raiders at a given raid will be limited, though the current number is currently TBA and Niantic has stated that it may be changed as time goes on
- The release window of this system has not yet been announced, though it's expected to drop soon!
The Changes in Motion
In a previous article, we looked at the upcoming Remote Raiding feature and attempted to theorycraft different ways that it could change the meta.
Now it seems that we can estimate the impact a bit farther.
At launch, the system will basically be what we have now, but with radically extended range. In our opinion, allowing the player-base to ease into these changes with full remote-damage and discounted passes is a very good thing, as is waiting to allow long-distance remote friends. This system is going to be big, but not a game-changer at its release, which is how it really should be run to begin with. We feel that Niantic is handling this new feature well, and we look forward to seeing it launched in the near future!
Quality of Life Updates
This update is actually quite large, as Niantic doesn't just go into the news about the huge new system that is Remote Raiding, we also get a host of new Quality of Life updates!
Automatic Daily Research
Have you ever run out of daily research to complete (I'm literally out of them right now)? Well, in the near future, you can expect to have one daily research task delivered to your game every morning! No more missed research days!
Buddies that Retrieve Gifts
Have you ever run out of gifts to give your friends (Again; that's me right now)? Your buddy Pokemon will soon be able to run to nearby Pokestops to grab more gifts when you run low!
Streamlined Power-Ups
Gone are the days of having to press the Power-Up button up to 79 times in order to power up a Pokemon! Soon, we'll be able to press the button once and determine how much Stardust/Candy we want to spend, and what CP we want to reach, and instantly power up Pokemon to our desired level.
Stacking Boost Items
Have you ever gone out on a community day, dropped a Starpiece, then forgot to drop another when it expired? In an upcoming feature, it will be possible to use multiple limited-time boosting items such as Starpieces, Lucky Eggs, and Incense in tandem to increase the duration of their effects! It will soon be possible to just use 6 Starpieces at once to get a full 3-hour Starpiece boost for community days!
Updated Battle UI
The User Interface for battles is going to see an overhaul! Soon we'll be able to see the typing of a given enemy pokemon on the screen, Super Effective/Not Very Effective attacks will be more obvious via text ques, and features such as HP bars will be made uniform across trainer battles and raids.
New Box Notifications
When a new box drops, the shop will soon show a notification in order to draw attention to it. This is huge during our current bonus-box time!
Closing
As more and more announcements such as these come down, one fact becomes obvious: Niantic is listening. Remote raiding alone has the potential to reshape the face of Pokemon Go as we know it, and this is compounded by several Quality of Life updates, many of which players have long been requesting. We have some very real momentum coming from Niantic, as they rise to this current global crisis and grant players yet another new way to have fun while staying safe, so this is unlikely to be the end. Now all that remains is to look forward to these updates, and see what else Niantic has up their sleeves as we begin our trek into the Summer Months and the upcoming Global Go Gest!
