Pokémon GO EX Raids: 4 Things to Know

Pokémon GO EX Raids are easily the most exciting thing to come to Niantic’s iPhone and Android game in 2017. And, you need to master them before you can capture one of the game’s most powerful creatures.

Pokémon GO EX Raid Battles are very similar to the Raid Battles that Niantic launched early in 2017. They encourage you to work together with other people. In regular Raid Battles, you and a team of other Trainers battle a very strong Pokémon. If the team defeats this Pokémon, everyone gets a chance to capture it, some XP and some in-game items.

Read: 21 Pokemon GO Tips for Beginners & Novices

EX Raid Battles add a new twist to this. The creatures that you can capture are stronger. Also, you can’t participate in them without an invitation from the game itself, even if you do have a high Trainer Level.

Here’s everything that you need to know about Pokémon GO EX Raids. Use this information to master the game’s new mechanic and become an even better Trainer when the new mechanic launches.

How Pokémon GO EX Raids Work

If you’ve ever tried a Raid Battle at all, you will find EX Raids very familiar. In an EX Raid Battle, you and other Trainers battle a very powerful Pokémon. You can only capture them through working together.

Read: 6 Pokémon GO Tips to Level Up Faster

How you setup an EX Raid Battle is different. EX Raid Battles are not open to everyone at a certain Trainer level. They only periodically happen around the world. Also, an EX Raid Battle requires an invitation to get into. The game handles these invitations itself, meaning there’s no way for you to force yourself into an EX Raid Battle.

A Pokémon Go Stadium Event in Japan. / Niantic

How to Get Pokémon GO EX Raid Invites

Getting a Pokémon GO EX Raid invite from the game requires a lot. First, you need to have won a regular Raid Battle at one of the game’s Gyms. Regular Raid Battles act as a stepping stone to this new system. Second, you will only receive an invite for an EX Raid Battle that’s happening at a Gym that you won a regular Raid Battle at before.

Read: How to Catch Pokémon GO Legendary Pokémon

The invites have everything that you need to plan for the EX Raid Battle. They list the name of the Gym, the Gym’s location and when the battle will take place. This gives you time to refresh your lineup and collect items you think you might need during the battle. Niantic has only confirmed that these warnings leave players with “ample time to coordinate with other Trainers.”

What You Get for Winning Pokémon GO EX Raids

Once you’re in Pokémon GO EX Raids, you need to win. You and your team do that by dealing enough damage to the creature that you’re battling that it faints. As with regular Raid Battles, you won’t know what you’re fighting until the Raid Egg containing that Pokémon hatches.

During the battle, you need to attack and dodge as much as you can. Fast Attacks allow you to deal damage quickly. Tap on your Pokémon to do a fast attack. Charged Attacks take more time to pull off than Fast Attacks do, but they deal way more damage. Tap and hold your screen to do a Charged Attack.

Finally, don’t forget to dodge attacks. Because these are strong Pokémon, your creatures need all the health they can muster. Swipe from the left or right edges of your screen to dodge an attack.

Read: 17 Pokémon Go Problems & How to Fix Them

Niantic will use the EX Raid Battle system as a way to promote cooperation and add some very powerful Pokémon to the game that wouldn’t feel right to unleash in the wild. Mewtwo, the most dangerous of the original line-up from Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue, is in all upcoming EX Raid Battles.

Niantic hasn’t said which creatures are coming to Pokémon GO EX Raids next. We only know that Mewtwo battles won’t last forever. We could see the developer use EX Raid Battles to add the legendary creatures from Pokémon Gold and Pokémon Silver next.

Pokémon GO EX Raids Release

We still don’t have an official release date for Pokémon GO EX Raids. However, their release window is narrowing.

Niantic will begin testing EX Raids with some users and select Gyms on September 6th. That’s when the new mechanic will send out its first batch of EX Raid passes to field testers. After that, the company says it will examine the feedback it receives and set an official release date for the feature.

PokeStops & Gym Locations

> 1 / 12

A recent question and answer session on the Silph Road confirms that Pokémon Go currently uses 30% to 50% of portals that were present in Niantic’s last game, Ingress. Pokémon Go maps these over real-world landmarks that players have to walk to. PokeStops and Gyms are real-world locations that players go to pick up items and battle the creatures left behind by other trainers. Police departments are already warning players of the game to stay away from their stations, according to VG247.

> 1 / 12