A new type of raid is coming pokemon go this month: Shadow Raids. Niantic announced the in-person-only raid type on Thursday, giving players an alternative way to catch Shadow Legendary Pokémon like Mewtwo by fighting in gyms. Shadow Raids also introduces Shiny Shadow Legendary Pokémon to Niantic’s mobile game, and a new mechanic that pits players against tougher, “furious” Shadow Pokémon.
Shadow Raids will go live pokemon go on May 22, as part of the game’s Rising Shadows event. The debut of Shadow Raids will be a week-long event, with one-star and three-star Shadow Pokémon raids taking place Monday through Friday. On Saturdays and Sundays, Legendary Shadow Pokémon appear as Shadow Raid Bosses, starting with Mewtwo.
Three-star and five-star Shadow Raid Bosses will get furious (and stronger) when players fight them, but pokemon go players can use a new item called a Purified Gem to quell that raging state. Purified gems can be collected using Shadow Shards – earned by battling the lower Shadow Pokémon throughout the week – and an item called the Shard Refiner, which players receive from Professor Willow.
said Niantic pokemon go‘s new Shadow Raids are a chance for players to earn Legendary Shadow Pokémon they haven’t been able to get in battles with Team Go Rocket leader Giovanni. Shadow Raids are also inaccessible with Remote Raid Passes, another attempt by Niantic to get pokemon go players who explore and meet in person.
“The driver there is really there to get players focused on getting out there and playing. Whether it’s Monday to Friday, [or] Saturday/Sunday, we really want this to be an important aspect of the game,” John Funtanilla, pokemon go senior producer, Polygon said in an interview.
“This is a chance for players to catch Legendaries they missed, [and] it will be much more common. I feel like we’re doing players a favor and saying: Hey, team up with your community, team up with your fellow teams and neighbors […] because there will be more chances to get Legendaries as they spin in and out.
Michael Steranka, director of the pokemon go live game at Niantic, said the new system is designed as “an opportunity for us to give players a second bite of the apple” if they miss out on a limited chance to get a Shadow Legendary Pokémon. But Shadow Raids are not designed to replace the existing method of earning Shadow Legendaries.
“At this point, we still think the Team Go Rocket rotations with Giovanni are still the best way to introduce new Shadow Legendaries into the game,” Steranka said. “But you know that can change later if the right opportunity presents itself to debut something.”
Funtanilla wouldn’t say which Shadow Legendary Pokémon are next in rotation, but it sounds like pokemon go players will have much more opportunities to get their hands on powerful Pokémon through the new Shadow Raid system.
“In terms of the cadence of how often we switch the Legendary Pokemon – or even the tier-1 and tier-3 Pokemon – that’s something we want to evaluate after players get their hands on this and [we] see how long the excitement for a given rotation lasts,” Steranka said. “It’s something we’ll evaluate and adjust as players get their hands on the feature.”
The Purified Gems that players can earn through other Shadow Raids or through Team Go Rocket grunt battles add an extra layer of strategy when battling higher-level Shadow Raid bosses. Players can craft shards for greater challenges, and stack purified gems to keep the furious modifier at bay. In other words, players may be able to take down Shadow Raid bosses with a smaller number of teammates, if equipped with the right debuffs. Or they can become the MVP of a raid if they help feed Purified Gems on behalf of the entire team.
Steranka explained that Shadow Raids are designed to be “an evergreen mainstay within pokemon go, just always happens in the background. But it’s not the only major new feature Niantic has planned, he said.
“We see Shadow Raids as the tip of the iceberg in terms of new features and developments pokemon go for this year,” Steranka said. “I think this may be our most ambitious year yet in terms of the number of new mechanics and features we plan to launch for our players. The end of May is about the beginning of the summer season […] and you’ll really see us grow and introduce lots of new experiences for players over the coming months.