In Pokémon GO you can already participate in the new Crypto Raids. We at MeinMMO will show you how the new feature works, how to obtain the Crypto Shards, and what else you should pay attention to.
Which Raids are involved? Today, on May 22, 2023, the event “Ascending Shadows” begins in Pokémon GO, where the members of Team GO Rocket will take over the gyms for the first time, allowing you to battle against Crypto Pokémon there. However, you don’t have to wait for the event to start in order to play the new Crypto Raids, as they are already active in the game.
We have summarized what this new feature is, which monsters it brings to you, and how to collect the corresponding items below.
When are the Raids active? The new Crypto Raids are already active and will run until May 28, 2023, at 8:00 PM local time.
These are the new Crypto Raids
What kind of Raids are these? During the event “Ascending Shadows”, members of Team GO Rocket will not only occupy PokéStops but also gyms for the first time. For this reason, there will be Crypto Raids of levels 1 and 3 during this time, where you can encounter various Crypto Pokémon.
From May 27 at 10:00 AM local time until May 28, 2023, at 8:00 PM local time, you will also be able to encounter Crypto Mewtwo in the Level 5 Crypto Raids. Just like in other raids, a Crypto Raid Egg will appear above the gym in advance. You can recognize it by the typical purple flames. Once the egg hatches, the gym will turn black.
Who can participate in the Crypto Raids? Unlike normal raids of these difficulty levels, you can only play the Crypto Raids on-site. Participation via remote raid is not possible. This means that you cannot invite friends from the raid lobby to the raids.
Special difficulty: The fact that you can only play the new Crypto Raids on-site and therefore need a corresponding local community for support is not the only challenge that the new raids bring. You can expect another challenge in the Level 3 and Level 5 Raids.
The raid bosses become angry when you fight against them, thus increasing their attack and defense. To tame them, you can use the new “redeemed gems”. The use of multiple of these items in one raid is possible. If you use them simultaneously, the effect stacks.
All Crypto Raid Bosses and How Difficult They Are to Defeat
Which Raid Bosses can you expect? In the coming days, you can encounter a variety of monsters in the Crypto Raids. One or another Crypto Pokémon will even be available in its shiny form. Crypto Mewtwo will celebrate its shiny debut in the game this weekend. Here are the monsters you can find in the coming days:
| Crypto Raid | Raid Boss |
| Level 1 | Crypto-Quapsel* Crypto-Machollo* Crypto-Knofensa Crypto-Tanhel* |
| Level 3 | Crypto-Lorblatt Crypto-Tyracroc Crypto-Sniebel* Crypto-Igelavar |
| Level 5 (only on May 27 and 28) | Crypto-Mewtwo* |
In gyms that are not occupied by Team GO Rocket, normal raids can also take place.
How difficult are the new Raids? Niantic has promoted the new Crypto Raids as relatively difficult. In an interview, John Funtanilla, Senior Producer at Pokémon GO, explained that you need about 8 trainers and enough redeemed gems to defeat raid bosses like Crypto Mewtwo. However, experienced players can manage it without using the new items.
On social media, some trainers have already battled against the new Crypto Raid bosses. It has become clear that the Level 1 Raids are still not a problem. You can still manage these alone.
And the new 3-star Raids should generally be doable alone, as confirmed by Reddit user im_nelly in the comments (via reddit.com). However, the difference to other Level 3 Raids is noticeably present. Therefore, those who do not have such a high trainer level should seek support from another trainer.
Here we show you what Niantic has also revealed about the new raids.
How good is the IV of the monsters? Normally, Pokémon from raids have a relatively high IV. This is generally not lower than 80%. However, for the new Crypto Raids, it seems a bit different, as reported by the first trainers on Reddit (via reddit.com). Monsters with a significantly lower IV are reportedly being caught. So expect this with the Crypto Pokémon.
Crypto Shards and Redeemed Gems – How to Get Them
The new raid feature delivers not only Crypto Pokémon into the raids for the first time but also introduces new items. You should try using redeemed gems to calm the enraged raid bosses to ultimately defeat them. We have summarized how to get the new items below.
How to Get Redeemed Gems: In order to secure a redeemed gem, you must first collect so-called Crypto Shards and assemble them using Professor Willow’s Shard Melter. A tweet from the developers shows what the new item looks like:
How to Secure Crypto Shards: This item is needed to obtain the redeemed gem, which can be useful in battle. To secure the shards, you need to battle the members of Team GO Rocket, who drop this item, similar to the mysterious parts, after the fight. The developers showed what the Crypto Shards look like in a tweet:
Depending on which member you fight, you will receive a different number of parts after your victory:
- Rocket Grunt: 1x Crypto Shard
- Rocket Bosses (Arlo, Sierra, Cliff): 3 Crypto Shards
- Rocket Boss Giovanni: 4 Crypto Shards
Trainers have also already received Crypto Shards as rewards from a Crypto Raid. However, the amount varies.
How to track down Team GO Rocket bosses is shown in the video below:
How many Crypto Shards do you need? To construct a redeemed gem, you need a total of 4 Crypto Shards.
What do you think of the new Crypto Raids? Have you already tried any? Did you need support from other trainers, or could you handle the raid alone? Feel free to let us know here on MeinMMO in the comments and exchange ideas with other trainers about it.
Coinciding with the event “Ascending Shadows”, the special research continues as well. We show you all tasks and rewards for “Nothing But Out and GO!”.
