The unbound Hoopa has landed through top raids in Pokémon GO. Many trainers are chasing the new monster – but the raids are causing discussions.
What are these raids? The top raids were unexpectedly introduced in Pokémon GO and bring the new “unbound Hoopa” as a raid boss. However, they are somewhat different from the usual raids.
- The boss is much stronger and it requires significantly more trainers to defeat him
- Only trainers on site can participate, no remote raids
- The raid eggs hatch after 24 hours before they open
- Once the raid is open, Hoopa stays for 30 minutes to be challenged
- After the raid, there is a timer that can bring rare spawns nearby
The new system generates excitement and promises an exciting Pokémon with the strong Hoopa. But the hurdles are high – which currently leads to discussions among trainers.
What are the problems? In the subreddits “PokemonGO” and “TheSilphRoad”, the top raids are currently the dominant topic. Many trainers express their opinions on the raids and share their experiences.
One of the most important topics is the difficulty: It is very complicated to gather the necessary trainers for a raid against Hoopa.
Some trainers report that their usual groups of trainers are sometimes not enough to defeat Hoopa – especially at lower levels and with not ideal counters.
- “We were a group of 7, we had to go back to the lobby 3 times and managed it with 30 seconds left. Definitely harder than any normal tier 5 raid. The guy didn’t help either, as there aren’t many good bug type Pokémon”, writes a user (via reddit).
- “My group of 5 failed and was lucky that 4 more people appeared to help later. We had about 5 minutes before the raid ended. We had no rare spawns nearby or anything. Pretty disappointing, to be honest”, criticizes another (via reddit).
- “Five people are enough if you have the right counters at sufficiently high levels”, writes another (via reddit).
With the 24 hours, there is plenty of time to prepare for the raid and gather a few friends. However, this is still challenging, as not all locations have large Pokémon GO communities where one can access enough players or at least hope for someone to randomly appear.
- “The feature is only suitable for already established groups or large cities”, finds a user (via reddit).
- “One of the problems is that there is no easy way to find other players or community groups. Old local/engaged players already have their small circle to do raids (or multiple accounts) and they don’t really feel this problem”, writes another (via reddit)
- “Not a single one of my neighbors showed up at the only raid we had, but they fight the gyms around the clock like crazy” (via reddit).
However, one trainer on reddit also shows that it can work. In his post, the user describes that over 40 trainers showed up at a Hoopa raid, who then split into groups that were able to defeat the monster.
In this case, the system worked and enough players showed up to handle the raid. However, there are not many places where so many active players are available.
Especially in rural areas with small communities, it is difficult to gather enough people for the raid – especially since no remote raid passes can be used. Playing in the village often poses problems because there are fewer gyms, stops, and players than in the city.
What do you think is the right approach for the top raids? Participate in our survey!
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We also want to know: How have you perceived the top raids so far? Were you able to participate and catch Hoopa? Or have you encountered difficulties so far? And if so: What did they look like? Tell us in the comments!
Besides the top raids, the next big event in Pokémon GO is approaching. The Halloween event 2022 in Pokémon GO is getting closer – all information can be found here.
