In Pokémon GO, trainers have been able to raid together from a distance for some time now. However, this often leads to tensions between players. We at MeinMMO explain the reasons behind this and show you which feature could help from the community’s perspective.
What problem is it about? In Pokémon GO, you can meet Pokémon not only in the wild but also in raids. Besides Pokémon that are relatively easy to defeat alone, there are also stronger bosses, such as legendary Pokémon or Ultra Beasts, for which many need support from other trainers.
Before the Corona pandemic, smaller groups of players regularly met to secure the monsters from level-5 raids together. However, with the introduction of so-called remote raid passes, it is now also possible to be invited to raids from other parts of the world and participate in them.
This inevitably leads to problems. Trainers repeatedly leave the lobby just before the raid starts, which naturally causes frustration among other players. What you should do if you no longer want to raid and what trainers wish from Niantic are summarized below.
Things to consider when leaving raids
The issue of other players leaving the lobby a few seconds before the start of a raid has existed for some time now. Even Reddit user Kangabolic reports in his current post about this painful experience.
What happened to Kangabolic? He mentions that he has been invited to raids by other players via remote raid four times in the last month. However, they always left the lobby about 5 seconds before the start, and he was left alone.
Even though they were reportedly only three or four in the lobby, he is convinced that they were enough trainers to defeat Katagami and Yveltal. Due to the behavior of his supposed friends, his raid passes are now gone, and he could not secure the monsters in this way either.
He has since removed these trainers from his list but still has clear words for his fellow players (via reddit.com): “If you want to leave a raid lobby, please do so about 20 seconds [before the start], so the rest of the lobby has time to leave as well.”
With this appeal, Kangabolic also earns considerable support. At the current time (30.09.2022 at 10:00 AM), his post on Reddit already has over 1,900 upvotes.
Why is timing so crucial when leaving the lobby?
Unlike raids that you play with other players on-site, coordination during remote raids is more difficult. This is particularly because many trainers do not even know these players in real life.
It takes a few seconds for the other trainers in Pokémon GO to see that someone has left the lobby. However, these are crucial seconds to potentially leave a raid yourself.
If you have only 5 seconds left, it’s possible that the other player only notices your exit during the battle. By then, it’s too late, and their raid pass is lost in the worst case. This is particularly frustrating because the remote raid passes are now relatively expensive.
Why do trainers leave raids? Why some trainers change their mind just before the raid starts is not entirely clear. One assumption might be that they think the number of players in the lobby is too few, and they have concerns about not being able to complete the raid. Without regard for the time and their teammates, they may leave the lobby to save their pass.
Some players suspect that this is particularly the case because some trainers are unsure about how many people are needed for a raid and what the best counters against the raid boss are.
Perhaps the trainers are also just hopelessly waiting for a specific friend and therefore leave the raid. However, it is not possible to generalize the actual reasons, as they ultimately depend on individual circumstances.
It has also happened to me a few times that I stood alone in the lobby. What I think about it, you can read in the following post:
Trainers Demand Chat Feature in the Lobby
A quick look at the comments makes it clear that Kangabolic is by no means alone in this experience. Countless players also report that they have been abandoned by their “friends” before the start of a raid and ended up alone in the raid.
A strong criticism here is especially the lack of communication options in the game. Trainers have been calling for an in-game chat for years to be able to coordinate with other players. This would be especially helpful for coordinating during raids, as noted in the comments (via reddit.com):
- Carry_On: “I wish there was a way to send a message to a lobby, so my friend and I could defeat the boss and that I only invited people to help and save revives.”
- Hibbity5: “This has happened to me constantly in this raid. I can do this raid alone, but I invite people because I want to save time (and I’m also nice, but mainly for the time). It’s so annoying, and I wish we had a way to tell people that we can also do the raid alone.”
- Pokii: “Hopefully Campfire will help with that.”
Is a chat conceivable? Regarding better coordination among trainers, Niantic already announced a new app last summer that is supposed to help with this. In the future, you should be able to chat using Campfire. However, a separate chat feature in Pokémon GO is probably not yet planned.
But some players see this critically because, after all, Campfire is an external app, and you would always have to switch for coordination. Kangabolic writes in the comments:
Isn’t this a completely separate app that we have to manage simultaneously rather than just being a game function?
Don’t get me wrong, I will use it if I can register for it, but come on. It’s 2022, and the technology is there to do this in-game. Just another way Niantic is lazy and clunky without providing a real explanation.
Kangabolic via reddit.com
Are there any ways not to lose the pass?
Inviting again: You can invite trainers again as long as the raid is ongoing. If they have already invested their raid pass, they can use it until the raid boss disappears from that arena or you complete the raid.
You should definitely do this if you have unexpectedly left the lobby.
Alleged tip to secure your pass: Another supposed tip can be found in the Reddit comments from user Sonicdash24. With this, you should be able to retrieve your pass even after the raid starts.
According to this, you can create a team before the raid that doesn’t include any monsters that are dead, or are not battle-ready. When you are invited to a raid, you can initially set that team.
When the raid starts, you will immediately land in the raid lobby due to your team choice and can see how many players are there. If too many have dropped, you should leave the lobby at this point and restart the game to secure your pass. For Android users, it should be sufficient to leave the lobby.
If you want to make sure that you don’t suddenly stand alone in a raid, it’s best to play with people you know and can coordinate with.
What are your experiences with remote raids? Have you also been left standing alone in the lobby and lost your pass? Or do you sometimes leave the raid before it starts yourself? If so, why do you do that? Let us know here on MeinMMO in the comments and exchange ideas with other trainers.
In the upcoming weeks, a lot is happening in Pokémon GO. We show you all events in September and which ones are particularly worthwhile.
