In Pokémon GO, raids will soon be possible from home. However, the information so far makes many trainers doubt whether the concept is really good.
This is the status of raiding from home: A few days ago, Niantic made it clear that they are working on allowing raids to take place from home soon.
Meanwhile, data miners have discovered several files in the code of Pokémon GO that show a rough concept of home raids. However, if the raids are actually implemented like this, it could lead to major problems.
This is the rough concept of home raids: Data miners have found a remote raid pass. You can use it to participate in raids from a distance.
The number of participants from a distance is limited, and the Pokémon of these trainers are supposed to deal less damage.
These problems could arise with home raids
The reduced damage could be confusing: Especially at the beginning, one does not know exactly how the reduced damage looks. While you can currently defeat Demeteros with two players, it might not work from a distance. Here one has to try a lot, and it is quite possible that you may not be able to gather enough players to do raids from a distance.
The limited number of remote raiders: So far, it is still unknown how many trainers can participate from a distance. If the limit is low, then it may be that you still need trainers who are at the gym.
Combining the reduced damage and the maximum number of remote raiders could lead to the situation where there are not enough trainers to deal sufficient damage.
The remote raid pass is only available in the shop: According to leaks, you should be able to buy the special raid pass in the shop. The price is still unknown, but many trainers expect that it will be at least as expensive as the normal raid pass. Others even suspect it could be more expensive, as it is, after all, a luxury not to have to go outside.
It also seems that you cannot get a remote raid pass for free every day. You would then have to spend money for every raid from a distance.
The coordination could be problematic: Those who are not in a community in their city might have trouble finding suitable teammates. After all, you can no longer see who is standing with you in front of the gym.
So, if you don’t make any arrangements, you have to go into the raids hoping that a teammate will join.
What do trainers say about it? The anticipation for the home raids was huge, but the findings of the data miners have disillusioned many trainers. Here we summarize some opinions from reddit users:
- whtge8: “Why is there a damage nerf when we have to pay for remote raids? If it were free, I would understand, but this pass will likely cost more than the premium raid passes. I just don’t get it.”
- XUndeadA55asinX: “And there goes all my hype for the home raids … Why don’t they just let us use the raid passes we already have?”
- Hollewijn: “I believe people will be reluctant to use a paid pass if they do not have the assurance that the raid will take place and be successful. If the remote raid is less effective, this actually leads to more uncertainty.”
- kamieniarz: “Remote raid passes will be sold in the shop – let’s hope they only cost one coin, but I just don’t believe that …”
Are there also positive voices about the concept? The fundamental idea of allowing raids from home during the Corona crisis is well-received, but the currently known concept is not very well received. Only a few voices are optimistic:
It could be the non-pandemic version of remote raids. I think if they are implemented, certain restrictions could be lifted, such as the number of players who can do this remotely, or even a further reduction in damage mitigation. This is comparable to the introduction of GBL, where the requirement of walking distance was lifted and the number of possible rounds was increased. The problem is that this is a new system, but we do not know whether it is a permanent addition or just something for the current situation we are all in.
AndyThatsSaysNi on reddit
Nonetheless, it must be noted that the voices are only based on leaks from data miners. Niantic itself remains silent on this topic for now. So one should wait for official information before drawing a final judgment on raids from a distance. Until then, one can take advantage of the Easter event bonuses.
