In June of 2017, I was in a Pokemon Group Chat that reports Rare Pokemon on my local area. When Niantic released Raids for level 30 and above, I was eager to try the feature out. The problem was that by that point, Pokemon GO was almost dead in our community.- it was June 2017, after all.
Only a handful are active in our group. It was hard to form a group to beat a Tier 4 raid, but we managed to form one out of the handful active players in my group chat. The first one we beat was Lapras, so it was my just my second Lapras at that point. After a few raids, one of us found another group chat to join, and things went crazy from there.
With that group, we were able to raid a lot of Tyranitar, Snorlax, and Lapras, until Legendary Raids were released and Lugia was introduced along with the other Legendary Birds. At that point, I found a local Discord server where I meet most of my current friends in the game, and Pokemon GO became more fun.
Raids made Pokemon GO more fun
Raids changed the meta of Pokemon GO for the better. Before, most players play solo. You rarely form groups and if you do, you usually just see each other when a rare Pokemon spawns. Raiding encouraged players to form groups to fight a common enemy. You can’t play solo anymore if you want to be the very best like no one ever was. You need to find allies to battle with, even if you are from different teams.
It’s not only the rewards you get from Raids that are exciting. Meeting new people, sharing Pokemon GO experiences and information with others, competing to see which player gets the higher IV, who gets the Shiny Pokemon, who can do the most Excellent Throws, it truly added a social aspect in the game.
What if I’m new or I just returned to the game?
If you haven’t tried raiding, do find community or group chat to raid with. One of the best first step is to join a Discord Server. The Silph Road League Map is a great tool for that. You just need to find you country in the map and select the nearest server in your area. From there, you can introduce yourself and ask to join. If you want to keep up on what you missed in the game, this article will help you be up to speed on everything that happened on Pokemon GO. If you are planning to be active on gym battles, this article will guide you on gym etiquette.
If you’re not a new player but you saw someone new to the game, or a player who returned, lend him/her a hand. Even if the only Pokemon he/she has is a Pidgeot and Raticate, let him/her join the raid. Help new players with the current meta and soon, he/she will be good enough to help with the raid significantly. Having more players can only help with the longevity of Pokemon GO as a game
A Year of Raiding, A Year of Fun
I’m definitely grateful of the Raid feature of Pokemon GO. Without it, I wouldn’t have met any of my friends in the game, and I wouldn’t even be a writer here in Pokemon GO Hub. To celebrate one year of Raids, let’s all be grateful for Niantic for introducing a fun way to meet other people, and forming new friendships and communities while having fun with the game at the same time. This is something you would not find in most games.
Do you remember your first raid? Share it by commenting down below or even share it by replying to our tweet in this post. We would love to read your own experiences. I’m looking forward to reading some of them.
