We all remember how big Pokemon GO grew at launch but when the developers failed to deliver the features that we all wanted, the hype decreased dramatically. Now, Niantic has announced one of the biggest updates for the game yet which might bring back all the Pokemon fans to play the game again. Gyms will be improved, Gym Badges to be collected around the world, a new Raid Mode is to be expected, and new items to be introduced.

The Raid Mode has sparked a lot of interest due to its co-operative elements. It appears that you can team up with other players to defeat powerful bosses. These raids will take place at Gyms. You will see a large Egg appearing atop a Gym, when the countdown above this egg reaches zero, the Raid Boss will appear. Before you start fighting the Raid Boss you will require a Raid Pass which you can get for free by vising a Gym.

Once you activate your Pass, you and up to 20 other players can work together to defeat the Raid Boss. If you defeat the Raid Boss within five minutes, you will have the chance to catch the powerful Pokemon and add it to your list. Having mentioned Gyms, they are undergoing a major transition very soon! You will soon be able to spin the Photo Disc to get items, similar to PokeStops.

Gyms will feature six permanent slots that can be filled by the controlling team’s Pokemon, each assigned to each slot must be a unique Pokemon (Ex: One Pikachu Per Gym). As of the update, Pokemon defending a Gym will have a motivation meter and this meter decreases as they are defeated in battles which will in turn decrease their CP. However, you can keep the Pokemon motivated by treating it with Berries. Losing all motivation will result in the Pokemon leaving the Gym.

Furthermore, we mentioned new items coming to the game. In fact, some of the items will only be acquired by defeating a Raid Boss such as Rare Candies, Golden Razz Berries,, and Technical Machines (Fast & Charged). A Rare Candy will become that Pokemon’s Candy when used on it, Golden Razz Berries will increase your chances of catching Pokemon encountered in the wild as well as recover motivation meter, & Technical Machines allow you to permanently teach Pokemon a new Fast or Charged Attack.

Finally, in order for this update to become live, NIantic will temporarily disable all Gyms and once it has become available worldwide, Gyms will become functional again. The Raid Mode will be released gradually over the next few weeks but as of now the feature is in beta. More players will be invited to test the beta in the next few days. We are excited for this update and if you are too, then stay tuned with our website for the latest news on Pokemon GO.