The recent Pokemon Go raids have been added with the recent update. These Pokemon Go Raid Battles offer some nice rewards, but there’s a raid level requirement to participate. A lot of people have been asking what level do you have to be to raid in Pokemon Go or what is a Raid Battle in Pokemon Go. This article covers what level you have to be for Raid Battles in Pokemon Go, as well as the basics of gym raids including how to get a raid pass in Pokemon Go. The Pokemon Go raid level requirement and the raid pass makes sure that new players don’t instantly jump into raids, and instead learn the ins and outs of the game before taking on the more challenges aspects. However, everyone who’s been playing for awhile should be high enough level to participate in these Pokemon Go raids after picking up a raid pass.
Minimum Raid Level
To participate in a Pokemon Go raid your trainer needs to be at least level 20 (formerly 35, then 28, then 25, but changed in an update on June 23 and June 26). Any trainers at level 20 and above are free to take on the new raids in the latest Pokemon Go update that should be rolling out to a number of gyms today. Not every gym has access to raids yet, but the feature will be coming to all gyms in due time.
Finding a Raid Battle
Once Raid Battles are live and ready to go in your area, you’ll receive a notification if a Raid Battle is happening nearby. Raids will also show up if you use the Nearby feature that was previously used to locate any Pokemon that were close to your location. When a Raid is about to begin a Raid Egg will spawn on top of a gym with a countdown timer to notify players how long it will be until the raid begins.
Join a Raid
In order to take part in a raid players will need a Raid Pass. In order to obtain a Raid Pass you must spin the Photo Disc at a local gym. There are normal Raid Passes and Premium Raid Passes. You can only get one normal Raid Pass per day, but you can purchase any number of Premium Raid Passes from the in-game Shop. One Raid Pass will allow you to join the same raid over and over again if you happen to lose your Pokemon during the battle. You won’t need a new Raid Pass just to reenter the same raid again.
Each raid lasts for roughly one hour. Nearby Pokemon trainers will need to take down the high CP raid boss before time expires. There’s no limit on the number of trainers who can participate in a Raid Battle, but you will be sorted in groups of 20. If you wish to participate in a Raid Battle with your friends, you need to join the raid privately to ensure you’re grouped today.
Once you find a gym with a Raid Battle going, hit the Battle button to be auto-sorted with other random players, or the Join Privately button to group up with friends via a group code. The group code can be found in the upper right corner once someone has joined the raid (via a public room). The game will confirm you have a Raid Pass or Premium Raid Pass, then you can view your group code in the upper right corner (to invite friends) and select your six Pokemon you want to battle and start playing.
Raid Rewards
If your group of trainers are able to defeat the Raid Boss you can capture the boss and earn special items. The special items rewarded include Golden Razz Berries, Fast TM, Charged TM and Rare Candy. In addition you’ll get Premium Balls that are required for catching a Raid Boss. The more impact your team of 20 had on defeating the Raid Boss, the more Premium Balls you’ll receive.
For more information on the new update, including how to earn coins, check out our Pokemon Go game hub!
