While the newest season of Pokemon GO has been off to a strong start, it seems that a few key aspects of the game have been continuously criticized by the community for some good reasons. While there is the chance to add a new Legendary Pokemon to your team, you may need to employ the tactics of a door-to-door salesperson to find a team ready to bring them down. While more challenging raids are welcomed, the way that Niantic is handling them feels amateur at best and infuriating at worst.
Elite Raids Are An Elite Pain
With the introduction of Elite Raids in Pokemon GO, the intention to get gamers back out into the world after the COVID-19 pandemic was back in full force. However, one of the strangest features of the Elite Raids is the fact that gamers cannot call on the help of those that aren’t in their immediate vicinity, with Remote Raid Passes having zero use.
This decision completely isolates rural players, and with other rumored changes that may be coming for Remote Raid Passes, it seems that those that aren’t in busy cities are getting shafted by Niantic and their bizarre decisions. However, with the newest Regi-Legendary duo being added to the game as Elite Raids, players are not pleased with this choice.
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Elite Raids Remove A Key Part Of The Fanbase
It’s understandable to put an Elite Raid out there for particularly powerful Pokemon, there is no reason for Regidrago or Regieleki to be deemed as such. Hoopa (Unbound) is an abhorrently powered Pokemon, and getting a group together would be needed to do any sort of actual damage.
However, Regidrago and Regieleki both have a fair number of weaknesses, and they aren’t particularly well-known or well-loved monsters, so putting them as Elite Raids feels almost like a slap in the face to players that are hoping to add one to their team. Plus, with specific regions, such as the state of Wisconsin featuring some frigid cold weather during the March 11 Elite Raid for Regidrago, fans are going to need to become a popsicle for a chance to catch a Pokemon outside.
It feels weirdly tone-deaf that Niantic continues to push the idea of needing to get outside and get together with friends to take on Elite Raids in particular. They seem to be focused on specific areas, and forget a large portion of their audience exist when it comes to new gameplay additions. Learn from the past, and just let players enjoy the game how they want to, and stop trying to make Elite Raids the new normal at this point.
