Pokemon Go is getting a major update: Gyms, Raids and Legendary Pokemon

The details on the Pokemon Go Gym remodeling have now been revealed and there’s plenty to be excited about. However, for Niantic to make these changes, they’ve had to close all of the Gyms temporarily. This is the biggest update to the mobile game since it first launched last year.

New Gym Features and Updates

Players will be able to spin the Photo Disc at all Gyms to collect items, just like a PokeStop. In addition to this, Gyms are being modified so that teams now have six permanent slots which can be filled by the team who controls the Gym. Unlike the previous system, all Pokemon must be unique. The opposing team will also fight these Pokemon in the order they appear in the list.

Potentially the biggest change is the addition of the “Motivation” system. Pokemon at a Gym will lose their motivation over time and as they lose battles. In addition to this, Pokemon will temporarily lose their CP which makes them easier for the other team to defeat. To ensure that Pokemon don’t lose their motivation players will need to feed berries to their team’s Pokemon. If a Pokemon loses all of it’s motivation then it will return to the trainer.

Gym Badges

Interacting with Gyms around the world will reward players with Gym Badges. These Badges can be levelled up by battling, spinning the Photo Disc and giving berries to Pokemon in Gyms. Players will also be given some special rewards for levelling up their badges.

Raid Battles

These are a new and special type of battle which will be coming to Gyms. They feature co-op gameplay where trainers must work together to bring down powerful Pokemon known as the “Raid Boss”. Before the battle begins, all Pokemon at the Gym will return to their Trainers and a large Egg will appear on top of the Gym with a countdown timer. When the timer runs out, the Egg will hatch and the Raid Boss will be revealed.

To fight a Raid Boss, players will need to have a Raid Pass. All players have one free Raid Pass per day but more can be bought from the store for real money. Players will have five minutes to defeat the Pokemon before being given a chance to capture it. Those who take part in Raids on a regular basis will be invited to special Raids where players will have the chance to capture a legendary Pokemon.

New Items

As expected, there will be a range of new items which can only be obtained by defeating a Raid Boss. These items have a unique effect and can be used to make Pokemon more powerful or increase the chances of capturing Wild Pokemon.

If you’d like to read the full blog post dedicated to this patch then you can find it here.