Pokemon Go trainers stunned after Niantic quietly ‘buffs’ Remote Raids

Pokemon Go players were left stunned after they discovered that Niantic had quietly ‘buffed’ Remote Raids, according to the Hidden Gems season blog post.

Many Pokemon Go fans are eager to leave behind Season 10 Rising Heroes, thanks to things like buggy and lackluster events leaving many trainers uninterested in the mobile game.

Additionally, Rising Heroes brought along one of the most controversial changes to Pokemon Go: the massive nerf to Remote Raid Passes, which members of the community are still unhappy about.

With the announcement that Pokemon Go Season 11, called Hidden Gems, will arrive on June 1, 2023, eagle-eyed trainers noticed that Niantic will ‘buff’ Remote Raids slightly going forward, though the circumstances are a bit confusing.

Pokemon Go trainers spot Remote Raid buff in Hidden Gems

A post on TheSilphRoad subreddit brought this quiet addendum to players’ attention.

At the bottom of the official Hidden Gems update page under the ‘Seasonal bonuses’ section, developer Niantic included the following blurb: “Previously a temporary Seasonal bonus, the damage dealt by Pokémon participating in raids remotely will be permanently increased to the same amount of damage dealt by Pokémon participating in raids in-person.”

Finally, Remote Raids damage has been permanently increased to match in-person Raids (previously a "seasonal bonus" until June 1st, 2023)
by u/TofuVicGaming in TheSilphRoad

The actual circumstances surrounding this change can be a bit confusing. When Remote Raid Passes were first introduced in 2020, Niantic initially imposed a damage restriction on remote raiders. However, trainers noticed that a “temporary Seasonal bonus” was also applied shortly after, which would essentially increase Remote Raid damage equal to that of those playing in person.

Though this bonus was meant to be temporary, it kept appearing again and again, with no concrete word on when it would disappear. Now, this news has effectively made the “buff” permanent.

The community reaction to the news was somewhat split, with fans praising and acting skeptical about the change in equal parts.

“Wow, didn’t expect that honestly. I really felt like they were going to nerf remote until it died,” admitted one Reddit user, while another said, “This is good news. I know they could do more, but not having that sword hanging over us is still nice to hear.”

Other fans seemed to think this update was too little too late. “I haven’t done and bought a single remote raid ever since they increased the prices. It has been great while it lasted but I won’t pay that much, said one trainer, while another agreed and said, “Nice, but not enough. I would have been fine dealing 80% damage and keeping the cost and [Pass number per] day the same.”

In the grand scheme of things, this update as part of Hidden Gems will only serve to help those trainers who still use Remote Raid Passes while playing Pokemon Go. Hopefully, Niantic continues to make small changes to appease the community going forward.