For the first time ever, Shadow Raids can be done remotely in Pokémon GO

In a surprise announcement, Niantic have announced that this weekends Shadow Ho-Oh Raids will be able to be done remotely. This is the first time that any Shadow Raid has ever been able to be done remotely in Pokémon GO history.

The ability to do Shadow Raids remotely has been a long-time request from Pokémon GO Trainers. Shadow Ho-Oh is in Five-Star Shadow Raids from 2 p.m. until 5 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 19.

The upcoming Shadow Ho-Oh Raid Day in Pokémon GO is the latest of several powerful Shadow Legendary Pokémon to return to the game through Raids. Shadow Legendary Pokémon start as an encounter after beating Giovanni, and then eventually move their way across to Raids.

Shadow Legendary Pokémon appear on Saturdays and Sundays, with one Legendary featured each month or via Raid Days. Recent Shadow Raid Days have included Shadow Lugia and Shadow Mewtwo.

However, this has not been a universally popular system. Shadow Raids are tough to beat. You need plenty of Trainers and plenty of Purified Gems in order to take them down. With Shadow Pokémon doing more damage than their standard counterparts, these are very useful.

But, for rural players and those without lots of people to play with they have been very inaccessible. You have never been able to use a Remote Raid Pass to join a Shadow Raid. If no one is around to battle a Raid, you're out of luck.

There was always some irony there. Shadow Pokémon are good, but if you have a big community for Raids the extra power won't really be noticeable. Where they make a huge difference is if you are trying to solo or duo Legendary Raids.

That meant that the Pokémon GO players who most need access to Legendary Pokémon like Shadow Ho-Oh couldn't access it very easily.

That is why this change has been hugely welcomed, and will be a huge boost to rural players in Pokémon GO. There is also the great bonus that the IV spread for Shadow Ho-Oh battled remotely will be tighter. The 6/6/6 floor is being raised, meaning you aren't wasting a Remote Raid Pass on a very poor IV Pokémon.

It's not all good news though, for now. Niantic have clarified that the Remote Raid limit is still in place this weekend. In addition, at least at the moment, this is a one-time benefit. Once Shadow Ho-Oh Raid Day ends, Shadow Raids in Pokémon GO will go back to being local only.

It is likely that Niantic want to review the impact of this change. Do people want to Raid remotely? Does this reduce the number of people meeting up to take on these Raids? It would be a surprise if we never saw another Shadow Raid that could be done remotely again, but for now, enjoy it while it lasts.

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