Pokemon GO has evolved a lot over the last four years and there's no shortage of things to do in the mobile AR game at any time these days (Especially during the month of GO Fest 2020). Whether players enjoy PvP, PvE, shiny hunting, or hatching eggs; it is very easy for trainers to find an activity and earn more of the game's most important resources doing what they enjoy most. All that said, Battle Raids are still one of the most popular activities in PoGO and probably the easiest way to quickly collect Legendaries and fill out the Pokedex.
Battle Raids are an easy activity to jump into for players who live near a lot of points of interest, but they do require a consumable item that costs real money after the first free one each day (most of the time). For years, it has been a point of frustration and complexity in Pokemon GO that Raid Passes are consumed when a player enters a Battle Raid lobby. This means that even if not enough players show up and it's impossible to successfully complete the Battle Raid, the Pass would still be consumed and gone. That's not the case anymore though!
A new update to Pokemon GO changes the timing of when Raid Passes, Premium Battle Passes, and Remote Raid Passes are consumed. With the new settings in place, the Pass won't be consumed until the Raid Battle actually begins. This means it is now safe to jump into a lobby and see if enough other players join along. If other players show up, then great, stick around. But if not, players can just leave the lobby before the timer runs out and they will still have their Pass in inventory.
This is a change that trainers have been requesting in one form or another for years and it feels like a very huge quality of life improvement now that it is here. The new functionality, especially combined with the convenience of Remote Raid Passes, make it easier than ever to successfully fire off a Battle Raid with little drama or confusion. There are obviously still other changes that could be made to continue improving the Battle Raid experience, but one victory at a time is worth celebrating.
As trainers continue working through all of these amazing events, they may want to keep hunting down the best Unova Pokemon in the game if improving their Battle Raid rosters and completing their Pokedex is their primary goal. Be sure to check back in the near future for more Pokemon GO strategy guides, news, and updates. Until then, good luck out there, trainers!
Pokemon GO is available now in select regions on Android and iOS devices.