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Complete Guide Updated March 2026 All Raid Tiers Covered

Pokémon GO Raid Guide: Everything You Need to Win Every Battle

25 min read All trainer levels 1★ through Elite Raids

Last verified against Niantic patch notes and community research: March 10, 2026

What Are Raids? Raid Tiers Raid Passes Premier Balls Boss Mechanics Weather Boost Shadow Raids Mega Raids Building Counters Raid Hour & Events Catching the Boss Shiny Odds Solo Raiding Remote Raiding Rewards Common Mistakes FAQ Summary

What Are Pokémon GO Raids?

A Pokémon GO Raid is a cooperative multiplayer battle in which up to 20 trainers team up to defeat a powerful Boss Pokémon stationed at a Gym. Raids are the primary way to catch Legendary and Mythical Pokémon, farm Rare Candies, Golden Razz Berries, TMs, and obtain Mega Energy for Mega Evolutions.

Raid Battles launched June 22, 2017, and have grown into the backbone of end-game content. Today raids span five formats — standard tier, Mega, Shadow, Elite, and Max Battles — each with distinct mechanics, rewards, and player requirements.

The core loop: a Raid Egg appears above a Gym one hour before battle, hatching at countdown’s end. Players have 45 minutes to defeat the Boss. Win, and you enter a catch encounter using only Premier Balls earned through your in-battle performance. Catch it and it joins your roster.

Understanding every layer of this system — from Boss HP scaling to the exact catch-rate formula — is the difference between burning through hundreds of passes with nothing to show and efficiently farming the Pokémon you need at the IVs you want.

Use these free tools at every step — they turn guesswork into data-driven decisions:

IV Calculator CP Calculator Stardust Calculator Damage Calculator Type Chart Catch Rate Calculator

All Raid Tiers Explained

Every Raid Boss is assigned a tier that sets its stamina, difficulty, and available rewards. The tier system has evolved since 2017 and now uses the structure below.

Tier	Egg Color	Difficulty	Examples
1-Star ⭐	Pink / Red	Solo — any trainer	Snorunt, Shinx, Sableye
3-Star ⭐⭐⭐	Yellow	Solo (strong) or 3+ casual	Machamp, Vaporeon, Gengar
5-Star ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	Dark / Black	3–8 players recommended	Mewtwo, Zacian, Lunala
Mega	Blue	4–10 players recommended	Mega Rayquaza, Mega Gardevoir
Shadow	Dark Purple	4–8; enrage mechanic active	Shadow Mewtwo, Shadow Raikou
Elite	Gold	In-person only	Hoopa Unbound, Regieleki

Tier sets HP, not catch difficulty. A Tier 1 boss with a 2% base catch rate is harder to catch than many Tier 5 bosses. Always verify using the Catch Rate Calculator before your Premier Balls run out.

October 2024 Move Duration Overhaul

In October 2024, Niantic adjusted attack timings to 0.5-second intervals across all Gym and Raid battles, changing DPS calculations for many top counters. Any counter rankings published before October 2024 are outdated — verify with current Pokebattler simulations before every new boss rotation.

How to Get and Use Raid Passes

Pass Type	Cost	Daily Limit	Works For
Free Raid Pass	Free — spin Gym disc	1 per day	All in-person raids
Premium Battle Pass	100 PokéCoins	No limit	All in-person raids
Remote Raid Pass	195 PokéCoins	5 per day	Standard, Mega, Shadow

Free Pass Strategy

You can hold only one Free Raid Pass at a time — spinning when you already have one replaces it. Always use your daily free pass on the highest-value boss available: a 5-Star Legendary always beats a casual 3-Star for resource efficiency.

Remote Pass Cost Efficiency

At 195 PokéCoins per pass, the most sustainable source is Gym defending. A Pokémon earns 1 PokéCoin per 10 minutes in a Gym, capped at 50 PokéCoins per day. Seven days of a well-placed defender fully funds one Remote Pass daily — the cheapest method outside of events.

Elite Raids — Strictly In-Person

Elite Raids appear at specific EX Gyms during narrow fixed time windows. No Remote Raid Pass is accepted under any circumstance. These feature some of the rarest Pokémon in the game — coordinate a local group in advance.

The Raid Lobby

When you enter a Raid you join a lobby with a two-minute countdown. All players can swap teams and invite friends during this window. If everyone presses Ready, the timer drops to 10 seconds. As of December 2024, Great Friends and higher can join a raid in progress via the Friend List without a direct invite.

Premier Balls — How to Maximize Every Catch

Premier Balls are the only balls you can use to catch the Raid Boss. Regular Poké Balls, Great Balls, and Ultra Balls are unavailable. Your entire catch attempt depends on how many Premier Balls you earned during the fight.

Source	Balls Awarded
Defeating the Boss (base)	5 balls
Gym ownership (your team controls it)	Up to 2 balls
Individual damage contribution	Up to 3 balls
Team damage contribution	Up to 3 balls
Best Friend bonus	4 balls — maximum
Ultra Friend bonus	3 balls
Great Friend bonus	2 balls
Good Friend bonus	1 ball

Maximum possible: ~17 Premier Balls — Best Friend + Gym control + maximum individual and team damage contributions.

The Group Size Trap

Optimal: 3–5 Players

Each player deals 20–33% damage
Maximum individual ball bonus (+3)
Up to ~15–17 Premier Balls each
Far more catches per rotation

Sub-optimal: 15–20 Players

Each player deals ~5% damage
Likely only 1 individual ball
Only ~6–8 Premier Balls total
Much lower catch success rate

Catch Multipliers — Full Stack

Throw Type	Multiplier	Catch % at 2% base
Regular, no berry	1×	~2%
Regular + Golden Razz	2.5×	~5%
Curveball + Golden Razz	4.25×	~8.5%
Great + Curveball + Golden Razz	~5.3×	~10.5%
Excellent + Curveball + Golden Razz	~7.25×	~14.5%
Excellent + Curve + Golden Razz + Gold Medal	~9.4×	~18.8% — Max

The Circle Lock Technique

Hold the Poké Ball to start the catch ring animation — the colored ring begins shrinking immediately. Keep your finger pressed down and do not release under any circumstance until you are ready to throw.

Wait for the ring to reach Excellent size — its absolute smallest point — then keep holding. The ring locks at Excellent size for as long as you maintain pressure, eliminating the need to time both the ring and throw simultaneously.

Watch the Boss’s attack animation while still holding. When it finishes and returns to idle center position, release the ball. The locked Excellent ring guarantees an Excellent-zone hit every time.

Spin before releasing for the curveball bonus — rotate your finger in a circle while holding, then flick toward the Boss. Excellent + Curveball + Golden Razz on every throw is the maximum catch rate achievable per Premier Ball used.

Raid Boss Mechanics: HP, CP, and the IV Floor

Boss CP vs. Catch CP

The massive CP above the Raid Boss during battle — often 50,000–100,000+ — is not the CP of the Pokémon you will catch. It is a combat-only value computed by a Raid Scalar formula that artificially inflates HP and power. This has zero relationship to the catch-screen CP.

The catch CP uses the standard formula with true base stats at Level 20 (or Level 25 if weather-boosted). Use the CP Calculator to know the exact CP before your next raid.

The IV Floor

Standard Raid Floor

Minimum: 10/10/10 (66.7% perfect)
Hundo (15/15/15): ~1-in-216 chance
Weather boost doesn’t change IV odds
96%+ is realistic with patience

Shadow Raid Floor

Minimum: 6/6/6 (40% perfect)
Shadow hundo: ~1-in-1,296
+20% Attack bonus offsets lower IVs
96%+ Shadow is genuinely rare

Appraise every raid catch immediately using the IV Calculator — enter CP, HP, and Stardust cost to power up to see all possible IV combinations before spending any resource.

Raid Boss HP Reference

Tier	Boss HP	Players Needed
1-Star	600	Solo
3-Star	3,600	1–2 strong / 3+ casual
5-Star	10,000	3–8 depending on counters
Mega	15,000	4–10 depending on counters
Shadow 3-Star	3,600	2–4 (enrage active)
Shadow 5-Star	10,000	4–8 + Purified Gems

Weather Boost: Level 20 vs. Level 25

Weather boosts certain attack types by +20% damage during battle — for both your attackers and the Boss’s moves. More critically, a weather-boosted Boss appears at Level 25 on the catch screen instead of Level 20, saving you significant Stardust on any Pokémon you plan to max. Calculate exact savings with the Stardust Calculator.

Weather	Boosted Attack Types
Sunny / Clear	Fire, Grass, Ground
Partly Cloudy	Normal, Rock
Cloudy	Fairy, Fighting, Poison
Rainy	Water, Electric, Bug
Windy	Dragon, Flying, Psychic
Snow	Ice, Steel
Fog	Dark, Ghost

Weather boost does NOT improve IV odds. The 10/10/10 floor is identical regardless of weather — only the catch level changes from 20 to 25. If you are purely hunting a hundo, there is no benefit to waiting for weather boost.

Shadow Raids: The Complete Breakdown

Shadow Raids launched May 22, 2023. As of May 13, 2025, they support Remote Raid Passes — opening Shadow Legendaries to global remote coordination for the first time.

Mechanic	Standard Raid	Shadow Raid
IV Floor	10 / 10 / 10	6 / 6 / 6
Remote Raid Pass	✅ Allowed	✅ Since May 2025
Team Premier Ball Bonus	✅ Yes	❌ No
Enrage Mechanic	❌ No	✅ 3-star & 5-star
Purified Gems Required	❌ No	✅ Yes

How to Handle the Enrage Mechanic

Collect Shadow Shards by defeating Team GO Rocket Leaders and completing Shadow Raids. Stock them before attempting any 5-Star Shadow Raid — you will need multiple Purified Gems per run.

Craft Purified Gems by combining 4 Shadow Shards at the crafting screen. Bring at least 2–3 Gems into every 5-Star Shadow Raid — a single Gem may not cover the full enraged phase duration.

Deploy the Gem at the right moment — one player’s Gem subdues the Boss for the entire lobby simultaneously. Coordinate via chat before the raid starts so you don’t all waste Gems at once during the same enrage phase.

Mega Raids and Mega Energy

Mega Raids feature Mega Evolved Pokémon and reward Mega Energy for that species. Having a Mega-evolved Pokémon of the same type as the Raid Boss grants a 10% damage boost to every other player in your lobby plus an extra Premier Ball — one of the highest single-trainer contributions possible.

March 2026 Mega Raid Schedule

Dates	Mega Boss	Types	Shiny
Feb 21 – Mar 4	Mega Absol	Dark	✅ Available
Mar 4–10	Mega Pinsir	Bug	✅ Available
Mar 11–17	Mega Steelix	Steel / Ground	✅ Available
Mar 18–24	Mega Slowbro	Water / Psychic	✅ Available
Mar 25–31	Mega Houndoom	Dark / Fire	✅ Available

How to Build Your Raid Counters Team

A Pokémon’s type determines which attacks deal super-effective damage (×1.6 in Pokémon GO). Dual-type bosses combine both types’ weaknesses and resistances. A Pokémon using a neutral move deals roughly 63% of the damage of one using a super-effective move — the type matchup gap is enormous across 6 team slots. Use the Type Chart before every new boss, no exceptions.

Counter Tier Reference

Tier	Examples	Why Use Them
S — Shadow	Shadow Machamp, Shadow Mewtwo, Shadow Rayquaza	+20% Attack bonus
S — Mega	Mega Lucario, Mega Rayquaza, Mega Gardevoir	Highest raw DPS + team boost
A — Standard	Lucario, Garchomp, Mewtwo (standard)	Reliable, durable, widely available
B — Legacy	Legacy move variants, older picks	Still useful for filling slots

Player Count Guide for 5-Star Raids

Counter Quality	Min Players	Comfortable
Max-level Shadow / Mega counters	3	4
Mixed quality (some maxed, some mid)	4	5–6
Casual / newly powered counters	6	8+
Sub-optimal or new trainers	10	Full 20-person lobby

Use the Damage Calculator to model your team’s DPS output and confirm the minimum player count before entering the lobby.

Raid Hour, Raid Day, and Special Events

Raid Hour — Every Wednesday 6–7 PM Local

Every Wednesday from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM local time, most Gyms simultaneously host the current featured 5-Star Boss — the single best recurring time to chain multiple raids back-to-back. Remote raiding via Discord or Campfire during Raid Hour chains lobbies rapidly even from home.

March 2026 Five-Star Schedule

Dates	Boss	Shiny Available
Feb 21 – Mar 4	Lunala	✅ Yes
Mar 4–10	Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres	✅ All three
Mar 11–17	Zacian — Hero Forme	✅ Yes
Mar 18–24	Zamazenta — Hero Forme	✅ Yes
Mar 25–31	Regieleki	✅ Yes

Raid Day Events

Raid Days run 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM local time with an exclusive boss at most Gyms. Most offer increased Shiny rates (~1-in-10) and sometimes an exclusive Legacy move. Missing a Raid Day Legacy move can mean waiting years for a second chance — treat Raid Days as the highest-urgency events on the calendar.

How to Catch the Raid Boss After Winning

An Excellent curveball with Golden Razz Berry and Gold type medal is approximately 9× more likely to catch the Pokémon than a plain throw with no berry. This single combination is the highest-return mechanical skill in all of Pokémon GO raiding. Always check base catch rate for the current boss using the Catch Rate Calculator before deciding your berry strategy.

Throw Timing — 4 Rules

Never throw while the Boss is animating an attack — the ball will miss entirely. Wait for the Boss to complete its attack animation and return to idle center position before beginning your throw sequence.

Use the Circle Lock technique — hold the Poké Ball to lock the ring at Excellent size, then release the moment the Boss returns to idle. This removes the need to time both the ring and the Boss movement at once.

Apply a Golden Razz Berry before every single throw — not every few throws. The buff disappears after one throw. When a Boss jumps, the circle remains centered; wait for it to land and the Boss to reset before releasing.

Spin for a curveball on every throw — rotate your finger in a circle before releasing. The 1.7× curveball bonus stacks with all other multipliers. Consistent curveballs are the mechanical difference between catching 3-in-10 and 8-in-10 Legendaries.

Shiny Raid Bosses: Odds and Strategy

Category	Shiny Rate	Note
5-Star Legendary (standard rotation)	~1-in-20 (5%)	Best persistent rate
Non-Legendary raid boss	~1-in-500 (0.2%)	Same as wild rate
Boosted event Legendary	~1-in-10 (10%)	During select events
Raid Day featured boss	~1-in-10 during event	Reverts after event ends

The 1-in-20 Legendary shiny rate is one of the best in Pokémon GO — far better than the ~1-in-500 base wild rate. You cannot see whether the Boss is shiny until you enter the catch screen after defeating it — the lobby always shows the standard color.

There is no pity system and no streak bonus. Every encounter is an independent 1-in-20 roll. Chain as many raids as possible during the boss’s rotation window — Raid Hour remote lobby chains via Discord or Campfire are the most time-efficient method.

Solo Raiding: What Can You Actually Beat Alone?

Tier	Solo-able?	Requirements
1-Star	✅ Yes, easily	Any reasonably levelled team
3-Star	✅ Usually yes	Level 35+ with powered-up counters
5-Star	❌ No	Requires 3+ players
Mega	❌ No	Requires 4+ players
Shadow 5-Star	❌ No	4–8+ + Purified Gems

The solo mindset trap: Coordinated groups of 3–5 are almost always more efficient — you finish faster, earn more Premier Balls through team bonuses, and increase total raids-per-hour. Use the Damage Calculator to confirm your DPS before attempting a solo run.

Remote Raiding: Full History and Current Rules

Date	Change
2020	Remote Raid Passes introduced (COVID-19 response)
Apr 2023	Price raised from 100 to 195 PokéCoins; daily cap set to 5 per day
Dec 2024	Great Friends+ can join via Friend List without direct invite
May 2025	Shadow Raids opened to Remote — first time ever

Where to Find Remote Raids

Campfire (Niantic’s official social layer) shows nearby raid activity and connects verified local trainers. Community Discord servers post raid lobbies in real time — search “[your city] Pokémon GO” on Discord. The subreddits r/PokemonGoFriends and r/PokemonGoRaids are consistently active during Raid Hours. The in-game Nearby screen also shows raids within a wider radius when a Remote Pass is active.

Raid Rewards: What You Get and How to Farm More

Item	1-Star	3-Star	5-Star	Mega
Potions / Revives	✅	✅	✅	✅
Rare Candy	Rare	Occasional	✅ Common	✅ Common
Golden Razz Berry	Rare	Occasional	✅ Common	✅ Common
Fast TM / Charged TM	✅	✅	✅	✅
Elite TM	❌	❌	Special events only	❌
Mega Energy	❌	❌	❌	✅ Featured type
XL Candy	Small	Moderate	Large	Large

Rare Candy is the most universally valuable reward — it converts to Candy for any species. Plan the full power-up cost with the Stardust Calculator and CP Calculator before committing Rare Candy to any Pokémon.

Common Raid Mistakes — and How to Fix Them

Using wrong counters: High-CP Pokémon with neutral moves deal 37% less damage than a lower-CP super-effective counter. Fix: check the Type Chart and Pokebattler rankings before every new boss — no exceptions.

Throwing without a Golden Razz Berry: A plain throw on a Legendary is ~2% catch rate. A Golden Razz Excellent curveball is ~19%. Fix: stock Golden Razz Berries regularly through 5-Star raids — they are standard reward drops.

Groups that are too large: 20-person lobbies dilute individual damage to ~5% per player, cutting everyone’s Premier Ball count. Fix: split into multiple smaller lobbies of 4–6 players so everyone earns maximum balls and catches more bosses per hour.

Ignoring friendship bonuses: Best Friend raids award 4 extra Premier Balls every single raid. Over a 7-day boss rotation at 5 raids per day, that’s 140 additional catch chances across your raid group. Fix: send gifts daily and invest in reaching Best Friend status.

Powering up before IV checking: Spending 100,000+ Stardust on a 66% IV catch is one of the most painful and irreversible mistakes in the game. Fix: appraise every raid catch immediately using the IV Calculator before investing a single resource.

Frequently Asked Questions

Most 5-Star Legendary raids require a minimum of 3–5 players using strong, type-appropriate counters at Level 35+. With top-meta Shadow or Mega counters, 3 players can clear most 5-Star bosses comfortably. Casual players or those with weaker teams should aim for 6–8 participants to guarantee a win within the 45-minute window. Player count recommendations on sites like Pokebattler account for counter quality — a team of 3 using max-level Shadow counters needs far fewer numbers than a team using random picks.

Standard Raid catches have a guaranteed minimum IV of 10/10/10 — every stat (Attack, Defense, HP) is at least 10 out of 15, making even the worst possible raid catch a 66.7% perfect Pokémon. Shadow Raid catches have a lower floor of 6/6/6. Weather-boosted catches share the same 10/10/10 floor — weather only raises the catch level from 20 to 25, it does not change IV distribution. Use the IV Calculator to determine the exact spread immediately after every raid, before spending any resources.

Yes — 1-Star raids are easily solo’d by any trainer. 3-Star raids can be solo’d by trainers Level 35+ using powered-up, type-appropriate counters; popular bosses like Machamp and Vaporeon are consistently solo-able. 5-Star raids cannot be reliably solo’d under current mechanics — even with max-level Shadow and Mega counters, the DPS required to beat a 5-Star boss’s 10,000 HP within 45 minutes exceeds what a single player can output. Elite Raids and Mega Raids also require multiple players in all practical scenarios.

The community-confirmed shiny rate for 5-Star Legendary Raid bosses is approximately 1-in-20 (~5%). This is one of the most generous shiny rates in Pokémon GO — far better than the ~1-in-500 base wild rate. During special Raid Day or event periods, the rate may increase to approximately 1-in-10. There is no pity system or streak bonus — every raid encounter is an independent roll. Chain as many raids as possible during the boss’s rotation window for the best shiny odds.

Premier Balls scale with your performance. Maximize them by: raiding at a Gym your team controls (+2), dealing high individual damage in small groups of 3–5 players (+up to 3), ensuring your team dominates total damage (+up to 3), raiding with a Best Friend (+4), and defeating the boss (base +5). The absolute maximum is approximately 17 Premier Balls when all bonuses align. Remote raids cannot earn the team Gym ownership bonus under current mechanics.

Shadow Raids are Team GO Rocket-themed battles at Rocket-controlled Gyms. Key differences from standard raids: a 6/6/6 IV floor instead of 10/10/10, Remote Raid Passes allowed since May 2025, 3-Star and 5-Star bosses become enraged mid-battle boosting their Attack and Defense, and Purified Gems are required to subdue the enrage state. Purified Gems are crafted from Shadow Shards collected by defeating Rocket members. Shadow Raids also do not provide the team Premier Ball bonus available in standard raids.

Raid Hour runs every Wednesday from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM local time, during which most Gyms in your area simultaneously host the current featured 5-Star boss. It is the single most efficient weekly opportunity to chain multiple raids in a short window. Remote raiding during Raid Hour via Discord or the Campfire app lets you join back-to-back remote lobbies from anywhere, making it equally valuable for players in rural areas where local Gym density is limited.

Failing a raid does not cost your Raid Pass — you can rejoin the same raid as many times as you like until the 45-minute window expires. Each rejoin restarts your team of six with a fresh clock. You must faint all six Pokémon to trigger lobby re-entry. Use this tactically: if your counter lineup is underperforming, deliberately faint all six to rejoin with a different team composition or to allow your best counters time to heal between attempts.

The Pokémon GO Raid Mastery Framework

Raid success isn’t about luck — it’s a system with clear inputs and calculable outputs. Follow this framework every rotation:

Know your counters before you join — Type Chart + Pokebattler, every single boss, no exceptions

Raid in optimally sized groups — 3–5 for 5-Star; never default to 20-person lobbies for the highest value bosses

Maximize Premier Balls — Best Friend + Gym control + individual damage = significantly more catch chances per raid

Master the Golden Razz Excellent curveball — the single highest-return mechanical skill in all of raiding

Appraise before powering up — IV Calculator first, Stardust commitment second, always

Use free tools: CP Calc · Stardust Calc · Type Chart · Damage Calc — all at pokemoncalculator.online

Information accurate as of March 2026. Raid schedules, pass costs, and mechanics are subject to change by Niantic. Always verify current raid bosses through the in-game news tab or official Pokémon GO social channels.