Gym Rework News

So many new features are coming with the Gym system rework, and they sound amazing! This is a complete redo of Gyms and even more! We'll be going over everything here! Also, Gyms will be shutting down today, so claim your Defender bonus now! This article will be updated as news breaks (See Bottom).

1. Gyms will act as PokeStops

The Photo Disc of Gyms can now be spun like the Photo Disc of a PokéStop. Items will be rewarded in the exact same manner as PokéStops. The "GymStops" will award First-Spin-of-the-Day Streaks as well.

In addition, Gyms are getting a makeover. A new, clean, more area-like design is coming to Gyms. It is a major improvement from the current style.

2. species limitations

With the current system, a Gym could be stocked with ten Blissey, Tyranitar, or another common defender. This will (finally) be a thing of the past! Only one of each species of Pokémon may now be placed in one of the Gym slots. Only one Houndoom, one Dragonite, one Venusaur, one Machamp, one Feraligatr, etc. per Gym.

3. say goodbye to the prestige system and cp placement

With the current system, training up a Gym would be based on Prestige. To get the most Prestige, a Trainer would have to use a Pokémon with, at most, half of the CP of the opposing Pokémon. Also in the old system, a Gym had the potential of ten slots. Now, however, a Gym will have six permanent slots available to everyone of the corresponding team. In addition, the Pokémon placed in a Gym will not be battled based on their CP. Instead, they'll be battled chronologically (the order they were placed in a Gym).

4. the motivation system

One of the biggest annoyances of the current Gym system is seeing the same Pokémon sitting stagnantly in a high-level Gym for weeks, even months. Niantic is introducing a new system to combat this. As Pokémon sit in a Gym, their CP will now (temporarily) decrease. To raise the CP back up, a (same-team) Trainer must feed a defending Pokémon a Berry. It looks like Nanab Berries will now have more of a use! And, as we'll discuss later, a new Berry that completely restores health / motivation will be added.

5. gym badges

One of the things that comes to mind whenever one hears the phrase "Pokémon Gym" is Gym Badges. Niantic is finally introducing Badges into Pokémon GO. Interacting with Gyms in battle, Photo Disc spins, and Berry feeding will allow a Trainer to level up his or her Badges. As the level of a Badge is increased, increased bonuses and rewards will be available.

6. raid battles

The cooperative gameplay feature that Niantic promised is coming in addition to the Gym rework! Battling a Raid Boss with up to 20 other Trainers will be part of Raid Battles. Raid Battles are initiated in Gyms. Once a Trainer activates a raid, all Pokémon in a Gym will return to their Trainers and a giant Egg and a countdown clock will appear above the Gym. After the timer expires, the Egg will hatch and reveal the Pokémon that has to be defeated. In order to join in the Raid, a Raid Pass (more on those later) will have to be possessed. The Raid Boss does not have to be a first-stage Pokémon. The Pokémon will also have a ridiculous CP, meaning one Trainer cannot go at a Raid Battle alone. As pictured in the official screenshots, some Raid Bosses could be a CP25346 Tyranitar or a CP22646 Alakazam. Raid Bosses have to be defeated within a five minute time-limit. If participants succeed in defeating the Raid Boss, they'll have a chance to capture a rare Pokémon. The Nearby feature will also have a tab to show nearby Raids with the Boss you'll have to battle.

Raids will be slowly rolled out. Once Gyms are back up, some Trainers will be beta testing Raids. Niantic will slowly roll more Raid participants and Raid-friendly Gyms. Niantic's social media and PNN will keep you up to date on the Raid Rollout.

7. new, raid-based items

Four new items are being added, all available through Gyms and Raids. From defeating a Raid Boss, Trainers can be awarded Golden Razz Berries, Rare Candies, and / or two types of Technical Machines (TMs). Golden Razz Berries will increase capture chance of a wild Pokémon, which is great for rare encounters (Togetic, Unown, etc.). Golden Razz Berries will also completely restore the motivation of a defending Pokémon. Rare Candies can be given to a Pokémon and turned into more of that type of Candy. For example, feeding a Dratini a Rare Candy will turn into an undisclosed amount of Dratini Candy. TMs are a feature in the mainstream Pokémon games that allow for new moves to be taught to a Pokémon. Two types will be awarded in Pokémon GO after Raids, Fast and Charged. The two correspond with quick and charge moves, respectively. These will be very useful if a perfect IV Pokémon was given a terrible moveset.

As mentioned before, a Raid Pass is needed to participate in a Raid Battle. One Free Raid Pass will be awarded from a PokéStop each day. Each Trainer can only possess one at a time. In the shop, Premium Raid Passes can be bought. It is unclear whether a Trainer can only posses one overall Raid Pass or one Free Pass.