Pokémon Go gets new Shadow Raids to catch Shadow Legendary Pokémon

New raids are coming. Pokémon GoThis month, Shadow Raids. Niantic announced the in-person-only raid type on Thursday, giving players an alternate way to catch Shadow Legendary Pokémon like Mewtwo by battling in gyms. Shadow Raids will also introduce Shiny Shadow Legendary Pokémon to Niantic’s mobile game, and a new mechanic that will see players face tougher, “enraged” Shadow Pokémon.

Shadow Raids goes live on Pokémon Go on May 22, as part of the game’s Rising Shadows event. The debut of Shadow Raids will be a weeklong event, with one-star and three-star raids featuring Shadow Pokémon running Monday through Friday. On Saturday and Sunday, Legendary Shadow Pokémon will appear as Shadow Raid Bosses, starting with Mewtwo.

Shadow Raid’s five- and three-star bosses become more powerful as they battle players. Pokémon GoTo calm down this rage, players can now use the new Purified Gem item. Purified Gems can be assembled using Shadow Shards — earned by battling the lower-tier Shadow Pokémon throughout the week — and an item called the Shard Refiner, which players will get from Professor Willow.

Niantic says Pokémon Go’s new Shadow Raids are an opportunity for players to earn Legendary Shadow Pokémon that they weren’t able to get from battles with Team Go Rocket leader Giovanni. Shadow Raids also can’t be accessed using Remote Raid Passes, another attempt by Niantic to get Pokémon GoPlayers out on exploration and meeting in person

“The driver there is really to get players focused on getting out there and playing. Whether it’s Monday to Friday, [or] Saturday/Sunday, we really, really want that to be a main facet of the game,” John Funtanilla, Pokémon GoSenior producer told Polygon during an interview.

“This is an opportunity for players to catch Legendaries that they missed, [and] it’s going to be a lot more frequent. I feel like we’re doing players a service and saying, Work with your neighbors and fellow team members […] because there is going to be more chances to get Legendaries as they rotate in and out.”

Michael Steranka director of the Pokémon Go live game at Niantic, said the new system is designed as “an opportunity for us to get players a second bite at the apple,” if they missed a limited-time opportunity to get a Shadow Legendary Pokémon. But Shadow Raids aren’t designed as a replacement for the existing method of earning Shadow Legendaries.

“We still think at least as of right now that the Team Go Rocket rotations with Giovanni are still the best way to introduce new Shadow Legendaries into the game,” Steranka said. “But you know that that might be subject to change later on down the road if the right opportunity comes up to debut something.”

Funtanilla wouldn’t say which Shadow Legendary Pokémon are next in the rotation, but it sounds like Pokémon Go players will have much more frequent opportunities to get their hands on high-powered Pokémon through the new Shadow Raid system.

“In terms of the cadence on how frequently we swap the the Legendary Pokemon out — or even the tier-one and tier-three Pokemon — that’s something that we want to evaluate after players have gotten their hands on this and [we] see how long the excitement for a particular rotation lasts,” Steranka said. “It’s something that we’ll be evaluating and adjusting as players get their hands on the feature.”

Purified Gems, which players earn from other Shadow Raids and Team Go Rocket Grunt Battles, will provide an additional layer of strategic depth when facing higher-tier Shadow Raid bosses. Purified Gems can be used to counter the Enraged Modifier and help players farm more shards in advance of larger challenges. Players may also be able take down Shadow Raid Bosses by themselves, with only a few teammates, when they are equipped with debuffs. Or they may become a raid’s MVP, if they help feed Purified Gems on behalf of the whole team.

Steranka explained that Shadow Raids are designed to be “an evergreen mainstay within Pokémon Go, just sort of always happening in the background.” But it’s not the only major new feature Niantic has planned, he said.

“We view Shadow Raids as the tip of the iceberg, as far as new features and development in Pokémon Go for this year is concerned,” Steranka said. “I think this is maybe our most ambitious year yet in terms of how many new mechanics and features we’re planning to launch to our players. The summer starts around May’s end. […] and you’re going to see us really ramp up over the upcoming months and debut lots of new experiences for players.”