Niantic tests shorter Raid Lobby Timer for Tier 1 & Level 3 Raids of Pokemon GO

Niantic’s Twitter account (X), the official Niantic support account, has revealed a new potential update for quality of life that will be tested. Raid Lobby Timers will be shorter in Pokemon GO Tier 1 and 3 Raids as part of the QOL Update.

Announcement Post

We are testing tier 1, tier 3, and raid battles in certain regions. Trainers who are participating in Raids will have a shorter countdown before they start the Raid. The timer is 60 seconds in tier 1, and 80 in tier 3.

If the test proves successful, we can expect that these features will become permanent in Pokemon GO. The ‘Ready button’ was added to the raid lobby in August. The ‘Ready! This could speed up solo raiders’ raids as the button can only be used if all trainers are ready.

What is being tested and where?

Not a single report has been made about the game test. It may be that the raid test is not yet live. However, you can let us know if any test raids are found on social media. We will share screenshots and locations once we have them.

This is a great feature.

This is something that I think trainers wish they had earlier. Since Raids were introduced in 2017, the timer of two minutes has caused frustration to many trainers who have soloed raids during this time. Niantic is experimenting to make solo raids easier. Why wait two minutes to raid Espurrs that take only 10 seconds to kill?

Many people commented on the announcement and thought that trainers could press the button to prepare for Tier 1 or 3 raids. This is something I can agree with, but it could cause issues if the trainers don’t have enough strength to beat the raid.

After this “experiment” ends, it will be fascinating to see if this feature becomes standard for lower-tier raids.

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