Rural Pokemon GO Players Furious Over Mega Rayquaza Elite Raids

Mega Rayquaza is returning to Pokemon GO at the end of June, but players from rural areas are not excited. In fact, some rural players are furious as Mega Rayquaza will only appear in Elite Raids, barring Remote Raiders from joining in.

Mega Rayquaza Elite Raids Leave Rural Players Distraught

On May 28, Niantic announced that Mega Rayquaza would return to Pokemon GO during a Raid Day event at the end of June. However, it was later revealed that the Raid Day event would actually be an Elite Raid event, squashing the hopes and dreams of several Rural Players.

If you don’t know, Mega Rayquaza is arguably the most powerful Pokemon in Pokemon GO when it comes to raiding. Even if its typing doesn’t fit well against the Raid Boss, it is still a top pick because of its sheer strength. So, it’s normally a pretty big deal when Mega Rayquaza comes back for a short time.

That said, Elite Raids are in-person-only events, meaning players can’t use Remote Raid passes to join from a distance as they can during traditional Raid Days. This means, players in rural communities who don’t have access to a large enough player base are locked out of the event.

This disappointment has been reflected on Reddit as several rural players have made posts expressing their discontent. Some, like user Entire_Pineapple4732, have gone as far as to call Niantic’s actions intentional. However, Elite Raids are likely a way for Niantic to enforce its “playing together” motto while making actual explorations and community play more enticing with a crown jewel of a raid boss.

The biggest issue is that players seem to want to get outside and play with others, but some are from communities where that is impossible. Making Mega Rayquaza raids Elite Raids effectively shuts rural players out of an opportunity to catch one of the best Pokemon in Pokemon GO.