Pokémon Go update brings new features to Pokémon gyms, raid battles and more

The latest update of Pokémon  Go is now out and it brings a new set of gym features, raid battles and some new items. **Pokémon  Go** was launched about a year ago and took the entire world by storm. It had become a common occurrence to see people running around in the open with their phone trying to “catch em’all” as the **augmented reality** gained steam and traction worldwide. However, the hype has now considerably subsided and people have moved on. But the game still possess an enormous player base - around 65 million people as of April 2017. Here are some of the features of its latest update:   [caption id=“attachment_383952” align=“alignnone” width=“1280”]  Image: Niantic[/caption]   Pokémon  Gyms If you are currently visiting a Pokémon  Gym, you will be greeted with a “Pokémon  Gym under construction”. This plan is part of Niantic, the developer of Pokémon  Go, to revamp all existing gyms with the new update. “Very soon, Trainers around the world will be able to participate in a revamped Gym gameplay experience, including the opportunity to join together with others to battle against powerful Pokemon in the new Raid Battle feature,” reads an official blog post from Niantic. Previously Niantic had been employing a “prestige” system that determined how many Pokemons can be in a gym at once with a maximum limit of ten. The new update has removed the prestige method and introduced something new. More updates to Gym battles are also just around the corner. Gyms are no longer based on Prestige and training. Instead, they now feature six permanent slots that can be filled by the controlling team’s Pokemon. However, each Pokemon assigned to these slots must be unique. Each gym will now hold up to six Pokemon, with all six slots opening as soon as a gym is conquered and also each gym now has a badge you can earn and level up from Vanilla to Bronze to Silver and then finally Gold.   [caption id=“attachment_383954” align=“alignnone” width=“1282”]  Image: Niantic[/caption]   Raid Battles Another move by Niantic is to bring raid battles in to the game but it may take a little time to apply. A Raid battle is cooperative game play feature in which you can work with other trainers and try to defeat an extremely strong Pokemon called as the raid boss. Raids will roll out over a few weeks (high level players will see them first), starting at sponsored gyms. However you will need a Raid Pass before you can battle a Raid Boss. These Raid Passes are available for free (one a day) at a Gym, but you can only hold one at a time. Premium Raid Passes can be purchased from the in-game shop. Once you get your hands on a Raid Pass, you and up to 20 other Trainers work together to defeat the Raid Boss. New Items New items are also there to be collected which include items that can be only won after defeating the Raid Boss like Rare Candies, Golden Razz Berries, and two types of Technical Machines—Fast and Charged. A Rare Candy is a mysterious candy that, when used on a Pokemon, turns into that Pokemon’s Candy. Golden Razz Berries multiply your chances of catching a Pokemon in the wild. Technical machines can be used to teach your Pokemon new Fast or Charged attack.