Pokemon Go Research Event Preps Players for 5-Star Max Battles

Many Pokemon Go fans were initially excited when Niantic announced that Dynamax Pokemon were coming to the mobile game. However, since Max Battles arrived in Pokemon Go, many fans have been underwhelmed by the new mechanic. This is partly due to the high cost of actually prepping up for more difficult Max Battles and newly introduced Gigantamax Battles. Now, Niantic has introduced a new lead-up research event to combat this problem, encouraging players to get ready before the new 5-star Max Battles arrive.

Max Battles function similarly to Raids, except with a few key – and often frustrating – differences. Only Pokemon that can Dynamax can join battles, and the only way to get these Pokemon is through Max Battles. As the initial introduction of Dynamax Pokemon included familiar starters many fans have already caught, some trainers more or less ignored the Max Battles until something more exciting came along. Unfortunately, that made it difficult to actually participate, since trainers need solid Dynamax teams, as well as a stash of the Max Particle currency, to take on Max Battles.

Gigantamax Battles only added to this issue, causing many players to give up on those Power Spots altogether. However, Niantic isn’t ready to back down from the new feature just yet, and are poised to add the Legendary Birds Articuno, Moltres, and Zapdos to the fun. Dynamax versions of these three Pokemon will soon arrive in Max Battles of a brand-new 5-star difficulty. Given how poorly amping up the difficulty has gone with Max Battle mechanics so far, it seems Pokemon Go is trying to help players prepare better this time.

New Pokemon Go Lead-Up Timed Research Arrives Ahead of New Legendary Bird Max Battles

Dynamax Articuno, Dynamax Moltres, and Dynamax Zapdos will each debut on their own special Max Monday event. This begins with Dynamax Articuno, who debuts on January 20th and will appear in 5-star Max battles for a full week afterwards. However, Niantic isn’t just throwing trainers into the ring with a new battle type this time around. Instead, they’ve introduced a new Legendary Flight Lead-Up Timed Research for each of the three 5-star Max Battles.

The Legendary Flight Lead-Up research will start the weekend before each new bird debuts in 5-star Max Battles. These Research tiers are essentially designed to hold players’ hands for what they need to do to be ready for these tougher battles. The tasks include things like collecting Max Particles, participating in Max Battles, and catching Max Pokemon – all good ways to make sure trainers have a strong team to actually take down a tough 5-star Max Battle boss.

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In addition to the tasks themselves encouraging players to prep, the rewards will include encounters with Dynamax Pokemon. Each week’s lineup of reward encounters differs to ensure players can get a few Pokemon that will be strong against the upcoming Max Battle boss. For instance, the current event preparing players to face Dynamax Articuno in Pokemon Go leads to encounters with fire-type Max Pokemon like Charmander and Scorbunny.

In theory, these events should help players prep in a short timeframe if they still need to craft a solid Dynamax team. However, many trainers are more focused on just how tough this new tier of Max Battle is going to be. In some areas, it’s tough to gather large groups to take on tougher Raid bosses, making it tricky to win these battles even if the players have ideal teams. Since Niantic hasn’t revealed how many people will be recommended for these battles, it’s unclear just how feasible they’ll be for players in rural areas. At any rate, this event suggests Niantic is listening to player feedback about the difficulty level and trying to make changes.