Pokemon GO dev acknowledges Shadow Lugia raid bug, makes catching it easier than ever as compensation

In an X post from the Niantic Support (@NianticHelp) account, the Pokemon GO developer acknowledged the presence of a major bug in the game that was afflicting Shadow Lugia raids. Owing to this issue, the raid boss could not be subdued even with multiple trainers using Purified Gems. This became a problem, as taking down Shadow Lugia became exponentially harder than it was designed to be.

The issue was reported by players in the GMT +14 to +10 timezones. Responding promptly, Niantic announced that the Enraged mechanic would be turned off for the remainder of the Pokemon GO Shadow Lugia Raid Weekend (August 10 and 11, 2024).

Additionally, Niantic announced that affected players living in the GMT +14 to +10 timezones would receive a Free Box containing Purified Gems and Premium Battle Passes in the in-game store.

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How will the changes to Shadow Lugia raids affect Pokemon GO players?

Shadow Lugia is notoriously difficult to take down even with the best counters because of how broken the Enraged mechanic is when applied to the Pokemon Silver mascot.

Usually, when Shadow Lugia, as a 5-star raid boss, loses one-third of its health, its Attack prowess increases by 81% (on top of the 1.2x boost being Shadow gives it), while its defenses are boosted by 200% (making up several times for the 20% Shadow debuff). However, with the Enraged mechanic being turned off, Lugia becomes much less of a threat.

So much so, that Pokemon GO Shadow Lugia raids can be beaten by two trainers with level 40+ optimal counters now. In comparison, earlier, it took at least four or five trainers of such capacity to take down this raid boss.

As a cherry on the cake, it was also discovered via datamines that Shadow Lugia's attack probability on the catch screen was also reduced from 0.7 to 0.2. This will significantly improve catch rates for the creature.

Overall, the glitch that prevented Shadow Lugia seems to have worked out for good. Thanks to the no-Enraged compromise and the lower attack rate in the catch screen, getting Shadow Lugia is easier than ever.

Check out our extensive Pokemon GO Shadow Lugia raid guide to learn about its weaknesses and best counters.

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Check out our other Pokemon GO guides:

• Ditto disguises
• Buddy Evolution Adventure Together guide
• Best Fast Attacks in Pokemon GO
• Sierra counters
• Cliff counters
• Arlo counters
• Giovanni counters
• Team GO Rocket Grunts