How to Find a Mega Raid in Pokemon GO

As fancy as a Raid in Pokemon GO sounds, it’s usually not that big of a deal. It’s just one potentially strong Pokemon taking over a gym and taking all-comers, kinda like a kid proclaiming himself king of the playground. It’s when a teenager declares himself king of the playground that you need to start worrying. Tortured metaphors aside, today we’re on the hunt for Mega Raids.

Make Mine Mega

Contrary to a regular Raid, a Mega Raid is when a Mega Evolved Pokemon takes over a Gym, offering you and any friends the chance to try and dethrone it. Mega Evolved Pokemon are tough cookies, but they yield some pretty fancy rewards if you can knock them off their perches. Though, unlike regular raids where you get a shot at catching the Raid boss if you beat them, you won’t be able to capture your Mega Evolved opponent.

You won’t get nothing, though; defeating a Mega Evolved Pokemon grants you Mega Energy, which you can expend to Mega Evolve your own Pokemon (provided they’re the same kind you fought). A first Mega Evolution costs a decent amount, but after that first time, you can Mega Evolve again for much less.

How to Find a Mega Raid in Pokemon GO

It all sounds like a solid deal, so the million dollar question is this: how do you find a Mega Raid? Well, the bad news is that there is no surefire way to make one appear. If there was, everyone would be doing it, which would kinda take the fun out of it. However, there are ways of identifying Mega Raids before they begin so you can stay close by.

When there are Raids going on nearby, you can search for them using the Raid Battles option in your menu. You can also join a Raid battle anywhere with an invite from a friend. Normally, before a Raid begins, a Pokemon egg will spawn on top of the Gym, with its color indicating the Raid’s difficulty. However, if you spot a Raid egg that’s glowing and shifting between a bunch of different colors, that means a Mega Raid is about to get under way! You should also see the Mega Evolution symbol on the Raid indicator.

If you’ve got the guts and/or manpower, there’s rewards to be gained from taking down Mega Evolved Pokemon! Hopefully, you’ll get lucky and one will spawn near you.