Pokemon Go players seem to be coming to a general consensus as of late: the drop rate for Rare Candy from Tier 5 raids seems to have been reduced, while the rate for Tier 3 raids seems to have been increased.
While this change has not been confirmed by Niantic yet, Players have been taking to social media outlets and reporting that Tier 5 raids were giving out far less Rare Candy than before, with many players reporting 1-3 Rare Candies per raid, and others claiming to have received none what so ever.
Traditionally, Tier 5 raids have been the main source of rare items such as Rare Candy and TMs, as this Silph Road article has outlined. However, the recent change has left many players wanting for rewards after their raids.
On the other side of the coin, players are reporting an increase in rare candy from Tier 3 raids, with many reporting 6, 9, or even 15 candy per raid. Note that this is not a guaranteed outcome for a given raid, but it does seem to be happening enough to be noticeable to many players.
What This Means for Players
For the first time ever, Tier 5 raids may not be the end-all goal. Assuming that this isn't a glitch or temporary rebalance, players now have a choice to make:
Spend their raid passes catching the current Legendary Pokemon, or spend it on a generally less important raid boss for better rewards.
Expected Outcome
As word of this change gets out, more and more players will likely begin working on Tier 5 raids just to catch a good version of the current Legendary, then switch to Tier 3 in order to farm resources. This puts more emphasis on solo raiding in order to maximize rewards and raid flexibility.
This change is very interesting. Based on all of the evidence, Niantic has to be aware of the fact that many players put an emphasis on soloing Tier 3 raids, meaning this could very well be the first shift in favor of solo play that we've seen in regard to this system. While this will likely result in fewer raid pass purchases by players hunting the current Tier 5 raid boss, Terrakion, it may very well lead to more purchases by solo players who are seeking to fill up their rare candy reserves. Perhaps this is the perfect time to begin looking into Draft formats in order to make this rewarding gameplay more interesting?
For better or for worse, this change is all but confirmed. It could change at literally any moment, but it's best to at least be aware of it and plan your raiding activities accordingly. So what do you think of this change? Have you noticed the reward shift in raids recently? Let us know what you think in the comments below!
