There's no-one quite like Yanma, I'm sure you will agree

Today started well, there were 14 of us and I caught the Articuno. It went downhill after that, I turned up for two more Articuno raids and each time there were only about six or seven of us so it never got off the ground. I got lucky with the fourth raid, there were fourteen of us again so enough to take it down. Mine ran away but my son caught it so now I don't feel guilty about having one when he doesn't.

DS has done two legendary raids and caught both times.

I'm impressed with the organisational skills!

Ha ha The admin of our group is a teacher so she keeps us all well organised on times we're starting the raid at and so on. If you're late, you miss out!

Despite my inept bumbling around, I have acquired an Aritcuno and a beautiful Lugia

Congrats!

Thanks all, it's making a lot more sense now. I think all three of those things - people jumping out to help the next group, letting people in with a private group and separating into teams - happened at some point today. I'm impressed with the organisational skills!

Despite my inept bumbling around, I have acquired an Aritcuno and a beautiful Lugia so I'm pretty happy. I've spent all evening IV checking and generally sorting (with wine), possibly a slightly sad way to spend a Saturday night .

One raid was near work and was embarrassing so find some of my work colleagues turn up too!

Ha ha My manager (very senior) is also into Pokemon and let me have an extra break so we could go out and do a raid together

It's fun though and my step count has gone up massively this week! Met some great new people too. One raid was near work and was embarrassing so find some of my work colleagues turn up too!

Only done the splitting into teams once when too many people were there. Normally it's more trying to get enough people together to do a raid.

I'm level 32 and have taken down a 13k raid boss by myself

Oh yeah, that's a Level 2 raid. Level 2 raids can be soloed with the right Pokemon and movesets.

PikachuHeadgear Welcome! Private groups are for if you want to add someone to the battle after it's started. So one person creates the group, picks a code (e.g. Bulbasaur, bulbasaur, squirrel), and then everyone clicks on "private group", types in that code and uses that. If anyone late comes in you just give them the code and they can enter the battle.

There's no etiquette. We just turned up to the raids, asked if they were doing it too and they said "yes, and we've got more coming!" So we waited and then after the raid we were added to the WhatsApp group for our town.

So now every time there's a legendary raid someone mentions it on the chat and everyone says whether they can make it or not so we know if we have enough. If we don't have enough we don't go.

Our group doesn't split into teams, though. But it does work exactly like Ruhrpott's.

We even hang out all day sometimes just waiting to do raids, even though we don't really know each other!

Oh and we have a map which shows where raids are so can see where to go.

If more than 20 groups are formed/ colours etc and more than one raid is fought. Went to one raid where ended up more and more turning up and four raids were held one after another.

Our raids go like this. On an app called line people say where the raids are and ask who's going. Then people meet up there usually at a set time and wait around till everyone who has said they are going turn up. Sometimes random people just turn up and they are always welcome. Then when enough (9 for arty and 11/12 for lugia) and everyone there they say are we going in. Everyone agrees and clicks on join battle and uses a raid pass. Battle takes place. If enough people the legendary is always taken down fairly easily. Then everyone tries to catch it and cheers: commiserates with each other. Then usually ask where everyone is going next and either head off with them or go home.

Thanks Lotsofplans, there were more than 20 people so that also helps to explain it.

Cakes I think you have explained exactly what was going on. Thank you!

The biggest group I've done a raid with is 4, Cake! DS1 and I joined 2 other spotty teens for an exeggutor, this afternoon. 2 of us Instinct, 2 of them the blue one. Instinct got all the extra balls, since we're much higher level than they were so did much more damage.

Headgear I went raiding in central London today and a couple of times my group got to a gym to find that another group was about to battle. We all joined but that meant there wasn't space for all of the previous group to play (there's a maximum of 20 people). So we then all quit so that they could play together, and we formed our own private group to battle. It would have been rude to barge in and take over!
You can just join a raid, or form a 'private group' with a code.
If there was loads of people, we separated into our colour teams.
Hope that makes sense!

I''m moving imminently, so now I've got one of each legendary I don't need to ever see those people again! I'd just like to be a bit less clueless for when I get to the new place and Moltres is unleashed .

Cakes oh good shout, didn't think to look for those! Thank you

I've decided that one of my goals for the summer is to join a raid- It's the initial approach I'm nervous of, but I know it's worth it to get good Pokemon, items and XP!

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Bloody hell, Dr2, £519? Almost 3 times the price of my MotoG5 which runs PoGo perfectly well (except on the bus in a busy city centre surrounded by high buildings!)

Cottonwool I just look for the power banks attached to phones - if there's a large group at a legendary raid and all their phones are attached to a power bank there's pretty good odds they're playing Pokémon! And, to be honest, unless there's already 20 people, they'd probably be glad of the help!!

Pikachu people are getting quite savvy about raids. Our local group were chatting the other day about how they've figured out if you have 20 people doing a raid and then 9 others show up, if 10 wait until just before they've beaten the boss in the first raid and then exit it, they can join the 9 others in a second raid and both groups defeat the boss.

Also, like you said, people are splitting into their teams during popular raids to maximise the balls. Our city seems to be pretty evenly split between valor and mystic but we only have about 1 or 2 instinct members turning up to raids so they just join with one of us.

I've only just started getting involved since the legendary raids, before that I only did the lower level raids with some friends I have who play. But I've found everyone really friendly. It's worth looking for a local fb group to see what's being co-ordinated. Ours got too full so we're now having to use some other chat platform called discord (which I'd never heard of) just to fit everyone in! Makes it much easier!

Congratulations on your articuno

Headgear welcome

Congrats on the Articuno! I'm afraid I can't advise on the etiquette of raids- I'm yet to do a group raid myself. I have seen a couple of large groups gathered around a gym where a legendary raid is in progress. Of course, they must be there for the raid, but I can't bring myself to join in! I'm worried I'll approach and ask if they're there for the raid, and get a ' no?' In reaction! I'm not on FB so can't view any local groups either

To be honest, as long as you managed to defeat the boss and catch him, that's all that really matters right?

I've been lurking for ages, I hope it's OK to join in?

Does anyone understand how private groups work for gym raids, and what the point of them is? People around here have got themselves incredibly well organised with an FB group, and large numbers pitch up to the raids. But I'm a lot older than them and a lot bit shy. I've tagged along to a few raids and loitered around but I don't really understand what's going on. There's a huge amount of waiting around, then they all seem to know when to enter without anyone actually saying much. And I think they are separating into Mystic and Valor teams, presumably to maximise the number of balls they get. But I'm Instinct. This afternoon I just jumped into an Articuno raid with 9 but at least 25 people were standing around phones poised. We didn't quite do it so I went straight back in with 20 people signed in during the countdown, but they were telling some people to come out and join another group. I didn't really know what was going on so I stayed in, and we ended up with 15 when it started. Afterwards I sort of sloped off (with my new Articuno), but I'm a bit worried that I might have committed a faux pas of some sort? I don't want to piss people off but I've been to 4 raids now and I can't figure out what the hell is going on. I've given up and left a couple without even having a go.

Is there some etiquette I don't know about?

Just did a raid tonight with 7 of us and took down an articuno. Half of us were level 20 somethings. I was using my 4yr old DN account so his Pokémon were not the best. Just kept rejoining the battle when my mon had all fainted.

Have taken down an articuno with 8 in the raid group, and have heard you need a minimum of 12 for Lugia. I caught one in a raid group of 19!

Thought we'd give it a shot, we were there anyway and hoped anyone else was there like yesterday's... I'm level 32 and have taken down a 13k raid boss by myself so thought there might be an outside chance of three having a crack! Oh well

Three of us tried to take down an articuno earlier (levels 32, 31 and 25) and didn't even come close,

It wouldn't matter what levels you were, three would never do it! You need at least nine and even that's pushing it; you're better with about 12.

We don't even attempt with less than 9.