Pokémon Go has updated Mega Evolution and Mega Raids, introducing Super Mega Raids. While yes, it’s a silly name and the changes seem daunting, it’s not actually that different. The main thing is that there is a new currency, Link Charges, which you can spend to participate in Mega Raids or the new Super Mega Raids. Super Mega Raids are harder than normal raids, but they do give better rewards.

Below, we explain what Super Mega Raids are in Pokémon Go, along with how to get Link Charges.

What are Super Mega Raids in Pokémon Go?

Super Mega Raids are a new type of raid battle in Pokémon Go, originally making their debut during Pokémon Go Tour: Kalos in Tainan, Taiwan and Los Angeles. These new raids will launch worldwide during the global portion of Pokémon Go Tour: Kalos starting on Feb. 28.

Before you panic, Super Mega Raids are not replacing all Mega Raids. Regular Mega Raids will still exist.

These are essentially just ramped-up versions of Mega Raids that require more people. Here’s a rundown of the differences, based on the blog post announcing the information:

• In Super Mega Raids, the enemy Pokémon can become “enraged,” gaining a shield and thus taking less damage.
• Trainers can take down shields, but each trainer can only take down one.
• During this “enraged” period, any Mega-Evolved Pokémon you have in your party will automatically get sent out.
• Mega-Evolved Pokémon can break shields easier. (Primal Reversion Kyogre and Groudon are not included in this.)
• Once all shields are broken, the “enraged” period will end and the enemy Pokémon will go back to normal until the end of the battle.
• Super Mega Raids (and Mega Raids, now) will start costing either Link Charges or Premium Battle Passes to enter in-person. Using Link Charges yields better rewards.
• To remote in to a Super Mega Raid, you’ll need to use both a Remote Raid Pass and Link Charges. Regular Mega Raids will still only cost Remote Raid Passes to remote into.

While not necessarily mentioned in the blog post, users on The Silph Road subreddit have already pointed out that Super Mega Raids do give a lot more Mega Energy.

Note that you do not have to break all the shields in order to beat the Super Mega Raid. Some players have already been able to take down Mega Victreebell (which has eight sheilds) with only four players. That being said, it’s likely that only experts with high-investment Pokémon will be able to do this.

Pokémon in Super Mega Raids seem to have a minimum of eight shields, with some targets like Mega Dragonite getting 10 shields.

How to get Link Charges in Pokémon Go

You can hold up to 600 Link Charges. Regular Mega Raids cost 150 Link Charges (or one Premium Battle Pass) and Super Mega Raids cost 200 Link Charges (or again, one Premium Battle Pass). As mentioned above, if you’re doing raids remotely, you’ll need either just a Remote Raid Pass for regular Mega Raids (no Link Charges), or a Remote Raid Pass in addition to the 200 Link Charges for Super Mega Raids.

Image: Niantic

There are a few ways to get Link Charges, according to the initial blog post mentioned above:

• Complete weekly challenges
• Open gifts from friends
• Checking into community meetups in Campfire
• Buy them from the store (200 for 100 coins, 600 for 250 coins)

As of writing this, none of the gifts we opened today yielded any Link Charges, but it may be that this hasn’t fully rolled out to everyone yet. We’ll update this post when we can confirm the amounts you get from the free options.