Despite having been first introduced to Pokemon GO back in 2017, Gym Raids have not changed much at the technical level, so an overdue update for its combat should look to Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's Tera Raids and take notes. Though the battle mechanics in Pokemon GO were significantly scaled back to fit within the game's mobile format, Niantic did its best to emulate the mainline games from Pokemon moves to trainer teams. However, while Niantic has since introduced Mega Raids and Shadow Raids as Pokemon GO evolves, its combat system has had few updates to keep pace.

Though it might still face the limitations of mobile gaming, Niantic need only turn to the likes of Scarlet and Violet for ideas on how it could round out its battle mechanics. As part of its new Terastallization gimmick, Scarlet and Violet's own Tera Raids refined its raid battles following on from Pokemon Sword and Shield with new features beyond brute force attacks. Since Pokemon GO faces a similar challenge, Niantic has the ideal opportunity to take the lessons Scarlet and Violet have already learned and adopt the same improvements for its own Gym Raids.

RELATED: Pokemon GO Players Point Out Game is Still Missing Important Feature After Six Years

Cheers During Pokemon Raids

During Scarlet and Violet's Tera Raids, players have the option to cheer instead of performing a Pokemon move. While this is limited to three uses each raid, it not only has priority over other Pokemon moves, but it gives both the player and their fellow teammates' Pokemon a beneficial effect at random, such as a stat boost, curing certain status conditions, or even recovering some HP. If used strategically, players no longer need to resort to battles of attrition and can help both themselves and other raid members in taking down Raid Pokemon more effectively.

With this in mind, it would improve Pokemon GO's Raids for players if they didn't have to always rely on overwhelming Raid Pokemon by numbers alone. Though some Scarlet and Violet's benefits can't be exactly replicated in Pokemon GO, Niantic could still adopt certain elements cheering has like boosting stats and healing HP. Cheering could even reflect Pokemon GO's different approach to raids with a range of alternative effects that add additional time, stun the Raid Pokemon for a short period, and more to help give players more of an edge during battles.

Callouts During Pokemon Raids

Scarlet and Violet also added the choice of four new "Callouts" during Tera Raids, but unlike cheering, these didn't have any kind of interaction with the raid itself. Given these were generic phrases calling for help, offering thanks, or rallying cries, Scarlet and Violet's Callouts seem to be its interpretation of player-to-player communication akin to something like Dark Soul's gestures. At face value, there would seem to be little point in adapting these Callouts unless Niantic also wanted to let its players connect during raids similar to how Pokemon GO uses postcards and stickers sent between in-game friends.

But there could be hidden potential for Callouts if Pokemon GO took them in a new direction, where instead of being used between players, they were used to directly interact with the Raid Pokemon. Since Pokemon GO's current approach is for all participating players to attack at once, Callouts could be used to distract Raid Pokemon and get its attention similar to moves like Follow Me. If balanced with "tank" Pokemon like Blissey or Snorlax who can endure the damage, Callouts could refine players' raid strategies where some Pokemon take the hits so that others can sweep the raid.

Pokemon GO is available now for Android and iOS devices.

MORE: Pokemon GO's Buddy System Should Take Notes From a Gen 6 Mechanic