Pokémon Go’s new Master Ball research has one task that will ‘block’ a lot of players

The powerful, no-miss Master Ball is a scarce Pokémon catcher in general, but it’s even rarer in Pokémon Go. Luckily, players can earn one right now by completing the new Master Ball Research. But Niantic may have stretched things a bit too far with one of these Research tasks—and those who aren’t particularly fond of raids aren’t happy.  

Niantic has put up only two Master Balls in Pokémon Go so far. If you missed out on the first Master Ball during the Season of Gems in May, don’t worry—you can grab the second one. It’s available as part of the Timed Investigation Research in the Season of Adventures Abound, which began on Sept. 1. 

To earn the game’s second Master Ball, you’d have to complete 10 Research tasks by Nov. 21, and one of them requires you to complete 60 raids. While it may not seem much for those who participate in in-person raids regularly or don’t mind spending money on Remote Raid passes, for players who don’t, it’s an annoying thorn in their path to earning that precious Master Ball.

In a Reddit post dated Sept. 5, a player named targaryen0125 claimed that having to complete 60 raids is too much. “Am I the only one who doesn’t win raids or can get enough people to join me in raids? And I live in NYC!” they said.

Raiding in Pokémon Go can be slightly problematic in small cities, where players may not find enough people to join them. It’s not or shouldn’t be an issue in big cities. But despite residing in New York City, this player doesn’t have “enough people” to raid with, which is surprising and concerning. 

Of course, other players weren’t happy with the task either, and one player even described it as the one task that would “block” them from completing the Research. “I’m not often free to go run to my nearest gym to do a raid, and I’m sure not buying 60 remote passes,” they said.

Be that as it may, players also acknowledged that the Research is difficult as a whole. Tasks like having to make 120 Excellent Throws, hatch 30 Eggs, walk 50 kilometers, and more aren’t simple either. By that logic, raiding 60 times doesn’t seem unreasonable.

It definitely looks like Niantic wants players to ‘touch grass’ a bit more than usual. After all, Pokémon Go was created for a reason.