Pokemon GO's highly anticipated Max Finale event for 2025 has introduced an exciting new premium battle pass with an unexpected limitation that has caught the attention of the game's dedicated community. Throughout this remarkable year, the augmented reality game has continuously expanded with numerous significant events and additions, introducing both new Pokemon species and innovative evolutionary lines to keep trainers engaged.

The game's development team has consistently delivered fresh content, ranging from the introduction of Snom and Honedge evolutionary chains to the impressive Crowned forms of legendary Pokemon Zacian and Zamazenta. These summer events have now culminated in the spectacular Max Finale celebration, featuring a particularly special Pokemon encounter that has generated substantial excitement among players worldwide.

The Max Finale event represents a landmark moment for Pokemon GO enthusiasts, offering the first opportunity to acquire one of the most notable creatures from the franchise's eighth generation. This special occasion officially introduces Eternatus, the legendary Pokemon from Pokemon Sword & Shield, as the event's spotlight creature. Players can participate in raid battles against the fearsome Eternamax form of this powerful Pokemon, creating an unprecedented challenge for the community.

Eternatus appears exclusively in Tier 6 Raid Battles during the limited-time event, requiring coordinated teams of up to 100 trainers to successfully defeat this formidable opponent. However, the newly introduced premium pass for the Max Finale contains a significant caveat regarding its advertised rewards that has surprised many players who purchased the upgrade.

The discovery emerged when Pokemon GO player JustKitten_RightMeow shared details from a conversation with Niantic Support on the game's official subreddit. Their post revealed that the enhanced shiny encounter rates promised by the Max Finale Deluxe GO Pass might not be as comprehensive as initially believed by the player base. According to the support conversation, the improved shiny odds apparently only apply to Pokemon encounters obtained through the Pass's specific reward system.

This clarification contradicts the general understanding among players who interpreted the Pass's description as increasing shiny rates across all Dynamax encounters during the event. The support representative indicated that the boosted rates do not extend to other Dynamax encounters outside the specific reward structure, despite the Pass's promotional materials suggesting broader benefits. Niantic has yet to release an official statement addressing these claims beyond the individual support conversation.

The controversy surrounding the Deluxe GO Pass shiny rates coincides with several major changes implemented for the Max Finale event. Alongside the introduction of Eternamax Eternatus, Niantic has substantially increased the player capacity for Pokemon GO's Gigantamax Battles. The new 100-player requirement for Eternatus raids represents a dramatic shift from previous battle limitations and has generated mixed reactions within the community.

Some Pokemon GO enthusiasts have theorized that Niantic's decision to raise player limits for raids might lead to increased difficulty levels for these encounters. With more players able to collaborate against individual Pokemon, the game's balance and challenge dynamics could undergo significant changes that might affect future event planning and gameplay strategies.