u/Cool_Breadfruit_1077

I know the usual "go outside" replies are coming, but hear me out: remote raids are one of the most accessibility-friendly parts of Pokemon GO, and the game treats them like a luxury add-on.

Lately I've been playing from the parking lot and sidewalks outside a rehab facility while my dad recovers from a stroke. Some days I can do a short loop and hit a few gyms. Other days I'm basically stuck waiting by his room or I have to stay nearby in case the phone rings. On those days remote passes are what let me join the current legendary rotation instead of missing it altogether.

I get why the game wants to encourage in-person play and build local communities. I like that too. But a lot of players are limited by work schedules, caregiving, disabilities, weather, or safety. When remote access keeps getting tightened or treated like a premium convenience, it feels like the message is: if you cannot play the ideal way, you get a watered-down version.

My hot take: in-person play should have small perks, like extra XL candy or a better IV floor, but remote access should stay stable and reasonably priced so people with real constraints can still participate.

How many of you use remote raids because you physically cannot be there versus using them purely for convenience?

Not sure if anyone else uses Counter:Side like this, but lately it has become a tiny daily anchor for me.

My dad had a sudden stroke a while back, and I have been bouncing between home, rehab, and a lot of waiting rooms. I used to play pretty intensely, tracking every timer and squeezing max value out of everything. That approach just added stress, so I rebuilt how I play.

Now my loop is simple: log in, grab mail, run a couple autos, knock out the bare minimum dailies, then spend a few minutes organizing squads and sorting gear. The weird part is that the gear sorting and small squad tweaks are the most calming. It feels like putting little things in order when everything else is chaotic.

Where it bites me is PvP and some endgame fights. My old habit was to brute force with whatever was top tier, and now I am deliberately keeping a smaller roster that I actually understand. It feels better, but progression is slower and I hit a wall more often.

For people who have played longer, what do you do when you want to keep the game low stress but still make forward progress? Do you focus on one team core and expand slowly, or maintain a wider bench for counters? Any tips for keeping gear management from becoming a time sink without turning it into a spreadsheet job?

I know gacha games build in FOMO, but I want this to be a comfort game, not another source of pressure. Any advice or routines that worked for you would be really appreciated. Thanks.