You like to wander through the Wild Area in search of Pokémon, but you wonder how these large lasers work in the sky. Here is a complete guide to Max raids in Pokémon Sword and Shield. You will soon know the details of this new feature, which is very pleasant and can be enjoyed by several people!
Max Raids Battle
In the Wild Area, you will encounter some strange kinds of stones on the ground. These are Pokémon coves. If a laser comes out, it means that the cave is inhabited and contains a Dynamax raid. So the light beams are there to indicate the presence of a Pokémon Dynamax, or perhaps Gigamax.
You can engage in the fight alone or with others, online or in a local network. Whatever happens you will always need to be 4 (including yourself) to do a Max raid. The game will therefore fill the gaps with random NPCs with random Pokémon. This will not always be practical.
You will then face a Dynamax-enhanced Pokémon with a team of 4 players, each controlling only one Pokémon. Your goal is simple: to defeat the opposing Pokémon.
How does it work?
Approach a cave with a laser, look inside. You should have a small menu like the one on our screen below. You can then see the type of Pokémon to face, its silhouette and its difficulty (with the stars in the top left corner). That's when you can invite people to join you or change Pokémon for the upcoming battle.
Make the right choices!
Small precision in terms of difficulty, which is therefore expressed from 1 to 5 stars. It also affects the level of the Pokémon you are facing (which is not displayed anywhere else), as well as the quantity and quality of the loot you will get at the end of your raid. The difficulty of the available raids is slightly random but depends mainly on your number of badges and your progress in the main plot of the game!
Finally, you will observe two different laser colours when you walk in the Wild Area. Reds are normal raids, the most common. Purples are raids with more loot, and they are rarer.
Consult our guide for more details on the system of apparitions and reappearances of raids:
Detail of a raid battle
First of all, know that you can use the items in your bag normally as in the rest of the game (except for Poké Balls).
Here's what you need to know before you start fighting in a Raid:
- Pokémon faced in raids make a number of predefined actions in a row that are hard to predict.
- They put a shield on themselves that triggers every certain stage of the HP reached. The tank shield from one to six Pokémon attacks.
- You can dynamax only one in 4 Pokémon (you will have this opportunity each in turn, only if no one else does). The dynamaxed Pokémon removes 2 shield bars from the opponent per attack.
- Once the shield is removed, the Pokémon you are facing will lose health, defense and special defense points.
- You will lose the match if you have a total of 4 K.O. or if 10 game turns pass.
Why do Max Raids Battle?
You don't have to do raids, there are simply several advantages to do them and we will list them for you:
- Pokémon Gigamax shapes can only be captured in Dynamax raids. Their encounter is certainly random and very rare, but they are unique and very powerful specimens of Pokémon. Currently, their meeting rate is higher than normal. It is an event for the launch of the game (until early 2020).
- The loot obtained is very nice, some objects are also obtainable nowhere else: XP candy, Berries of all kinds, many DTs and ingredients for cooking.
- You can capture the Pokémon once you have defeated it. And it seems it's Pokémon is more powerful than average. Be careful, however, if you miss, it escapes and disappears.
Tips and tricks
Some of the items listed will seem obvious to you, others will not. We let you choose your advice:
- Choose your Pokémon carefully according to the type of Pokémon in the raid.
- Pokémon's appearances in the caves are related to the weather in the wilderness.
- Always encourage your team when your Pokémon is knocked out.
- Pay attention to the speed of the Pokémon in your team to know the order of attack of the Pokémon.
