The ongoing, online multiplayer part of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, tackling the Tera Raids can be trickier to figure out at the higher 5, 6, and 7-star levels. While there's no perfect or easy solution for each and every raid, there are several key tips on how to approach and defeat practically every raid.
With over 400 available Pokemon to train and use in the Raids and plenty more moves and items on top, knowing what is and isn't helpful in this somewhat mix of competitive and casual battle format can be tricky. Here are five tips to help players get started when taking down Raid bosses.
5 The Strongest A Pokemon Can Be
The Necessity Of Stats, Natures, And Level 100
The simplest but most important basic factor in taking down a Pokemon in a Tera Raid is to ensure any Pokemon picked to fight is level 100. Lower-level raids may not require level 100, but having such a powerful Pokemon definitely expedites the process of finishing them. For higher-level raids, not bringing a level 100 Pokemon guarantees failure. There is next to no reason to not have a level 100 Pokemon, let alone bring one, and while there's a time and a place for purposely bringing weak Pokemon, it is 100% better to bring the strongest ones available.
Besides just having a level 100 Pokemon, having one that's fully and properly stat-trained is necessary. Having the best nature, along with a typically maxed-out HP and an attacking stat all help to even the playing field against the Tera Raid Pokemon.
4 The Moves Make The 'Mon
Knowing What Moves To Bring And When To Use Them
With only four moves per Pokemon, picking which moves can be tricky to balance between offensive moves, stat buffing moves, and healing moves. Since there's such little room for what can be brought to damage the Tera Raid Pokemon, knowing what types of move should be brought determines whether a Raid can be conquered.
For some Pokemon, bringing Belly Drum and a powerful STAB move, meaning a move with the same type as the Pokemon, can be a great combination. While certainly not a foolproof strategy in advanced raids, Azumarill, Iron Hands, or Ursaluna with Belly Drum and Play Rough, Close Combat, and Headlong Rush respectively can end some raids in 30 seconds or less. For most Pokemon, however, it's best practice to bring a powerful move without recoil with STAB, a move that can heal the Pokemon, a move that can buff the Pokemon's stats, and a move that can lower the Raid Pokemon's defensive or offensive stats, if possible. Otherwise, doubling up on attacking moves or buffing moves works just as well.
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3 Offense And Defense
Picking The Best Pokemon For A Raid
The nature of Terastallization in Raids plays a tremendous role in what Pokemon are viable to bring. When looking at the Raid Pokemon in the menu for picking Tera Raids, there are two things to keep in mind; offensively, what Tera type the Pokemon currently is, and defensively, what type or types is it usually?
Keeping the various types of Raid Pokemon in mind can greatly decrease the difficulty of Tera Raids, the only exception being the Stellar type. If the Raid Pokemon has the Tera type of Ice, but its usual type is Water, it isn't a good idea to bring a Fire type, while bringing a Ghost type to a Tera Ghost but typically Normal type Raid can be an easy sweep. Beyond that, making sure the possible abilities of the Pokemon won't affect the damage dealt by the player's Pokemon, such as a Water Tera type that has the Lightning Rod ability being immune to Electric moves, can be just as important.
2 The Importance Of Items
What Items Are Best Used In Raids
Items such as the Amulet Coin and Lucky Egg might be handy in casual gameplay, but in a Tera Raid, items need to be used to their fullest, the only exception being Pokemon that use Acrobatics as their main move. Many items can be helpful, but some usually strong items should be ignored.
A signature item to be used in competitive battles and a generally great item to have, the Life Orb is best left in the bag. While the boosted damage is great, the additional damage is not, and in most cases leads to an early faint as opposed to stronger damage output. Items that boost the damage of certain types are helpful instead, but the safest and most effective item to use is the Shell Bell. It may not offer bonus damage, but since it heals the Pokemon when it deals damage, it certainly offers longevity.
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1 Bringing The Right Pokemon
The Pokemon Suited Best For Raids
There may be hundreds of Pokemon to choose from, but there are a select few that certainly better suit the environment and conditions of Tera Raids more than most. While legendary Pokemon may have better stats and especially powerful signature moves, there are far more standard Pokemon that rise to the top ranks of Tera Raid viability over their more mystical counterparts.
Annihilape, Espathra, and plenty more are exceedingly strong in Tera Raids both online and offline. For players with access to the Teal Mask DLC, Ogerpon is fantastic, stat-wise, move-wise, and for the various types she can become. A shiny Charizard might be fun for casual gameplay, but it does next to nothing in Raids, besides dying immediately.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
- Released
- November 18, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Game Freak
- Platform(s)
- Switch
- Genre(s)
- RPG
