Max Raid Battle
AMax Raid Battle (Japanese:マックスレイドバトルMax Raid Battle) is a type ofPokémon battle featured inPokémon Sword and Shield in which four Trainers battle awildDynamax orGigantamaxPokémon, which remains Dynamaxed for the wholebattle.
In the games
The player can start a Max Raid Battle by interacting with an activePokémon Den, indicated by a beam of light shooting up from it. If a den is inactive, the player can throw aWishing Piece into it to summon a Dynamax Pokémon.
When starting a Max Raid Battle, players can see a silhouette of the Dynamax Pokémon, itstypes, and a star rating of its difficulty. The currentweather is also displayed, though this weather does not carry into the battle. The loss condition, "The battle ends when Pokémon faint four times or the battle lasts for 10 turns", is displayed in the lower left corner. Additionally, the player can see the other three Trainers participating and the Pokémon they have selected to enter. Players have a time limit to select their Pokémon before the Max Raid Battle automatically starts with the Pokémon they have selected by default.
Players can only find up to three different star ratings at a time in their own dens, depending on their game progress:
| Star Level | HP multiplier | Level range | Guaranteed BestIVs | Egg Move chance | Starts spawning | Stops spawning |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ★ | 1.4× | 15-20 | 1 | 0% | Enter Wild Area | Obtain 4 Badges |
| ★★ | 1.6× | 25-30 | 1 | 0% | Obtain 1 Badge | Obtain 6 Badges |
| ★★★ | 1.9× | 35-40 | 2 | 3% | Obtain 3 Badges | Never |
| ★★★★ | 2.5× | 45-50 | 3 | 5% | Obtain 6 Badges | Never |
| ★★★★★ | 3.0× | 55-60 | 4 | 10% | Obtain 8 Badges | Never |
Four Trainers are required to conduct a Max Raid Battle. The player can connect with other players to challenge a Max Raid Battle by using theY-Comm over the internet or local wireless. If there are less than four players, then the game will randomly selectNPC Trainers to fill in the remaining slots.
Battle
 | This section is incomplete. Please feel free to edit this section to add missing information and complete it. Reason: Modified damage formula (it seems moves can be reduced to 0 damage) and OHKO accuracy formula under effect of mysterious barrier, which moves with charging turn are used immediately. Cheer mechanics table, seethis tweet for reference |
Each Trainer uses a single Pokémon (from either their party orBox) against the Dynamax Pokémon. If a Trainer's Pokémon faints, they can cheer[1] on the remaining Trainers as they attempt to complete the Max Raid Battle, which has the potential to generate positive effects such as healing or setting up Reflect; the fainted Pokémon will automatically be revived at full health the following turn. If the challengers' Pokémon faint a total of 4 times (even if it is the same Pokémon) or if the 10-turn limit is reached, the Max Raid Battle is lost. If both the Dynamax Pokémon and the 4th challenger Pokémon are knocked out in the same move (such as through the recoil effects of moves such asBrave Bird), the battle is counted as a loss for the challengers. If the Dynamax Pokémon is successfully defeated, all four Trainers can attempt tocatch the Dynamax Pokémon and receive several various rewards based on the Dynamax Pokémon that was encountered. A Max Raid Battle can be repeatedly attempted until either the player wins (regardless of capture success) or when the dens reset.
Only one Trainer can Dynamax their Pokémon during a Max Raid Battle; unlike the wild Dynamax Pokémon, this transformation only lasts for the normal three turns. Each turn, one Trainer receives Dynamax Energy; only that player can Dynamax that turn, and if they do not, this energy is passed to another player next turn. The order is based on the order of which players joined the raid, so the player who hosts the Max Raid Battle will always be the first to have the option to Dynamax.
Depending on the star level, the Dynamax Pokémon may be able to use regular moves in addition to Max Moves. It can also attack up to three times per turn, and use any of its moves without regard toPP limitations. Prior to its first move on a turn, it also has a chance to create a shockwave, which accomplishes several things at once:
- If the Dynamax Pokémon has anon-volatile status condition, it is removed;
- If the Dynamax Pokémon has had any of its stat stages reduced, those stat stages are reset to 0; positive stat stages remain as they are;
- All stat stages for the player's Pokémon and their teammates are reset to 0, regardless of whether they were positive or negative;
- AnyAbilities from any of the player's or teammates' Pokémon become suppressed if they are on the list of Abilities ignored byMold Breaker. Other Abilities that are not on that list, such asSpeed Boost orDefiant, can continue to function after the shockwave.
In three-star Max Raids and higher, the wild Dynamax Pokémon have specific HP thresholds in which they will create a protective barrier with two to eight segments, depending on its defensive power. When an attack reduces the Dynamax Pokémon to one of these thresholds, all further damage from that attack (including frommulti-strike moves) will be prevented. In three- and four-star Max Raids, the Dynamax Pokémon will create a barrier one time; in five-star Max Raids, it will create a barrier twice, sometimes with the first barrier at the start of the battle. While this barrier is active, damage-dealing moves used against the Dynamax Pokémon are severely weakened and are unable to apply most secondary effects, and status moves used against the Dynamax Pokémon will fail. Damage-dealing moves will deplete one bar of the barrier's strength, exceptMax Moves andone-hit knockout moves which instead deplete two bars. Multi-strike moves will deplete one bar for the first hit, but no bars for any subsequent hit. If the first hit depletes the last bar of the barrier, subsequent hits will not have their damage reduced. After the completion of a move that depletes the last bar, the barrier will be destroyed, the Dynamax Pokémon'sDefense andSpecial Defense will drop by two stages, and it takes a portion of the damage it would have received while its barriers were active.
Some moves work differently when raid bosses use them. For instance,Belch will work regardless ofBerries, and somemoves with a charging turn (such asDig) will attack immediately.
Nature Power will always turn intoEarth Power, unless a type ofterrain is in effect.
The following moves will fail if used in a Max Raid Battle, regardless of which Pokémon they are used by or against:
| This section is incomplete. Please feel free to edit this section to add missing information and complete it. Reason: Gigantamax raid Capture Value Coefficient values for each Gigantamax species,[2] and for Wild Area News difficulty indexes.[3] |
Capture
Upon defeating the Dynamax Pokémon, each player has a single chance to capture it. Multiple players can successfully catch the same Dynamax Pokémon. If a player fails to catch the Pokémon, it disappears for that player. Regardless of whether the capture was successful (or the player declined to catch it), all players will be awardedExp. Candies,TRs, and other items based on the Pokémon that was fought.
The caught Pokémon's moves and Ability will be the same as it was during the Max Raid Battle; some Dynamax Pokémon encountered in Max Raid Battles will have theirHidden Ability. The caught Pokémon'slevel will normally be the same as it was during the Max Raid Battle; however, if its level exceeds the player's maximum catchable level for the number of Badges they have, it will become their maximum catchable level instead. If it was aGigantamax Pokémon, the caught Pokémon will have theGigantamax Factor. Pokémon caught in Max Raid Battles will also have a number of stats with the maximum 31IVs and have a raised Dynamax Level, increasingly with the Max Raid's difficulty.
The catch rate for a Dynamax Pokémon depends on several factors, such as whether the player is hosting the raid (the host usually has a higher catch chance) and whether the raid is from a Wild Area News event. They are all calculated with the Pokémon at 1 HP and no status conditions. If the Pokémon escapes, the host player mayrestart the game (before it autosaves, if the feature is turned on) and reattempt the Max Raid.
| Gigantamax | Catch rate | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Host | Guest | Wild Area News | |
| No | Guaranteed | Difficulty Index 1 | Varies per-event |
| Yes | Guaranteed | Varies by species | Varies per-event |
The catch rate for Pokémon found inWild Area News event dens varies based on the current event and encounter slot, and also varies between the host and guest. The calculation is influenced by two values assigned to each encounter slot (one for the host, and another for guests), ranging between0x0 and0x6.[4]Event den Pokémon assigned a value of0x0 are guaranteed to be captured, and those with a value of0x6 are uncatchable. Pokémon assigned values0x1 through0x5 range from "least difficult to catch" to "most difficult to catch" respectively.[5]
Trainers
If less than four players initiate a Max Raid Battle, a random selection of these NPC Trainers will populate the vacant positions. The level of their Pokémon is set to 70% of the host player's Pokémon (rounded down), hence a maximum of Lv. 70 if the host player's Pokémon is Lv. 100.KlaraSw,AverySh, and theMaster Dojo Students only appear in theIsle of Armor, whilePeony andPeonia only appear in theCrown Tundra.
Despite being depicted withDynamax Bands, Klara, Avery and Peony will neverDynamax their Pokémon during a Max Raid Battle, nor will any other NPCs.
Isle of Armor only
Crown Tundra only
Special Max Raid Battles
In the climax ofPokémon Sword and Shield, as well as several times in the post-game story involvingSordward andShielbert and in thePokémon Sword and Shield Expansion Pass, the player will participate in Max Raid Battles that are often required to progress the story. In these battles, the player will have access to their full party. Initially, the player will be paired with special NPC partners, but eventually, the player will be challenged to fight their opponents by themselves.
These special Max Raid Battles experience some differences compared to the Max Raid Battles available in the Wild Area,Isle of Armor, andCrown Tundra. The battles do not have a 10-turn time limit, nor will they be forcibly ended after Pokémon have fainted 4 times. The player is also not limited to a single Pokémon, and may use their full party in the manner of a normal battle; fainted Pokémon will not automatically be revived, and the Cheer option is unavailable.
Tower summit
In this semi-scripted Max Raid Battle, the player andHop will try to fightEternatus in its Eternamax form, but will be unable to do anything against it until they summonZacian andZamazenta with theRusted Sword andShield they found in theSlumbering Weald. The player cannotDynamax their Pokémon in this fight. After the battle, the player will catch Eternatus in aPoké Ball of their choice, with a 100% guaranteed success rate.
Sordward and Shielbert
While the player and Hop pursue Sordward and Shielbert, they force these Pokémon to Dynamax in eachStadium in Galar. The player is tasked with defeating these Pokémon, which belong toGym Trainers, to take them out of their frenzied state and restore safety to the area. Because these Pokémon belong to Trainers, the player does not have the opportunity to catch them.
The first Stadium attacked isTurffield's, then bothHulbury andMotostoke Stadiums. The player cooperates with Hop,Piers, and each Stadium's Gym Leader to resolve the crisis. After the player defeats all three and confronts the brothers inWedgehurst, they'll cause more disruptions in the Stadiums inStow-on-Side,Ballonlea,Circhester, andHammerlocke. This time, multiple Dynamaxed Pokémon will attack each stadium, and the player and their friends will need to split up to deal with one of them each, with the exception ofBallonlea Stadium, where they discover thatBede took care of them all by himself.
Ally Trainers
Honeycalm Island
InThe Isle of Armor storyline, after evolvingKubfu and completing the Sordward and Shielbert storyline, the player and Hop's search for an ingredient that will makeMax Soup appetizing forUrshifu leads them toHoneycalm Island. Prompted to shake the giant tree in the center, the player is swept away into aPokémon Den alone against a DynamaxVespiquen. This Vespiquen cannot be caught; instead, defeating it yields theMax Honey, which is necessary for Urshifu's soup.
Dyna Tree Hill
In theCrown Tundra, repeatedly interacting with the giant tree atDyna Tree Hill will take the player into aPokémon Den alone against a DynamaxGreedent. This Greedent cannot be caught; instead, defeating it yields a total of 82Berries of various types.
Giant's Bed
In theCrown Tundra, a den in theGiant's Bed cannot be made active by aWishing Piece. After obtaining all five members of thelegendary giants and having them in the party, the player can interact with it and will instantly be pitted against a DynamaxRegigigas alone.
Wild Area News
- Main article:Wild Area News
Wild Area News, accessed through theMystery Gift menu in Sword and Shield, changes the available spawns in Max Raid Battles to make certain Pokémon more common for a limited time, including and especiallyGigantamax Pokémon, which vary between the two game versions. Prior toThe Isle of Armor, these events were the only way to obtain GigantamaxSnorlax and GigantamaxToxtricity.
Any den can spawn a Max Raid Battle from Wild Area News, and dens that do so will always beam a red light, indicating the "common" pool. Wild Area News Raids battled afterVersion 1.2.0 and 1.3.0 can dropArmorite Ore andDynite Ore, respectively, regardless of whether or not the player has purchased thePokémon Sword and Shield Expansion Pass.
In the manga
Pokémon Adventures
Sword & Shield arc
InZap!! A Rising Beam of Light,Henry andCasey forced a pair ofTeam Yell Grunts into a Max Raid Battle, with them going up against aDynamaxGurdurr. After defeating him, Henry was able to catch him, adding him to hisparty andnicknaming him Steeler.
In the TCG
- Main article:Raid Battle (TCG)
Pokémon Trading Card Game Raid Battle is a game that can be played usingPokémon Trading Card Game cards.[6] It was introduced on July 27, 2020, and is a direct adaption of Max Raid Battles into the Trading Card Game ecosystem. This game tasks four players with working together to defeat aDynamax orGigantamax Boss Pokémon[7], which are depicted on unique and exclusivePokémon VMAX cards.
EachBoss Pokémon comes in a Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 version, indicated by a number of filled in stars below theirHP andEnergy type. This is an adaption of the Levels of Max Raid Battles. When starting a Raid Battle, the Level of the Boss Pokémon is chosen based on the base damages of the strongestattacks among the participatingPokémon. At higher levels, the Boss Pokémon has more HP, stronger attacks, and can potentially use more attacks per turn they they can at lower levels.
When a Pokémon isKnocked Out, their player skips their next turn to Cheer. This provides a positive effect for the players, or in one case restricts the attacks of the Boss Pokémon. Pokémon are revived on the following turn, but the lose condition is having four Pokémon get knocked out over the course of the battle.
Trivia
- Pokémon Sword and Shield directorShigeru Ohmori has noted that despite the similarities between Max Raid Battles and theRaid Battle mechanic inPokémon GO (which debuted three years prior to Sword and Shield's release), the initial concept for Max Raid Battles actually came first. Ohmori nonetheless acknowledged the influence that Pokémon GO's Raid Battles had on the development of Max Raid Battles, including the latter's name being changed from simply "cooperative battles".[8]
In other languages
| Language | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| Chinese | Cantonese | 極巨團體戰Gihkgeuih Tyùhntái Jin |
| Mandarin | 極巨團體戰 / 极巨团体战Jíjù Tuántǐ Zhàn | |
| French | Raid Dynamax | |
| German | Dyna-Raid | |
| Italian | Raid Dynamax | |
| Korean | 맥스 레이드배틀Max Raid Battle | |
| Russian | МаксирейдMaksireyd | |
| Spanish | Incursión Dinamax | |
References
- ↑https://twitter.com/Sibuna_Switch/status/1782236856555393286
- ↑https://twitter.com/Sibuna_Switch/status/1549938849958207488
- ↑https://twitter.com/Sibuna_Switch/status/1549938855469613056
- ↑https://projectpokemon.org/home/docs/gen-8_156/wild-area-news-normal_encount-version-r139/
- ↑https://twitter.com/Sibuna_Switch/status/1549938855469613056?s=20&t=hjcKM1ncvO8vnDs280dLcA
- ↑New Pokémon TCG Raid Battles Let You Battle Big Boss Pokémon Together,Pokémon.com
- ↑Raid Battle dedicated website
- ↑Shea, Brian (November 13, 2019). "Going Big: The behind-the-scenes story of Pokémon’s next evolution".Game Informer (Archived on August 2, 2024).
Related articles
| Pokémon battle variations | |
|---|---|
| Double Battle •Multi Battle •Triple Battle •Rotation Battle •Horde Encounter •Battle Royal •SOS Battle •Support Play •Max Raid Battle •Tera Raid Battle Launcher Battle •Sky Battle •Inverse Battle •Auto Battle •Scripted battle •Full Battle •Contest Battle Battle modes | |
 | This game mechanic article is part ofProject Games, aBulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on thePokémon games. |
