Pokémon Scarlet and Violet have been out for a little over a month now and while the initial buzz of the game is dying down, trainers are still participating in online group battles known as Tera Raid Battles. These battles involve you teaming up with three other trainers (or computers) and their Pokémon against a powerful Pokémon with a unique Tera Type. A Tera Type means rather than having its normal type combination, the Pokémon will be a different type with different weaknesses and more ways to hit for super effective damage.

These Raids range from 1-6 Star (on occasion, 7 Star), with difficulty increasing exponentially. The Pokémon you fight in these battles have an insane amount of Health Points (HP), and are capable of nullifying any stat changes as well as put up shields, greatly reducing the damage it will take, all while the timer is ticking before you automatically lose. Facing these Pokémon is no easy feat, but here are some tips that can help you take these guys on, no problem. 

1. Decide on a Build

Just like many other RPGs, Pokémon fit into different roles. You have your Pokémon with high Attack who dish out a ton of damage; your more defensive Pokémon who are there to stall your opponent; and your quirky Pokémon who may have a specific niche. For whichever Pokémon you choose, plan out which stats should be high and which stats you don’t really need to worry about as well as any possible moves, abilities, or held items that will help your Pokémon survive.

2. Remember That Survivability is Everything

These Pokémon are TOUGH. Their attacks can easily take half of your HP in one hit, and that’s without even being super effective. When your Pokémon gets knocked out, you have to wait a certain amount of time before returning to the battle at full HP. This is bad because whenever a Pokémon faints, it ALSO depletes time from the timer until the battle is lost. So, make sure to build a Pokémon who either has really good defenses, or a solid way to recover HP. Using moves like Iron Defense or an item like the Eviolite are great for boosting defenses, and a move like Giga Drain or an held item like Leftovers are great for recovering HP. 

3. Find a Good Nature

Here’s where we get into the math and nitty gritty side of things. Different Pokémon have different Natures which boost one stat and lower another. For example, the Modest Nature decreases Attack but increases Special Attack. Make sure to get a Nature that increases a stat you’ll be using and decreases a stat you won’t be using. You can change a Pokémon’s Nature by using Mints, which can be purchased in Chansey Supply stores. These stores can be found in Mesagoza, Cascarrafa, Montenevera, and Levincia. One Mint costs ₽20,000, so you’ll want to save up.

4. Hyper Train With Bottle Caps

Bottle Caps are an amazing item that can be spent to perfectly max out a Pokémon’s IVs, or Individual Values. Every stat on each Pokémon has a secret value of 0-31 that influences that stat, with 31 being ideal. These numbers are mostly random when you initially obtain a Pokémon, but there are ways to increase them. After defeating the Elite Four, you gain the ability to see your Pokémon’s IVs with the “Judge” function found on each Pokémon’s summary (“Best” means the IVs are maxed out). You can then give Bottle Caps to an NPC in Montenevera (he’s standing next to an Abomasnow) who will Hyper Train any stat on any Pokémon in your party, setting that stat’s IV to 31 as long as the Pokémon is at least Level 50. 

To obtain Bottle Caps, you’ll need to have defeated six of the eight gyms. You can then purchase them at Delibird Presents stores in Mesagoza, Levincia, and Cascarrafa. Like Mints, they cost ₽20,000, so don’t feel the need to go overboard. Max out two or three stats and you’ll be okay.

5. Use Vitamins and EV Train.

Oh boy. If you thought IVs were complicated, there are also EVs, or Effort Values. Basically, any Pokémon you defeat gives your Pokémon a point toward a specific stat. Once it gets 4 points in one stat, that stat will increase by an additional point. A Pokémon can only gain 510 EVs until it gets maxed out and can’t earn any more, and no stat can have more than 255 EVs. Pick your two most important stats and work on maxing them out. Throughout your journey, the Pokémon you take to the Elite Four will gain a random amount of EVs through dealing with all of the different in-game battles, so make sure to grab a new friend so you can start fresh.

Every Pokémon gives up to 3 EVs towards a stat. By using sandwiches, you can cause certain Pokémon to spawn more frequently, allowing you a quick way to fill up on a specific type of EV. By purchasing the Power items and equipping those to your party, your Pokémon will gain an additional 8 EVs for each Pokémon defeated, which GREATLY decreases the amount of time you’ll have to spend. These can be obtained at Delibird Presents stores for ₽10,000, and they’re reusable, so that’s nice.

You can also purchase Vitamins like Carbos, Iron, or Calcium at Chansey Supply stores to give a Pokémon a free 10 EVs to a particular stat, though these cost ₽10,000 each, and that can quickly add up. I recommend using the Power items, then using your moves’ PP (Power Points) to keep track of how many Pokémon you’ve defeated.

6. Reach Level 100

These Raids are hard, and you’re going to want every single experience point you can get. Reaching Level 100 is nearly essential for taking on 6-Star Raids. While you can use EXP Candies and Rare Candies to increase your Level, another way is to go to town on wild Chansey, which give an abnormally high amount of EXP. Using a Ham Sandwich (just Ham and Pickles), you boost the spawn rate of Normal types. The field just south of Ruchbah Star Base at the very top of the map is great for this since Chansey are the only Normal type you can find there. Their Levels are in the 40s, so they give out a good chunk of EXP. The Lucky Egg item, given to you after your fifth gym, doubles the amount of EXP gained on a Pokémon too. Equip this and you can get to Level 100 in a considerable less amount of time. 

7. Do It Again!

Tera Raids give a ton of rewards in the forms of EXP Candies, Bottle Caps, Mints, and other items you can sell for a good chunk of cash. Once you train a Pokémon for Tera Raid Battles, you’ll have no problem doing it again after completing a couple more Raids. Train up a variety of Pokémon so you can take on any Tera Type. In fact, many of the Pokémon you can catch in Tera Raids make great tools for future Tera Raids. 

I know this sounds daunting, but the rewards are immense. The first Pokémon I trained for Tera Raids was an Azumarill, and it only took me about 5 in-game hours across two days. More time than I would have liked, but after nearly 20 raids with Azumarill, training up my second Pokémon, Ceruledge, took about 45 minutes. 

Let us know what Pokémon you’ll be training for Tera Raids over on the Boss Rush Discord, and make sure to check back to Boss Rush Network every week for more helpful tips.

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Featured Image: The Pokémon Company