Pokemon Scarlet & Violet Tera Raid guide: How to defeat 5-star Tera Raids

5-star Tera Raids can be tough challenges in Pokémon Scarlet & Violet, so we'll tell you how to conquer them.

Contents

1. Understanding tera-types - Pokémon SV
2. Physical vs Special - Pokémon SV
3. No need for speed - Pokémon SV
4. Don’t bother Terastallizing - Pokémon SV

Tera Raids are one of the big new features in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, taking over from the Max Raid Battles seen in Sword and Shield. These aim to be a lot quicker, forgoing the turn-based system entirely to have all Pokémon constantly hurling attacks at each other. They can be quite difficult though, especially the 5-star raids that unlock once you’ve completed the story.

You’ll want to beat these raids though, not only because they give you strong Pokémon with unique tera-types, but because they can give you rare rewards like Exp Candies and Herba Mystica.

We’ll tell you what the best strategies are to defeat these raids and highlight some common mistakes you might make.

Understanding tera-types - Pokémon SV

Tera-types overwrite the user's original typing in Pokémon SV

The way tera-types work has been confusing some trainers, and this has led to many participants talking wildly inappropriate Pokémon into raids. When looking at your opponent for a raid, you need to be focusing on the tera-type of the Pokémon, shown clearly on the raid den.

This is because tera-types overwrite the regular type of Pokémon. This means it doesn’t matter if you’re facing a Water-type, if the tera-type is Grass then you’ll need to focus on Grass’ weaknesses.

However, be careful, as the raid Pokémon will still have their regular movesets. This means that, in this hypothetical scenario, bringing a Fire-type would be a bad idea, because while it deals super effective damage to Grass, you’d also be hit with Water in return. It’s a good test of how well you know the type chart, and you’ll need to think hard about what you’re bringing to each fight.

Physical vs Special - Pokémon SV

A move's category determines what stat will be used when calculating damage in Pokémon SV

The split between Physical moves and Special moves is something that you’ve never needed to worry too much about in single-player Pokémon. While creating movesets that play into this always gives you a bonus, you can usually get by ok without it. If you’re one of those people that’s never really thought about it, that might be why you’re struggling in Tera Raids.

Typically a Pokémon in a Tera Raid will only use one or the other, so you can pick an appropriate opponent. For example, if you’re going up against a Tauros, that will use Physical attacks, so bringing a Pokémon with a high Physical Defence stat is ideal. If you’re unsure which way your opponent leans, you can check their stats online at places like Serebii.

It can also help you devise tactics to beat it. If you’re using moves that drop your opponent’s stats, you’ll be able to focus on the ones that will actually make a difference. Similarly, you can apply status conditions like Burn, which halves the Psychical Attack stat of any Pokémon afflicted – unfortunately, there is no equivalent for Special Attack.

No need for speed - Pokémon SV

Speed isn't much of a concern in Pokémon SV's Tera Raid battles

Under normal circumstances, Speed is one of the most important stats, but since Tera Raids aren’t turn-based, it makes absolutely no difference. The only thing that makes a difference to how fast you strike is how fast you press the right buttons. This also means that strategies based around speed, like Trick Room or Paralysis, don’t work.

Don’t bother Terastallizing - Pokémon SV

Terastallizing in Pokémon SV's Tera Raid battles will just waste time

This may sound counterintuitive, but there’s very little point in Terastallizing your Pokémon during Tera Raids. While it is helpful against a barrier, if you’re effectively using status and stat-changing moves, you shouldn’t have to worry about that anyway. On top of that, the animation takes a long time, and given that the clock is always ticking down in these raids, you don’t have time to waste.

If you’re looking for more help with Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, make sure you check out our post-game guide.