One of the brand new mechanics in Pokemon Sword and Shield is the inclusion of Max Raid Battles, an online raid that can pit players against every single Pokemon in the game. Max Raid Battles are one of the ways in the game to grab especially rare Gigantamax Pokemon, which have unique forms and moves whenever they Gigntamax themselves. We've thrown together this Pokemon Sword and Shield raid guide to help you obtain Gigantamax Pokemon and the signature moves some may have.
Pokemon Dens
The first thing to understand is that Gigantamax Pokemon can only be found in certain Pokemon dens in the Wild Area. Currently, there are 99 dens in the Wild Area, with 20 of them confirmed to contain Gigantamax Pokemon. Before you go Dynamax hunting, the question is which dens contain which Pokemon, and how do you get them to spawn?
The way the dens work is simple enough. Each den is assigned a list of Pokemon that can spawn from up to 93 different lists. These lists are done by typing, so a list that is predominantly Grass-type will spawn a Grass-type of varying quality. Each den in the Wild Area is assigned two lists: One list is considered the “common raids,” while the other list is the “rare raids.”
Each list can contain up to 12 different types of Pokemon and range from a 1-5-star rating. Certain rare dens, however, have a 5% chance to spawn Gigantamax Pokemon that will always be at a 5-star rating. These ratings are important, as depending on the state of the raid, that Pokemon can have up to five perfect IV stats, meaning its stats are some of the best in the game for competitive purposes.
The difference between a common and rare den is the colored beam that spawns from the den itself. The common dens are marked by red beams, while the rare dens are marked by thick purple beams. Each den in the Wild Area has a chance to spawn as a rare den, with one guaranteed daily when the dens reset. It is also possible one will spawn when the player clears all current active dens.
Manipulating Dens
Pokemon games are no strangers to exploits, and it so happens that Max Raid Battles have a pretty significant exploit or two that you can use to help your Gigantamax hunting. There are two primary exploits: One to determine your den, and one to help duplicate raids. Determining your den is actually quite easy, requiring the player to have Wishing Pieces, which activate any inactive den of your choosing.
For the exploit to work, note that you need to turn off auto-save first. You also should set your text speed to slow to give you extra time. So here is what you do:
- Drop the wishing piece into the den of your choice.
- Press the home button after pressing Yes to save just in time to see the beam.
- Reset if you don't get the purple beam.
- Check what Pokemon you got on the purple beam. If it's a Gigantamax Pokemon, continue as normal; if not, restart the process with a new wishing piece after dealing with the den.
A second exploit can help you ‘share’ raid Pokemon with friends. For this to work, auto-save must be off as well, and players should set up a private raid with a Y-comm code for maximum effectiveness.
Here is how to share raids:
- The host player invites friends to participate in the raid.
- Play the raid as normal until the end, when players can catch the Pokemon.
- At the end of the raid, the host player then needs to reset their game before saving by going home, quitting the game, and restarting.
- After restarting, the host player should be taken right before the raid begins and can repeat the process with their friends.
The host player doesn’t receive any rewards or even the Pokemon from the raid battle, but their friends can not only farm these items but have increased odds in capturing shared Pokemon, as well as trade one of them to the host.
While both of these exploits don’t break the game, they do cut down on the RNG for Max Raid Battles, especially for Gigantamax Pokemon, which do have a decreased capture rate compared to most other Pokemon in Sword and Shield. Sharing raids with other players is arguably the best option for groups of friends to obtain a large number of Gigantamax Pokemon—and pretty much any Pokemon in the game for that matter—so it is a process that is well worth doing.
The Map and the Pokemon Rundown
There are a grand total of 33 Gigantamax Pokemon. Each Gigantamax Pokemon has a special G-Max move, a more powerful version of the standard Max moves that do special effects ranging from raising and lowering stats and adding or removing hazards on the field, to just manipulating weather, terrains, and more. Each Gigantamax Pokemon is also incredibly powerful when encountered, being a guaranteed 5-Star rating with a low percentage chance of capture.
A few Gigantamax forms are also version exclusive; Machamp, Flapple, and Coalossal are exclusive to raid battles found in Sword, while Gengar, Appletun, and Lapras are exclusive to Shield. Because they both share dens with their exclusive counterpart, the only way to obtain them is either via trade or joining a raid battle that spawns them.
Here is the full list of Gigantamax Pokemon available in the base game, with their special G-Max moves, and locations:
- Alcremie – G-Max Finale: Fairy-type move that deals damage and heals your allies. (Bridge Field Den Special and Regular Den E)
- Appletun – G-Max Sweetness: A Grass-type move that deals damage and heals the status conditions of allies. (Dappled Grove Special Den A)
- Butterfree – G-Max Befuddle: Bug-type move that deals damage and inflicts poison, paralysis, or sleep status condition on opponents. (Rolling Fields Special Dens B and F, Slippery Slope Rare Den B)
- Centiskorch – G-Max Centiferno: Fire-type move that deals damage and traps all non-Fire type Pokémon for four to five turns. (Stony Wilderness Special Den A)
- Charizard – G-Max Wildfire: Fire-type move that deals damage and traps all non-Fire-type Pokemon for four turns. (Lake of Outrage Special Den A)
- Coalossal – G-Max Vocalith: Rock-type move that deals damage and continues to deal damage for four turns. (Giant's Seat Special Den E, Slippery Slope Rare Den A)
- Copperajah – G-Max Steelsurge: Steel-type move that deals damage and scatters sharp spikes on the battlefield. (Stony Wilderness Special Den K)
- Corviknight – G-Max Wind Rage: Flying-type move that deals damage and removes the effects of moves like Reflect and Light Screen. (Giant's Cap Special Den A, Frostpoint Field Rare Den C)
- Dreadnaw – G-Max Stonesurge: Rock-type move that deals damage and scatters sharp rocks around the field. (Giant's Cap Special Den B, Courageous Cavern Rare Den B)
- Duraludon – G-Max Depletion: Dragon-type move that deals damage and reduces the PP of the last move used. (Giant's Seat Special Den A)
- Flapple – G-Max Tartness: Grass-type move that deals damage and lowers evasiveness. (Dappled Grove Special Den A)
- Garbodor – G-Max Malodor: Poison-type move that deals damage and poisons the opponents. (East Lake Axewell Special Den A)
- Gengar – G-Max Terror: Ghost-type move that deals damage and prevents Pokemon from escaping. (Stony Wilderness Special Den C, Slippery Slope Rare Den F)
- Grimmsnarl – G-Max Snooze: Dark-type move that deals damage and then yawns, putting the opponents to sleep on the next turn. (Dusty Bowl Special Den H, Frostpoint Field Rare Den B)
- Hatterene – G-Max Smite: Fairy-type move that deals damage and confuses opponents. (Bridge Field Special Den H, Frostpoint Field Rare Den D)
- Kingler – G-Max Foam Burst: Water-type move that deals damage and harshly lowers the Speed of your opponents. (South Lake Miloch Special Den C, West Lake Axewell Special Den C)
- Lapras – G-Max Resonance: Ice-type move that deals damage and reduces the damage received for five turns. (Giant's Seat Special Den E)
- Machamp – G-Max Chi Strike: Fighting-type move that deals damage and raises the chance of critical hits. (Stony Wilderness Special Den C, Frostpoint Field Rare Den E)
- Melmetal - G-Max Meltdown: Steel-type move that deals damage and makes the opponents incapable of using the same move twice in a row. (Gift for transferring Pokemon Go Pokemon to Pokemon Home)
- Orbeetle – G-Max Gravitas: Psychic-type move that deals damage and changes gravity for five turns. (Bridge Field Special Den D, Dappled Grove Special Den D, Training Lowlands Rare Den D)
- Sandaconda – G-Max Sandblast: Ground-type move that deals damage and traps the opponents in a sandstorm for four or five turns. (Dusty Bowl Special Dens A and G, Potbottom Desert Rare Den C)
- Snorlax - G-Max Replenish: Normal-type attack that restores Berries that have been eaten. (Slippery Slope Rare Den E)
- Toxtricity - G-Max Stun Shock: Electric-type attack that poisons or paralyzes opponents. (Frostpoint Field Rare Den A)
DLC Gigantamax Pokemon
Along with the Gigantamax Pokemon found in the Wild Area, there are also three Pokemon that can be obtained by special means: Pikachu, Eevee, and Meowth. Pikachu and Eevee are only obtainable if you have a save file for Pokémon Let’s Go Pikachu and Let’s Go Eevee. You can grab your Pikachu and Eevee in the Wild Area train station.
Here is the full list of DLC Pokemon available in the base game through Pokémon Let’s Go Pikachu and Let’s Go Eevee, with their special G-Max moves:
- Pikachu – G-Max Volt Crash: Electric-type move that deals damage and paralyzes opponents.
- Eevee – G-Max Cuddle: Normal-type move that deals damage and infatuates opponents.
Isle of Armor Gigantamax Pokemon
Gigantamax Meowth was originally a timed limited-edition Mystery Gift Pokémon, but now players who have the Isle of Armor DLC can earn a Gigantamax Meowth by feeding a Max Soup to a Meowth. This Max Soup method only works for regular Meowths and not Galarian Meowths.
Max Soup is obtained by clearing 2 Pokemon Dojos, finding 3 Max Mushrooms, speaking to the person in the Pokemon Dojo Kitchen, and then choosing the Pokemon you want to Gigantamax.
Other Pokemon that require Max Soup for their Gigantamax forms are Rillaboom, Cinderace, and Inteleon.
Urshifu Single-Strike Style and Urshifu Rapid-Strike Style both require Max Soup with Max Honey.
Here is the full list of Pokemon available in the Isle of Armor DLC, with their special G-Max moves, and locations:
- Blastoise - G-Max Cannonade: Water-type attack that after damaging, continues to deal damage to any non-Water Pokémon for four turns. (Workout Sea Rare Den G, Stepping-Stone Sea Rare Den B, or Evolve the Squirtle Obtained through Isle of Armor's Story to Blastoise)
- Cinderace - G-Max Fireball: Fire-type attack that ignores the effects of opponents' abilities. (Give Max Soup to Cinderace)
- Inteleon - G-Max Hydrosnipe: Water-type attack that ignores the effects of opponents' abilities. (Give Max Soup to Inteleon)
- Meowth – G-Max Gold Rush: Normal-type move that deals damage, confuses opponents, and earns extra money. (Give Max Soup to Meowth)
- Rillaboom - G-Max Drum Solo: Grass-type attack that ignores the effects of opponents' abilities. (Give Max Soup to Rillaboom)
- Urshifu Single-Strike Style - G-Max One Blow: Dark-type move that deals damage and hits through Max Guard and Protect-like moves. (Give Max Soup with Max Honey to Urshifu Single-Strike Style)
- Urshifu Rapid-Strike Style - G-Max Rapid Flow: Water-type move that deals damage and hits through Max Guard and Protect-like moves. (Give Max Soup with Max Honey to Urshifu Rapid-Strike Style)
- Venusaur - G-Max Vine Lash: Grass-type attack that after damaging, continues to deal damage to any non-Grass Pokémon for four turns. (Training Lowlands Rare Den G, Forest of Focus Rare Den E, or Evolve the Bulbasaur Obtained through Isle of Armor's Story to Venusaur)
Final Thoughts
There is one final thing to keep in mind when Gigantamax hunting; Sometimes, Nintendo and Gamefreak will have special events that make certain Gigantamax Pokemon more widespread in the Wild Area. This includes an increased encounter rate for selected Pokemon, who can show up in common and rare dens outside of their designated dens on the map above. This adds a bit of randomness to the Gigantamax hunting which hopefully makes the whole process more fun to participate in.
Though it may be difficult to capture them all, the challenge of getting them will yield great rewards for players willing to put in the work to capture them all. Hopefully, this guide helps out in making your hunt a little easier.
Be sure to head over to our Sword and Shield game page, where we have a huge number of different articles on the game.
A longtime player of games, creator of worlds, and teacher of minds. Robert has worked many positions over the years, from college professor to education… More about Robert
