In Pokemon Sword And Shield, players have a new mechanic called Max Raid Battles, which allow players to work together in order to battle / capture powerful Dynamax / Gigantamax Pokemon.
As Max Raid Battles are the only way to obtain Pokemon with their Hidden Abilities or the power to Gigantamax, many players are wondering how exactly they can hunt for specific Max Raid Battles.
Basic Mechanics
In order to initiate a Max Raid Battle, players must find an active “Raid Spot” in the Wild Area. Active Raid Spots are marked by a beam of light shooting into the sky, which can come in two colors:
- Red Beam: Indicates a “Common” Raid Encounter.
- Purple Beam: Indicates a “Rare” Raid Encounter, only Purple Beams have a chance of containing a Gigantamax Pokemon.
With regards to Gigantamax Pokemon, there is a roughly 5% chance of them appearing from a Purple Beam Raid encounter. Due to the current Gigantamax Raid event, the following Pokemon have a higher chance of appearing:
Both Games
Butterfree
Sword
Drednaw
Sandaconda
Shield
Corviknight
Centiskorch
To take advantage of these increased rates, you will first have to know which specific Raid Spot they spawn from in the Wild Area. So below is a list of all known GigaMax Spots;
GigaMax spots
- ROLLING FIELDS
Gigantamax Butterfly - DAPPLED GROVE
Gigantamax Orbeetle
Gigantamax Flapple (Sword) / Appletun (Shield) - WEST LAKE AXEWELL
Gigantamax Kingler - GIANT’S SEAT
Gigantamax Coalossal (Sword) / Gigantamax Lapras (Shield)
Gigantamax Duraludon - SOUTH LAKE MILOCH
Gigantamax Kingler - EAST LAKE AXEWELL
Gigantamax Garbodor - STONY WILDERNESS
Gigantamax Copperajah
Gigantamax Machamp (Sword) / Gigantamax Gengar (Shield)
Gigantamax Centiskorch - BRIDGE FIELD
Gigantamax Hatterene
Gigantamax Orbeetle
Gigantamax Alcremie - DUSTY BOWL
Gigantamax Grimmsnarl
Gigantamax Sandaconda - GIANT’S CUP
Gigantamax Drednaw (Shield)
Gigantamax Corviknight (Sword) - LAKE OF OUTRAGE
Gigantamax Charizard
Using these indicators, you should have no trouble finding the specific Gigantamax Raid Spots you are looking for.
Please keep in mind that some Gigantamax Pokemon are not currently available as Raid spawn. This holds true for;
- Gigantamax Pikachu, which is a gift from playing Let’s GO Pikachu.
- Gigantamax Eevee, which is a gift from playing Let’s GO Eevee.
- Gigantamax Meowth, which is an early purchase Mystery Gift.
- Gigantamax Snorlax and Gigantamax Melmetal, which cannot be obtained in-game at this time. (Snorlax has been announced though)
Non-Gigantamax Pokemon
Not everyone is in it necessarily for a Gigantamax Pokemon. Some might be looking for Hidden Abilities or are after the High IVs Raid Pokemon.
