Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Will Have Co-Op Raid Battles

With only a few months left until the highly-anticipated release ofPokemon Scarlet and Violet, The Pokemon Company has been giving fans plenty of reasons to get excited about the franchise’s next generation. Earlier this week, thePokemondeveloper announceda “Pokemon Presents” broadcastwith the presentation set to bring even more news about the new games. Alongside new characters and new Pokemon, the stream revealed a fan-favorite feature fromPokemon Sword and Shieldwould be returning.

The release ofPokemon Sword and Shieldbrought with it a new way for players to capture and battle Pokemon with their friends in the form of Max Raids. Players could team up in parties with other people or AIs to duke it out with the eighth generation’s “Dynamax” Pokemon. While Dynamax and Gigantamax were confirmed to not be returning inPokemon’s next generation, many fans hoped the new games would feature similar co-op content. Now,Pokemon Scarletand Violethave officially revealed new co-op raid battles for the games' new “Terastal” Pokemon.

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AlongsidePokemon Scarlet and Violet’s new “Terastal” gimmick featuring crystallized Pokemon, The Pokemon Company also revealed thatraid battles will return inScarlet and Violet. Similar to Max Raid dens, players will be able to find Tera raids scattered throughout the game world with the chance to catch rare and powerful Pokemon. Players will be able to join up with three fellow trainers to take on Tera Raid Battles, with raids said to often contain Pokemon with rarer Tera types.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet’s Tera Raids also feature a major departure fromPokemon’s standard turn-based gameplay. Players in Tera Raids will no longer be restricted by waiting for their allies to take their turns, instead being able to “attack and heal on their own timing.“Scarlet and Violetwould be the first main-series Pokemon games to adopt a more real-time based combat system, albeit in a limited fashion. However,Scarlet and Violetwould not be the first to experiment withchangingPokemon’s combat formulawithLegends: Arceusexperimenting with the Style system.

ThePokemon Scarlet and Violetreveals came as part of a presentation packed with updates aboutPokemon’s ongoing titles.Pokemon GOgave more information about the finale of 2022’s Pokemon GO Fest with players able to obtain the mythical Pokemon Shaymin.Pokemon Unitealso revealed more of its first anniversary celebration with a wacky new “all Pikachu” game mode, as well asnew Pokemon set to joinUnite. Tera Raids will serve as another reason forPokemonfans to get excited aboutScarlet and Violet’s release later this year.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violetis scheduled to release on November 18th for the Nintendo Switch.

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