At the highest level, Max Raids are a pain in the butt to finish by yourself. Pokémon Sword & Shield includes new Dynamax Raids — special cooperative battles where you and three allies fight a single giant Pokémon. For most of the game, you’ll have no problem finishing these fights solo. It isn’t until later that these battles require an online connection.
Or, it seems like they require an online connection. You don’t actually need real players to help you win — it’s totally possible to complete 5-Star raids solo, but you’ll need to prepare yourself. Here, we’ll run down everything you need to know if you want to farm Max Raids solo. Follow these steps, and you’ll almost-always win.
More Pokémon Sword & Shield guides:
How To Evolve All The New Galar Region Pokémon | Evolution Guide | What’s Exclusive To Each Version? | How To Catch Shiny Pokémon | Pick This Starter Pokémon For An Early Advantage | How To Easily Evolve Farfetch’d Into Sirfetch’d | Brilliant Aura System | How To Catch Improved Pokemon | Combo & Ultimate Moves | Move Tutor Locations | How To Catch Pokemon Easier | False Swipe & Hypnosis Guide
How To Win 5-Star Max Raid Battles Solo | Easier Max Raids Guide
Soloing Max Raids gets tricky when you encounter 5-Star battles. These are the toughest fights in the game — the Max Raid Pokémon you battle will attack multiple times per turn, and can summon a powerful shield at 50% health. The battle will end if 4 Pokémon are downed, or if you take more than 10 turns to finish the fight.
To make Max Raid battles easier, follow these simple steps.
Get To Level 100
In solo Max Raids, your NPC trainers will always join at 70% of your current level. If you’re Level 100, NPC trainers will be Level 70. That’s the highest level they can be, and more levels make these battles much easier to complete.
To quickly farm up levels, just use Exp Berries from Max Raids, or farm the Battle Tower. Using rental teams is enough to win and earn tons of Rare Candy.
Use The Best Pokémon You Can — Legendary
The Legendary Pokémon have (basically) the best stats in the game. After finishing the story, you’ll have Eternatus. I recommend using him for most 5-Star Max Raid battles. He’s easy to use, can crush enemies, and has good defense.
You can boost his stats with Vitamins to rapidly increase the Attack or Special Attack stats. The more damage you do the better. Maximize Special Attack with the right vitamins, get to Level 100 with Eternatus, and you’ll be able to handle most Max Raids.
With Lvl. 100 Eternatus, you can get 170 Attack power, and his Signature Move power doubles for Max Raids. He’s insanely strong.
Increase Attack Power With Held Items
Finally, you can increase your Attack or Special Attack power by 50% with the right Held Item. For Eternatus, you’ll want to boost his Special Attack — there are two items you’ll want to look out for.
- Choice Specs: +50% Special Attack. Found in Spikemuth.
- Choice Band: +50% Attack. Found on Route 2.
Now that you’ve got a super-powered Eternatus, all you need to do is farm Raids to earn endless powerful Exp Candies to level up any other Pokémon you might need for raids. If you can’t win a 5-Star Raid with Eternatus, you might need a Lvl. 100 Pokémon that’s very effective. That’s the only real strategy you need.
