Pokemon Scarlet & Violet Tera Raid event schedule

Tera Raids are an important part of the Pokemon Scarlet & Violet experience, so I've got the schedule of all upcoming events so you don't miss out on battling (and catching) a rare 'mon.

Similar to Max Raid Battles in Pokemon Sword & Shield, these challenging events require you to team up with three other Trainers - online or locally - to defeat powerful Tera Pokemon together. Often these are rare Pokemon that can't normally be found in the Paldea region.

Tera Raids can be found all over the map in the game, but the rarest bosses will usually only appear for a brief window of time, so it's important to keep up to date with when they'll occur.

Pokemon Scarlet & Violet Tera Raid schedule

Here's the schedule of all current and upcoming Tera Raid events in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet:

Meganium will appear with the Mightiest Mark, which means you can only catch one per save file. You can still take part in further Meganium Tera Raid Battles for extra rewards but you won't be able to catch another one.

You'll also be able to battle Blissey with various Tera types during the second weekend Meganium appears, so it's a good idea to get a decent counter for both of these opponents prepared in advance.

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Where to find Tera Raids

The easiest way to find a Tera Raid in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet is to open the map by pressing the Y button and then look for colourful hexagons with type symbols inside of them. The colour and type symbol indicates what Tera Type the Pokemon here will have.

Once you've picked the Tera Raid you want to visit, press the A button to set it as your destination and make your way over there. Although you'll know the featured Tera Type, you won't know what Pokemon you'll be battling until you interact with the Tera Raid crystal.

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You can also spot Tera Raids in the distance while exploring the Paldea region or the Kitakami region, as the crystals emit a glowing ray of light up into the sky. Follow these and you'll find yourself at a Tera Raid!

The other way to take part in Tera Raid Battles is to enter the Poke Portal from the in-game menu and select Tera Raid Battle. Make sure you're connected to the internet (press the L button) and you'll see a range of Tera Raids you can join.

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How to unlock 5-Star, 6-Star & 7-Star Tera Raids

Plenty of Tera Raids will be available once you've embarked on your journey to complete the Treasure Hunt in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet's main story campaign, but higher tier Tera Raids won't be unlocked until later on.

5-Star Tera Raids are unlocked once you've completed the main story campaign. Meanwhile, 6-Star Tera Raids and 7-Star Tera Raids will be unlocked once you've completed the post-game story down in Area Zero.

6-Star and 7-Star Tera Raids appear as black crystals on the map, and they're incredibly difficult battles to win. Although 6-Stars can appear at any time, 7-Stars will only appear during special events.

How to win Tera Raid Battles in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet

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When entering a Tera Raid Battle, the most important thing you can do is bring a strong Pokemon that can target the Tera Pokemon's weaknesses and also resist its attacks.

That's where things get a little tricky, as Tera Raids feature terastallized Pokemon that often take on different typings. Let's say, for example, you find yourself battling against a Charizard that has an Electric Tera Type. In this case, Charizard will still be able to use Fire-type attacks, but defensively it will be an Electric-type.

While you might traditionally use a Water-type Pokemon to tackle a Charizard, that won't work very well in this scenario, as Water-type attacks aren't effective against Electric-types. A good choice would be a Ground-type Pokemon, as it will be super-effective against the Electric-type Charizard when attacking but won't be vulnerable to its Fire-type attacks.

In my experience, low-tier Tera Raids in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet don't usually require too much strategy, but when you reach the higher-tier Tera Raids like 6-Star and 7-Star opponents, you'll need to seriously think about your team composition and work in unison with your teammates if you want to be victorious.

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The best way to do this is to team up with a group of Trainers you know in real life so you can communicate strategies and be completely in sync. But if that's not possible, take a look at what Pokemon your random teammates are using and make sure you're able to support one another. If they're all using strong attackers, you might want to choose a defensive Pokemon who can heal them.

A final thing to think about when entering a high-tier Tera Raid Battle is what held item your Pokemon has. This might not seem that important, but it can give you the edge you need in a difficult battle, like the Shell Bell which restores a little bit of health to your Pokemon when it lands an attack. Just make sure to check for any negative effects your held item might also have.

The good news is that when you win a Tera Raid Battle, you'll be able to catch the Pokemon you've defeated. It's a guaranteed catch, so you can use whichever Poke Ball you prefer. Personally, I love using a Premier Ball on my favourite Tera Raid Pokemon as it makes them feel extra special.

List of previous Tera Raid events

Here are some of the recent Tera Raid events and headliners that you've missed out on:

While these headliners have come and gone, there's always a chance that the starring Pokemon could return in a future Tera Raid event, so keep your fingers crossed!

Make sure you visit our Pokemon homepage for more guides like how to get all of the returning starters in The Indigo Disk, how to catch the Mythical Meloetta, and the latest Mystery Gift codes to get some freebies.