New Pokemon Sword And Shield Raid Event Now Live, Features Lots Of Ground And Water Pokemon

A new Max Raid event is now underway in Pokemon Sword and Shield. Following the recent Shiny Pikachu outbreak, Water- and Ground-type Pokemon are once again appearing more frequently in Max Raid dens across both versions, and you'll have a chance to earn Pearls, Stardust, other valuable items from the Raids.

Among the Pokemon you'll be able to encounter are Gigantamax Drednaw and Sandaconda. Since you normally can't teach Pokemon to Gigantamax unless you own the Isle of Armor expansion, this is another chance to add these G-Max monsters to your collection, especially if you missed them during previous events. You'll also be able to encounter Gastrodon, Milotic, Hippowdon, Quagsire, and their pre-evolved forms in Max Raids.

Additionally, successfully clearing the Raids will net you some valuable items. Defeat one of the featured Water Pokemon and you'll have a chance to earn Pearls and Big Pearls, while the Ground Pokemon may drop Stardust and Star Pieces. You'll also have a chance to get Rare Candies, Bottle Caps, and Sitrus Berries on top of the usual assortment of rewards.

The Max Raid event runs until August 31. Before the featured Pokemon can start appearing in your game, you'll need to refresh your Raid dens. To do so, either connect the Y-Comm online or go into Mystery Gift from the menu screen and select Get the Wild Area News.

The first of Pokemon Sword and Shield's two planned expansions, The Isle of Armor, launched back in June, and it introduced a new Wild Area to explore, a variety of returning Pokemon to catch, and a storyline centered around the new Legendary Pokemon Kubfu. The games' second expansion, The Crown Tundra, does not yet have a release date, but it's slated to follow sometime this fall and will take players to a new arctic region. You can learn more about the expansions in our roundup of everything we know about the Pokemon Sword and Shield DLC.