How to Raid with Friends in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet

In Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, one of the returning features from the last generation of games is the ability to participate in raids. This time, they are called Tera Raids. In these special battles, four players team up to defeat one extra powerful Tera Pokemon with a time limit. If you’re playing the game in single-player, NPCs will help you out by default. You can also raid alongside real players, including your friends. Here’s everything you need to know about how to raid with friends in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet.

How to Raid with Friends in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet

There are two ways to raid with other players in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet: hosting your own raid and joining another player’s raid.

To host your own Tera Raid, the first step is to find a crystal in the overworld. They sparkle and radiate light vertically, so they are pretty easy to spot. The color of each crystal represents the Tera Type the enemy Pokemon will have. You can see an example of what one looks like below.

Interact with the crystal and select “Challenge as a group.” You have two options for recruiting allies for this raid. You can either use a link code to invite friends or you can let anyone join. Pick the first option if you have specific people who you want to give the 6-character code to invite. Pick the second option if you’re okay with random players joining.

This will allow up to three other players to join your raid to take down the Tera Pokemon simultaneously. Once the enemy is defeated, all of the players in the battle will have the opportunity to catch it.

To join another player’s raid, the process is slightly different. First, open your menu with X. Then, select Tera Raid Battle Search. This brings up a list of random players’ Tera Raids that are currently available to join. Alternatively, you can choose to enter a link code.

If you have a friend who started a Tera Raid in their own game and has a link code for you to input, this is where you would do it. Doing so will connect you to their raid so you can challenge it together.

For both options, make sure you are connected to the internet. You can check in the bottom right corner. If it says “Connect to Internet,” press L to toggle it on.

Of course, you’ll need to be a Nintendo Switch Online member to use online features like connecting with other players over the Internet for Tera Raid battles. If you are not subscribed, you’ll only be able to participate in the raids with NPCs or with other players via local multiplayer.

That’s everything you need to know about how to raid with friends in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. Be sure to check back with Twinfinite for more tips, tricks, and guides on the game, such as auto-battle explained and how to find Ditto.