Pokémon Scarlet and Violet players are still flunking Tera Raids 7 months later

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet have been out for over seven months now, and players are still having a hard time with the fundamentals of Pokémon battles—as seen in some epic Tera Raid fails.

In a June 28 Reddit thread, one Pokémon player shared a single screenshot with multiple red flags during a Tera Raid against a Grass Tera Pelipper. The poor player’s teammates weren’t using the most optimal moves against the raid boss, and all they could do was wait for the timer to wind down to end the torture.

The biggest issue was Iron Hands. The player recalled Iron Hands setting up with Belly Drum before using Thunderbolt. Belly Drum is great for quickly maximizing Iron Hands’ physical attack stat, but the trainer completely failed to take advantage of that boost. Because Thunderbolt is a special attack, the Belly Drum boosts didn’t apply to it at all. Even worse, Iron Hands’ 50 special attack stat is horrible compared to its massive 140 physical attack. To top it all off, an Electric-type attack like Thunderbolt is weak against the Pelipper’s Grass Tera Type.

Similarly, Baxcalibur spamming Ice Beam wasn’t the most ideal move. Yes, it hits Grass Tera Pelipper for super-effective damage, but it’s a special attack and Baxcalibur is a physical attacker like Iron Hands. Rather than Ice Beam, it would’ve been much more effective to using a physical attack, like Icicle Spear paired with the Loaded Dice item to maximize its number of hits.

Unfortunately, this isn’t a unique case where a Tera Raid went horribly wrong due to a lack of understanding of how Pokémon battles work. Anyone who’s ever participated in an online Tera Raid with strangers will know the frustrating feeling of being stuck with ally Pokémon that are either severely under-leveled, using the wrong moves, or just a poor choice overall. The most difficult Tera Raids are unforgiving too, meaning one bad teammate could cost you the game.

Of course, we can’t just blame other players for performing poorly in Tera Raids. Whether they’re young or new to the series, there are valid reasons why they might not know all the type weaknesses or the difference between physical and special moves. And despite the fact that Scarlet and Violet’s story centers around academic activities, the games don’t focus too much on teaching new players the basics—perhaps assuming they already have experience playing previous titles.

This is why many players (including myself) will turn to solo raids, where you don’t have to rely on anyone other than yourself. As hard as the six and seven-star Tera Raids are, they can all be soloed with the right Pokémon and builds. If you know enough about the game, you should be able to figure it out on your own, or you can turn to Tera Raid counter guides for some inspiration. Bugs might sometimes hinder your experience, but you should still get the job done with a few attempts and adjustments.