Spacial Rend vs. Roar of Time: What’s better in Pokemon Go?

Whether you learned about these moves from previous Pokémon games or were introduced to them in Pokémon Go thanks to their Go Tour: Adventure Effects, Spacial Rend and Roar of Time are powerful tools for Legendary Pokémon. But which move should you pick if given the option? 

There are two important elements you need to keep in mind when making a selection between Palkia’s signature move, Spacial Rend, or Dialga’s ultimate attack, Roar of Time. Both are powerful options in battle and have gameplay effects you can use to enhance your Pokémon Go experience—for the right cost. Here is a full breakdown of both moves, their strengths, and tips on why you should pick each.

Should you pick Spacial Rend or Roar of Time in Pokémon Go? 

While Spacial Rend and Roar of Time are exclusive moves known only by Palkia and Dialga respectively, you don’t need to limit yourself to just one—at least when it comes to having a Pokémon that knows them.

You can catch a Dialga and Palkia that know their signature moves in special raids, most recently during Go Tour: Sinnoh. The only limitation you have when using these moves revolves around their Adventure Effects, as you can only have one active at a time since they actually impact the live gameplay of Pokémon Go. 

Here are the basic differences between the two compared directly so you know exactly what you are getting into. Just remember, at least during Go Tour: Sinnoh, you can almost guarantee an encounter with an Origin Forme Dialga or Origin Forme Palkia that knows its signature move if you pick the right path for the event’s Special Research. 

Spacial Rend vs. Roar of Time: Pokémon Go Adventure Effects compared and explained

Going off this info, each move has its benefits. But here is the case picking either Roar of Time or Spacial Rend over the other.

Is Spacial Rend better in Pokémon Go?

Spacial Rend is the move you should pick if you are trying to make the most out of encounter-specific events or doing something like Shiny hunting.

Extended encounter range is useful in more general terms because it helps you find more Pokémon without needing to work as hard. For events like Community Day, this will let you grab more encounters during the limited time frame as you spam Poké Balls—and that also makes it more likely you will find a Shiny since you will go through more unique encounters. It might also provide relief for rural players who struggle to find encounters in certain areas around where they live.

In battle, Palkia’s Dragon/Water typing gives it an edge over Dialga when it comes to usefulness in type matchups but Spacial Rend deals less damage than Roar of Time. That is a trade-off you will need to deal with when making a moveset because the damage downgrade from something like Draco Meteor allows you to put more pressure on shields.

Is Roar of Time better in Pokémon Go

Roar of Time is the ultimate grinding tool if you are good at planning out when to use items like Lucky Eggs and Incense to boost the XP or Stardust you get. If you time things out properly, you can extend your Lucky Egg evolution extravaganzas or Stardust grinds for two hours at a time, making it easier than ever to things done without using multiple items.

This is also a great chance to extend Daily Adventure Incense easily, allowing you to hunt for rare encounters featured within the daily mechanic. If you have failed to catch the Galarian Articuno, Galarian Zapdos, or Galarian Moltres, this Adventure Effect might become your new best friend as you continue to track them down.

Dialga might be a bit more situational in battles but Roar of Time is an upgrade to any moveset you can assign the Dragon/Steel-type. It punches a hole into pretty much anything you put in front of it as you tank hits in return.

Verdict: Spacial Rend is better if you are hunting for more encounters and Roar of Time provides more utility if you are ready to grind XP or want to take advantage of items like Incense. They provide comparable benefits in battle, so your decision can be based entirely on the Adventure Effects or which Dragon-type Legendary you prefer.