Where to find Unrivaled Empoleon Tera Raids in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

Empoleon Tera Raids are coming to Pokémon Scarlet and Violet’s Paldea region for a limited-time event, and it’s another tough battle ahead.

You’ll be able to face Unrivaled Empoleon starting from Thursday, Feb. 1 at 6:00pm CT and again the following week from Thursday, Feb. 8 at 6:00pm CT.  The Empoleon featured in these seven-star Tera Raids will have the Mightiest Mark as well as the Ice Tera Type. As with all seven-star raids, it won’t be easy unless you come prepared with a strong counter and game plan. It’ll also help to know what you’re getting yourself into.

Here’s everything you need to know about Empoleon and its Unrivaled Tera Raid event in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.

How to find Unrivaled Empoleon Tera Raids in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

Empoleon Tera Raids will not actually appear on your map until after you’ve unlocked seven-star Tera Raids. After you have seven-star raids unlocked, follow these steps to find the Unrivaled Empoleon Tera Raids:

• During the event period, connect to the internet. Make sure your news is updated in the Poké Portal.
• Open your Paldea map and look for the black Tera Raid icon with the Ice Tera Type symbol (it looks like a snowflake). Set that as your destination.
• Head toward the orange flag on your mini-map. Fly to the Pokémon Center or landmark closest to the Tera Raid to speed up the process, and then hop on Koraidon or Miraidon until you reach your destination.
• Once you arrive at the black crystal Tera Raid den, interact with it and make sure it’s a seven-star raid with Empoleon’s silhouette.
• Another way to access Empoleon Tera Raids is to use the Tera Raid Battle Search feature in the Poké Portal. There, you can join raids hosted by fellow players, but the online feature requires a Nintendo Switch Online membership.

How to catch Empoleon in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

To catch the Unrivaled Empoleon in the special Tera Raid event, you must first defeat it, which is easier said than done.

If you want to clear the raid, bring a strong Pokémon that can handle Empoleon’s Ice, Water, and Steel-type attacks and hit it back for super-effective damage. Fighting and Steel Pokémon, for example, have the type advantage over the Ice Tera Type penguin.

Thanks to The Indigo Disk DLC, Empoleon is also obtainable in Gen IX games outside of this Tera Raid event. Empoleon’s first pre-evolution, Piplup, can be found waddling in the wild in the Polar Biome of Blueberry Academy’s Terarium. Just make sure you’ve upgraded the Polar Biome in the League Club Room before heading off to hunt for the tiny penguin. Once you catch your Piplup, evolve it into Prinplup and then into Empoleon.

Can you catch more than one Empoleon in the Pokémon Scarlet and Violet Unrivaled Tera Raid event?

After beating the Unrivaled Tera raid, the game limits you to catching only one Empoleon with the Mightiest Mark. You can still rechallenge the Empoleon Tera Raid to earn more rewards if you want, but it won’t let you catch more than one raid boss for this event.

If you really want another Empoleon (without the Mightiest Mark), you have a few options. You can hunt for Piplup in the Terarium’s Polar Biome, breed your Empoleon and hatch Piplup eggs, transfer the penguin over from another Pokémon game via Pokémon HOME, or trade with another player.

What is the best Nature for Piplup, Prinplup, and Empoleon in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet?

Empoleon and its pre-evolutions, Piplup and Prinplup, received a huge buff in Gen IX where their Hidden Ability was changed from Defiant to Competitive. Their former Ability gave Empoleon more of an incentive to be a mediocre physical attacker, but now it can truly shine as a special attacker thanks to Competitive, boosting its Special Attack by two stages when one of its stats is lowered. 

To pair with the Special Attack boosts from Competitive, Empoleon would benefit most from a Nature like Modest (+ Special Attack, – Attack). With a Modest nature, it can deal solid damage as it is. But if it gets one or two Competitive boosts, it’ll be hitting pretty hard with strong special moves like Hydro Pump, Flash Cannon, and Ice Beam.

Alternatively, you could go with a Quiet nature (+ Special Attack, – Speed) to take advantage of Empoleon’s slow speed if you’re running a Trick Room team.