Although Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield are meant to be more of a return to the traditional roots of the franchise, that doesn't mean that the games aren't going to be influenced a bit by the success of Pokemon GO and its mechanics. This morning's Pokemon Nintendo Direct revealed a new feature in the game, called Max Raid Battles, that seems very similar to the raiding mechanic in Pokemon GO.

Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield features a few new mechanics that are going to be an interesting twist on both battling and catching certain Pokemon in the upcoming game. There will be the chance to Dynamax Pokemon, which makes them enormous, and much more powerful. In addition to using this power in Gym battles, players can also team up with three friends to battle Dynamax Pokemon in the wild, in Max Raid Battles, for the chance to catch them.

According to the reveal details, it sounds like certain Pokemon will only be able to be captured during these Max Raid Battles. That means that players are going to be forced to team up with some friends and battle if they want to complete their Pokedex in this game (unless they rely on trading).

pokemon sword shield giant pokemon

Here are some other details about how the system will work:

  • Certain locations in the region can trigger something called “Dynamax”, a new phenomenon that makes Pokemon into giants
  • Max Raid Battles allow up to four Trainers to fight against a wild Dynamix Pokemon with special powers
  • These Pokemon will be able to stay in Dynamax form for the entire Raid
  • Only one of the four trainers will be able to Dynamax their own Pokemon
  • Some Pokemon will only be able to be caught in these special Max Raid Battles

Be sure to check back throughout the week and the E3 2019 events for more news, updates, and strategy guides. Until then, good luck out there, trainers!

Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield release on November 15 exclusively on the Nintendo Switch