New events and content are continuing to be revealed for Pokémon GO on a regular basis. There are also confirmed bugs that are regularly being addressed. Read on below to learn more:
Learn everything you need to know about how to battle, catch, and train Gigantamax Pokémon.
Gigantamax Pokémon first appeared in November 2019 in the Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield video games, and the GO Bigger event brought them to Pokémon GO on October 26, 2024. During this kickoff event, Trainers could battle and catch Gigantamax Venusaur, Gigantamax Blastoise, and Gigantamax Charizard.
Since then, many more Pokémon have appeared in six-star Max Battles as Gigantamax Pokémon. Gigantamax Pokémon undergo a temporary transformation that appears to significantly increase their size as well as alters their appearance, and grants them access to exclusive G-Max Moves. Unlike certain other mechanics, such as Mega Evolution, Max Pokémon (Dynamax Pokémon and Gigantamax Pokémon) do not change type. In Pokémon GO, Gigantamax Pokémon in your Pokémon storage will have this symbol beneath their weight, type, and height.
There are two main ways to obtain Gigantamax Pokémon in Pokémon GO: you can defeat a Gigantamax Pokémon in a six-star Max Battle or complete a Special Trade. In addition to requiring more Stardust than a regular trade, Trainers can take part in only one Special Trade per day. If you’re planning on challenging Gigantamax Pokémon in Max Battles, you’re going to need powerful Max Pokémon, a sound strategy, and a lot of other Trainers to battle by your side.
Max Battles in Pokémon GO take place at Power Spots—purple platforms with the Gigantamax symbol above them. Trainers don’t need a Raid Pass to participate in these battles in-person, but they’ll still need a Remote Raid Pass to participate remotely. Taking on Gigantamax Battles requires Max Particles. There are two methods to obtaining Max Particles: visit Power Spots or cover 2 km to collect Max Particles through the Power Spot tab in your Nearby menu. The current cap for a Trainer’s Max Particles is 1,500.
Trainers can also use Max Particles to power up Max Moves for Dynamax Pokémon and Gigantamax Pokémon—more on that later.
Once you have enough Max Particles, you’ll need Trainers to team up with for the battle—lots of them! A typical Raid Battle lobby holds up to 20 Trainers, but a Gigantamax Battle lobby can hold up to 40 Trainers. You might not need all 40 Trainers to win, but don’t underestimate how powerful these Power Spot Bosses can be. Planning ahead with a large group is your best chance of successfully completing a six-star Max Battle. You can invite up to 10 friends to join a Max Battle with you.
In a typical raid, every Pokémon you have in your storage can be taken into battle, but in a Gigantamax Battle, you can only use Dynamax or Gigantamax Pokémon. While there are some similarities between Dynamax Pokémon and Gigantamax Pokémon, there are some key differences as well, and understanding the difference between each mechanic can help maximize your experience with both.
The method of powering up Gigantamax Pokémon and Dynamax Pokémon is the same as powering up regular Pokémon. Tap POWER UP when you have the Stardust and Candy required to increase its CP—it’s important to power up your Max Pokémon as much as possible before you attempt to take on a six-star Max Battle.
You can also power up your Max Pokémon’s attacks by leveling them up. Dynamax Pokémon have three Max Moves: an attack that shares a type with its Fast Attack, Max Guard (reduces the amount of damage your Pokémon take from attacks), and Max Spirit (heals your Pokémon and your allies’ Pokémon).
When you first catch a Dynamax Pokémon, it will have a level 1 Max Move attack. You’ll need Max Particles, Candy, and Candy XL to raise this attack all the way to level 3.
You have to unlock Max Guard and Max Spirit before you can use these Max Moves, which costs Max Particles and Candy. Once unlocked, you can power up Max Moves to all the way up to level 3 using more Max Particles, Candy, and Candy XL. While Max Guard and Max Spirit can be useful, allocate resources like Max Particles and Candy wisely. Depending on your strategy, some Pokémon on your team might not need to use Max Guard or Max Spirit, so develop a plan before deciding how best to utilize limited resources like Max Particles, Candy, and especially Candy XL.
Like Dynamax Pokémon, Gigantamax Pokémon can learn Max Guard and Max Spirit, both of which have to be unlocked. Gigantamax Pokémon have a G-Max Attack that is unique to that Pokémon. For example, Gigantamax Venusaur can learn the Grass-type G-Max Move Vine Lash. As with any battle or raid, ensuring your Pokémon have the most effective type of attack for your goals is important!
When choosing three Pokémon to take part in Max Battles, there are a few factors to consider. As always, it’s important to choose Pokémon with a type advantage, and especially to use Pokémon with attacks that are effective or super effective against your opponent. It’s also important to power up your Pokémon as much as possible, especially when taking part in a particularly difficult Max Battle. One or two Max Pokémon with maxed out attacks will help you deal maximum damage. Depending on your strategy and available resources, however, you don’t need to max out all three of each Pokémon’s Max Moves. Additionally, G-Max Move attacks deal more damage than Dynamax attacks, so prioritizing training your Gigantamax Pokémon might be a better strategy.
Before the battle begins, participating Trainers will be divided into groups of four. Take this time to strategize with the other three Trainers in your group by assigning roles for battle. A good approach is to have two Trainers focused on dealing damage, one Trainer focused on healing the group, and the fourth serving as a tank that absorbs damage. These roles start to come into play after you all Dynamax or Gigantamax your Pokémon (more below).
During the battle, your first goal should be to fill up the meter at the top of the screen so that your Pokémon can Dynamax or Gigantamax. Using Fast Attacks and Charged Attacks charges your meter, as will moving your Pokémon left or right to collect the small symbols that appear around the battlefield. It might seem counterintuitive, but Fast Attacks fill your Max Meter more quickly than Charged Attacks, so it’s not a bad idea to focus on using Fast Attacks.
Once you’ve filled the Max Meter and your group can Dynamax or Gigantamax, you’ll each get to use three moves. It’s important for each Trainer in the group to know their role at this point. If you’re one of the attackers, focus on using attacks that deal substantial damage to your opponent. The Trainer serving as healer should use Max Spirit to heal the group—this healing is based on a percentage of each Pokémon’s max HP. Meanwhile, the tank’s role is to use Max Guard to draw the Gigantamax Pokémon’s attention so it focuses on attacking their Pokémon, which helps mitigate damage to the rest of the group’s Pokémon. Trainers that are tanking should choose a Pokémon with high HP, such as Blissey, and be sure that your Pokémon resists the types of damage that the Gigantamax Pokémon you’re battling will be dishing out. Max Guard significantly reduces damage taken, but this effect applies only to your Pokémon, not the entire group.
Keep an eye on the battle log on the side of your screen, which will give you information about what attacks the Gigantamax Pokémon you are battling is preparing to use. When the log says “Attack Incoming,” the Power Spot Boss is targeting your Pokémon. The good news is that you can dodge this attack by moving your Pokémon to the left or the right to reduce the amount of damage taken. If the battle log says the boss is “preparing a large attack,” that means it’s targeting the entire group. Unfortunately, you can’t dodge these attacks.
If you find yourself in the unfortunate position of having all your Pokémon knocked out, you can still support your team by cheering for their Pokémon—use the cheer button to help charge the meter for your fellow Trainers. This is an important way to contribute to your team’s success even if you’re not part of the battle, so cheer away!
Lastly, if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Six-star Max Battles are extremely challenging, and it might take a few tries to fine-tune your strategy and to practice the different roles. Fortunately, the Max Particles required to participate in the battle are only used after you successfully defeat the Power Spot Boss, so you don’t have to worry about expending all your Max Particles on unsuccessful attempts. Just keep at it!
Happy battling, Trainers!
Source: Official Pokémon site
Source: Pokemon
