"Still fun, most of the time": Pokemon Scarlet and Violet community discuss Tera Raids and their pitfalls

In Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, raiding has taken on a new look compared to how it operated in the Sword and Shield titles. The new Tera Raid system is a fun way for trainers to band together and defeat a Terastallized boss for a slew of great rewards and an opportunity to capture it.

As the two new Switch titles have reached their first full month post-release, the series' community has been discussing Tera Raids and other gameplay aspects. In a recent Reddit post, a user named u/CheeseDealer26 shared a meme detailing common tropes players tend to see in raids, including teammates whose Pokemon faint often, support players, and laggy delayed animations.

While the post mostly jokes about aspects of Tera Raids, it does make some fair points, leading to a discussion in the comments.

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Pokemon Scarlet and Violet fans discuss the pros and cons of Tera Raids

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's Tera Raids are fun, but they have their downsides (Image via Game Freak)

While many longtime fans have welcomed Tera Raids as an improvement to Sword and Shield's Gigantamax Raids, there are certain changes that can still be made.

As the meme by u/CheeseDealer26 pointed out, sometimes things simply don't go as planned. There are times when teammates are less than helpful, and other instances when connection issues prevent players from enjoying the game properly. The Herba Mystica drops that trainers get from high-tier Tera Raid bosses aren't particularly frequent either.

When finding fellow trainers to raid with in these particular Pokemon titles, it's possible to bring in your own friends. However, the games can also connect you with random trainers from the internet, and this always brings the risk of including a trainer in a high-star raid who may not know the optimal builds or gameplay to complete it. One player suggested adding a chat feature, but they acknowledged that it may inadvertently lead to in-game harassment, something Game Freak is stridently opposed to.

As a cooperative experience, Tera Raids are incumbent on the group of four Pokemon trainers working together and dealing good damage to overcome the boss. It's also important to use the in-game callout system when necessary and boost the team using the cheers that are available. However, sometimes players who comfortably complete lower-star raids dive into 5-star or 6-star raids and aren't prepared for the increase in difficulty.

Other players pointed out that the in-game netcode for Scarlet and Violet could be much better. When trainers attempt to join Tera Raids through the in-game menus instead of hosting them, "unable to connect" messages are fairly common as the raid lobbies fill up. Even when players enter a raid successfully, the disparity between internet connections occasionally leads to delayed attack animations and the boss continuing to receive damage after losing all its health.

In addition, some players remarked that Pokemon Scarlet/Violet's Tera Raid icons that denote the boss' Tera Type are unclear. While repeat raids eventually make it clear which icons are which, players diving into certain raids for the first time may be confused as to which creatures fit best since they can't recognize the icons for Tera Types.

It's unclear as to whether Game Freak has any additional fixes planned for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, but if they do, it would be a good idea to take a look at feedback on Tera Raids.

This game mode can be incredibly fun when everything goes right, but there are still a few hangups that should be addressed. While Game Freak can't address ill-equipped trainers, it can certainly take a look at the netcode and Tera Type icons for Pokemon fans who require more accessibility options.