Pokémon Sword & Shield's Raiding NEEDS To Continue Past Crown Tundra
With the introduction of Dynamax in Pokémon Sword & Shield, the series saw the implementation of raids for the first time. Raids weren't totally unfamiliar territory for Pokémon fans, as they have been a focal point of Pokémon GO since 2017. But now that raids have made their way to the main series, they've proven that they should be here for the long haul.
With the introduction of the Wild Area, raids were used as the core mechanic to entice players to play with each other. Pokémon Dens were spread all throughout the open world and players were able to join up with up to three friends or random players to battle a Dynamaxed Pokémon in those dens. These raids also had a chance to include Gigantamax Pokémon, legendaries or rare Pokémon that were simply set to appear more commonly during set periods of time. The system was fairly basic, but it introduced a fun mechanic that helped the series with its longstanding postgame issues.
With the release of The Crown Tundra DLC, Pokémon Sword & Shield's raids have made massive improvements. Dynamax Adventures, effectively a Pokémon rogue-like system that results in a battle with a Legendary Pokémon, have been a massive success. The usage of random Pokémon prevents players from just stacking high level Pokémon to steamroll the raids, and it allows for a challenge that the series has been missing for quite some time. Dynamax Adventures also feature increased shiny odds, making it an enjoyable way to shiny hunt. Dynamax Adventures have even removed the annoying shield mechanic seen in regular raids, which keeps the battles from turning into a boring slog. Pokémon Sword & Shield saw incredible improvements to the raiding system in The Crown Tundra, and it reinforces the idea that raids should remain a core foundational piece of the main series Pokémon titles.
Each new generation of Pokémon sees the addition of a new gimmick in place of its old one. Dynamax hasn't exactly been a popular mechanic, and like Z-moves before it, players won't be upset to see it go away in the ninth generation. But Mega Evolution, introduced in the sixth generation, ended up being a great mechanic and fans were upset to see it leave. With the success of raids and the popularity of Mega Evolution, it would be wise to merge the two mechanics moving forward. Instead of collecting mega stones around the world, make them earnable by hunting down mega evolved Pokémon in raids, effectively just replacing Gigantamax Pokémon. Legendary Pokémon have seen their status enhanced by increasing how challenging they are to capture through Dynamax Adventures, and Mega Evolution could see a similar sort of treatment.
Game Freak has found a mechanic players love and it should be a priority to make it a staple of the series moving forward. Raiding is the fun, challenging and rewarding postgame content that this franchise has desperately been searching for. It's more than enough to keep people playing the games and it could get even better if the effort is made to build on what's been established. Fans love this mechanic, so find a way to make it work. Pokémon Sword & Shield has deserved a lot of the criticism that it has received, but it deserves a lot of credit for delivering on raids and Game Freak should absolutely build on that in future games.