How to get Dynamax Adventures shiny Pokémon in Sword and Shield

One of the biggest features introduced to Pokémon Sword and Shield’s Crown Tundra expansion is Dynamax Adventures. This is a gauntlet found in the Max Lair where you and three others, either AI or real people online, navigate your way through a handful of opposing Dynamax Pokémon to reach a legendary Pokémon at the end. Plus, you can even earn some of the strongest Pokémon here.

The catch? You don’t use your own team. Instead, everyone uses a rented Pokémon to begin their adventure with. Once everyone has drafted a Pokémon from a limited selection, they will go through the dungeon. Nobody is stuck with the same choice throughout, as you have the option to catch every Dynamax encounter you face. Nevertheless, earning the best Crown Tundra Pokémon won’t be easy. Check out our handy Pokémon type chart to have the best chances of success.

How do Dynamax Adventures work?

In Dynamax Adventures, you and three other players (either AI or real-life players) work together to make your way through three Dynamax encounters, before reaching the legendary Pokémon at the end.

You each begin by drafting one Pokémon from a selection of three. Once a Pokémon is chosen, a new one will replace it for the next person to choose from. If you are playing with AI, they will always act after every real-life trainer has chosen a Pokémon, otherwise, the order is randomized.

As the map begins, you get a sweeping shot of all the possible routes towards the legendary Pokémon. For each route choice, one of the Pokémon’s types will be shown. More often than not, the Pokémon will be dual-typed, so pay attention to the silhouettes for clues as to what you are about to fight. Once you have voted, the majority of the votes cast will determine the route chosen and a Dynamax battle will begin.

Along some routes, there are NPCs or items you can find along the way. Here is a list of the NPCs and what they will offer you:

• Berries: Restores half of every Pokémon’s max HP.
• Hiker: Will give items to players. Players take turns to draft items they want.
• Scientist: Offers to replace your Pokémon with a random one. If multiple players say yes, the Pokémon replaced is randomised.

Eventually, whether you win against the legendary Pokémon or not, you’ll be able to choose which of the Pokémon you caught on the way you want to keep for good. These do not include the starting Pokémon you drafted, nor any Pokémon you didn’t catch in a Pokéball.

Regarding the legendary Pokémon, you will be able to re-encounter them if you didn’t win against them or choose not to take them with you if you did catch them. When you next speak to the scientist, she will tell you that you have remembered the route to that specific Pokémon.

Are there any differences in Dynamax Adventures?

Yes, there are a few differences that you should be made aware of:

• Regular Dynamax and Gigantamax Pokémon in the Max Lair only attack once per turn.
• Legendary Pokémon will attack twice per turn when their HP is below half. It’s indicated by the message that their “attacks have become increasingly desperate”.
• Neither Dynamax nor Legendary Pokémon will put up shields in Max Lair raids.
• Fainted Pokémon are now cumulative, so if you fainted twice before reaching the legendary Pokémon, you’ll only have two faints left before you are kicked out of the Max Lair.
• Every Pokémon has a 100% catch rate if you defeat it. This goes for legendary Pokémon too.
• You can only catch one of any single legendary Pokémon per game. You can encounter the legendaries repeatedly, but you may only keep one.

Dynamax Adventures shiny Pokémon

Ok, so here’s probably what you’re here for: how to get shiny Pokémon in Max Lairs. The Dynamax Adventures also happens to be the activity with the best shiny Pokémon odds, though the time it takes to finish a Max Lair challenge makes it somewhat inefficient. Still, it’s the only place to catch shiny forms of many legendary Pokémon, and it is also where you can get the Ability Patch item.

The shiny odds for any individual Pokémon is 1 in 300 encounters. If you have the Shiny Charm item, obtained for completing the original Pokémon Sword and Shield Pokédex (not the Isle of Armor or Crown Tundra Pokédexs) these odds increase to 1 in 100 encounters.

To stand the best chance of catching a shiny Pokémon, make sure you catch every single Dynamax Pokémon you encounter. When you finish your run, you are given the opportunity to keep any of the Pokémon you caught during your run. You don’t have to switch them in to replace your current Pokémon either, just catch them. Since there is a 100% catch rate for any Pokémon in the Max Lair, you can just stock up on regular Pokéballs and use those instead.

You will only know if a Pokémon is shiny at the end of your Dynamax Adventure run. The Pokémon will never appear as a shiny in the actual battles but will appear as a shiny sprite on the final screen at the end of a Dynamax Adventure. While it’s somewhat annoying that you have to wait to find out if it was your lucky run, it is at least a satisfying reward at the end.

You can use this to shiny hunt legendary Pokémon, and you can always go through the set route to re-encounter them if they’re not shiny, provided you didn’t pick it of course.

Max Lair legendary Pokémon

Here are all the Pokémon you can encounter in the Dynamax Adventures. Some are exclusive to Sword or Shield but can be encountered in both versions if you raid with real players. Ultra Beasts can also be unlocked by finishing all of Peony’s quests

You may notice that the Kanto versions of the legendary birds are here. This is because Galarian Articuno, Galarian Zapdos, and Galarian Moltres are found outside of the Max Lair, as are all the Crown Tundra Regis, and all four ‘Swords of Justice’. Yes, this includes Keldeo.

Here are all the Pokémon found in the Max Lair, as well as which version you can find them natively in:

Again, be careful to double-check the version you’re playing. There’s no point hunting for Lunala if you’re playing Pokémon Sword.

How to unlock Endless Dynamax Adventures

To unlock Endless Dynamax Adventures, simply complete three Dynamax Adventures. These are endless challenges where you fight until your party loses. You won’t be able to keep any of the Pokémon, but it yields more Dynite Ore than regular Dynamax Adventures.

Dynite Ore Store inventory

You can shop with Dynite Ore via the Hiker to the right of the scientist. Her inventory includes:

As you can see, her store items vary in price quite significantly. For simple items like Dynamax Candy, you’ll only need two Dynite Ore, whereas the prized Ability Patch costs 200 Dynite Ore.

Dynamax Adventures tips

Finally, here are some tips for if you are struggling to reach or catch legendary Pokémon in the Max Lair:

• Try to party up with real people wherever possible. The AI is capable of costing you the chance to beat legendary Pokémon by selecting a bad move.
• Remember what type is at the top of the map. This will give you an idea of what type of Pokémon you should catch on the way and influence your route.
• Don’t rush to make choices from the get-go. You have 20 seconds to make your decision on routes and plan your route, so use every second wisely.
• If you are able to, use a third-party app like Discord to voice chat with friends in private games. This allows you to coordinate your attacks and plan routes efficiently.
• Berries will always recover 50% of all the Pokémon’s max health, so aim for those if you get heavily battered during a fight.
• Hikers will always give you a choice between four items. The Focus Sash is by far the most valuable item as it prevents fainting.
• If you are playing with AI partners, don’t swap out Pokémon with scientists if you can help it. They’re nearly always worse than what you currently have. If your Pokémon is low on HP or nearly run out of PP for their moves, only then you should switch.
• Don’t be selfish when it comes to changing Pokémon if you’re playing multiplayer. If you are playing with other people, consider if anyone needs a change to their roster. They might need to change to switch out a weaker type than the legendary Pokémon, or that their Pokémon is at low health.
• Peonia will occasionally tell you where to find certain legendary Pokémon for some Dynite Ore. This is rarely worth the investment unless you need that Pokémon specifically.

That should be everything you need to know about shiny hunting in Dynamax Adventures, as well as general tips for getting through the Max Lair in one piece.