After teasing them in the main game, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet have finally introduced two new Paradox Pokémon available through tera raids. Walking Wake is a prehistoric version of Suicune that appears in Scarlet and Iron Leaves, a futuristic interpretation of Virizion, is obtainable in Violet. These two Pokémon can only be caught for a limited time, but if you’re having trouble catching them, we’ve got you covered. Let’s talk about how to defeat and capture Walking Wake.
When does the Walking Wake raid take place?
The Walking Wake tera raid begins today, February 27, as part of the Pokémon Day event, and will last until March 12, at 23:59 UTC (6:59 p.m./3:59 p.m. eastern time). This is notable, because this makes Walking Wake the only Paradox Pokémon in Violet that is available for a limited time. So if you want to complete your collection, be sure to get on these raids before they close.
What is Walking Wake?
Walking Wake is an ancient version of Suicune, a legendary beast who first appeared in Pokémon Gold and Silver, then went on to be the version mascot of Pokémon Crystal. While the original Suicune is an elegant beast, Walking Wake has a lot more going on in its design and takes on more reptilian features. A lot of Scarlet’s Paradox Pokémon seem like drastic departures from the modern Pokémon they originate from, but still closely resemble their current counterparts enough that they’re recognizable at a glance.
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While the Paradox Pokémon appears as a boss in a tera raid, Walking Wake was originally teased in the base game via the Scarlet Book, which featured a sketch of the character under the pretense of it being an imagined resident of Area Zero, where Paradox Pokémon reside after being brought to the Paldea region through Professor Sada’s time machine. Of the ancient Pokémon, Walking Wake is the only one to be based off a legendary Pokémon.
Who are the best Pokémon to fight Walking Wake?
Walking Wake has base types of water and dragon, which makes sense given the reptilian features it has compared to the original Suicune. But it also has a water tera type, so the dragon typing doesn’t really come into play when you’re looking for its weaknesses. While the raid is a five-star raid, which means it won’t be as difficult as previous event raids like Charizard and Greninja, it does have a pretty robust strategy that you should know how to counter. The boss’ moveset is as follows:
- Sunny Day (Fire)
- Hydro Steam (Water)
- Noble Roar (Normal)
- Dragon Pulse (Dragon)
- Flamethrower (Fire)
Walking Wake will cast Sunny Day as soon as the battle starts, and most of its strength and attacks are centered around it manipulating the weather like this. As is the case with all of Scarlet’s Paradox Pokémon, the boss has Protosynthesis as its ability, which means its highest stat is raised when it fights in harsh sunlight. On top of this, it has Hydro Steam, a water move that circumvents the usual detrimental effects sunlight has on water moves, and is instead increased in power by 50 percent. It also has Flamethrower, which benefits from fire attacks’ natural boost in sunlight. So Walking Wake can hit hard right out of the gate.
Because it has Flamethrower, grass-type Pokémon are a no go for the Walking Wake raid, as you’ll inevitably be on the receiving end of a powerful fire attack. Electric Pokémon are your best bet, as the boss doesn’t really have a great option for most of these without any ground-type attacks.
I personally took Walking Wake out quickly with a level 100 Raichu, but any powerful electric-type Pokémon should do. Iron Hands has been a staple in raid battles since Scarlet and Violet launched, and would come in handy here. If you’re playing Violet or have traded one over, Miraidon is a pretty strong pick as well, given its high special defense stat. The main concern you would have in this scenario is Dragon Pulse, which would weaken Miraidon, but could be circumvented with strategic tera type. Consider taking it over to a Treasure Eatery in Medali and swapping its tera type to electric.
Whatever Pokémon you choose to bring, keep in mind that Walking Wake will be at level 75 as part of a five-star tera raid. It won’t be as powerful as the Charizard or Greninja raids, but it’s best to make sure you’ve got something at least comparable in power before you fight it.
Can I get a shiny Walking Wake?
As with most event tera raids in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, Walking Wake is shiny locked. While players have found the models for shiny versions of both it and Iron Leaves in the code, it seems these forms are unobtainable at this time through legitimate means. For Pokémon like Charizard and Greninja, who were initially only obtainable in Scarlet and Violet through raids, the shiny forms were still available in the game because they could breed, and their offspring weren’t shiny locked. However, Iron Leaves and Walking Wake are Paradox Pokémon, which cannot breed. Hopefully these forms will become available soon.
Can I get Walking Wake in Pokémon Violet?
Technically, Walking Wake is a Scarlet exclusive, but both games pull from the same raid pool when you enter the Poké Portal in the main menu. Just pause the game, go to Poké Portal, and connect to the internet. Doing so will give you a list of available tera raids, and as a Violet player, I’ve seen players searching for raids for Walking Wake, which I was able to access despite not having Scarlet myself. The same should apply to those playing Scarlet for Iron Leaves, but you’ll have to stumble into the tera raid battle search menu at the right time.
The more reliable means of getting Walking Wake if you own Violet is to team up with a friend who owns Scarlet, as the raid is always available through this menu. But if you’re having trouble coordinating with friends, try refreshing the search menu. You may luck out.
Despite being based on legendary Pokémon, Walking Wake is a bit easier than most of Scarlet and Violet’s event raids, which is probably a good thing considering this means more people will be able to catch them in the long run. While many players (myself included) expected Walking Wake to play into Scarlet and Violet’s upcoming story DLC, it looks like Game Freak has elected to make them optional bosses instead. Despite this, given that the name of the DLC is The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero, Paradox Pokémon may still play a major role in the games’ future.
