If you have reached the postgame of Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet and started wondering why everyone else seems to be farming scary black crystals while your map looks suspiciously peaceful, you are not alone. Six-star Tera Raids are some of the toughest and most rewarding challenges in Paldea, but the game does not simply hand them over with a cheerful “Congratulations, please enjoy your chaos.” You have to earn them.
The short answer is this: to unlock 6-star raids in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, you must finish the main story, complete the postgame Gym Leader rematches, win the Academy Ace Tournament, and then clear enough high-level Tera Raids until Jacq calls you about dangerous black crystal raids. Once that second call happens, 6-star raids begin appearing on your map as black Tera Raid icons with a glowing aura.
That is the quick version. The useful versionthe one that saves you from wandering around Paldea like a confused Psyduck with a sandwich addictionis below.
What Are 6-Star Raids in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet?
Six-star Tera Raids are advanced Tera Raid Battles found in the postgame. They appear at black Tera Raid crystals and feature much stronger Pokémon than the ordinary raids you encounter during the main adventure. These battles are designed for trained, well-built Pokémon, not your level 53 story team that still knows three damaging moves and one move you forgot existed.
In a 6-star raid, the boss Pokémon has a high level, boosted durability, a Tera Type that may completely change its matchup, and a habit of doing rude things like clearing stat changes, stealing Tera Orb charge, and putting up a shield right when you were feeling emotionally secure. These raids are not impossible, but they punish sloppy builds. Bringing “my favorite Pokémon because it is cute” is allowed emotionally, but mechanically risky.
The reason players chase 6-star raids is simple: the rewards are excellent. Winning can give you rare items such as Herba Mystica, Ability Patches, Ability Capsules, Bottle Caps, Tera Shards, EXP Candy, valuable sellable items, and Pokémon with stronger stats. If you care about competitive training, shiny hunting, raid farming, or simply becoming the kind of trainer who looks at a black crystal and says, “Yes, I choose violence,” 6-star raids are worth unlocking.
How to Unlock 6-Star Raids: The Complete Step-by-Step Guide
Step 1: Finish the Main Story
Before you can unlock 6-star Tera Raids, you need to complete the core story content in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. That means clearing the three major story paths: Victory Road, Path of Legends, and Starfall Street. After those are finished, you will continue into the final storyline, The Way Home, which takes you into Area Zero.
Once you complete the final story sequence and see the credits, you are officially in the postgame. This is when the game starts opening the door to harder content. Five-star raids become more prominent, stronger trainers are ready to battle, and Paldea politely stops pretending it is a relaxing school field trip.
Do not skip this step or assume that beating only the Pokémon League is enough. Becoming Champion is important, but the game wants the full story cleared before the higher raid progression begins. Finish all three paths, complete Area Zero, watch the credits, and then move to the next requirement.
Step 2: Rematch All Eight Gym Leaders
After the credits, you will be asked to inspect the eight Gym Leaders on behalf of Geeta. This means traveling across Paldea and battling each Gym Leader again. These rematches are stronger than the first round, so do not walk in expecting the same easy warm-up battles from early in the game.
You need to defeat all eight Gym Leaders in their postgame rematches. This step is required because it leads directly into the Academy Ace Tournament. Think of it as the game’s way of saying, “Before we let you fight raid monsters powered by mysterious crystal energy, please prove you can still handle Larry.” Fair enough, honestly.
Use this stage to level up your team, collect money, and test possible raid candidates. Pokémon that can boost themselves, recover health, or provide team support will be useful later. If your team is underleveled, use EXP Candy from raids, Chansey farming, or regular trainer battles to catch up.
Step 3: Win the Academy Ace Tournament
Once every Gym Leader has been rematched, return to the academy. You will unlock the Academy Ace Tournament, a postgame battle tournament featuring strong trainers from the school and story. You must win the tournament at least once to continue toward unlocking 6-star raids.
The Academy Ace Tournament is not brutally difficult if your team is properly leveled, but it is a noticeable step up from casual story battles. Expect multiple opponents, higher-level Pokémon, and enough type variety to punish a one-Pokémon strategy. Bring a balanced team, healing items, and at least one hard-hitting Pokémon that can clean up awkward matchups.
After winning the tournament, Jacq will contact you about stronger raids appearing around Paldea. This is an important checkpoint. However, this does not mean 6-star raids are fully unlocked yet. It means you have unlocked the next part of the process: clearing enough high-level raids to trigger Jacq’s second call.
Step 4: Clear Several 4-Star or 5-Star Tera Raids
After the Academy Ace Tournament, you need to complete multiple high-level Tera Raids. Most guides and player testing point to roughly 8 to 10 raids of 4-star difficulty or higher, with 5-star raids being the most commonly recommended target. The game does not display a visible counter, because apparently Paldea believes mystery builds character.
Your safest strategy is to host and clear about ten 5-star raids from your own map. Some players report unlocking 6-star raids after a mix of 4-star and 5-star raids, while others prefer doing only 5-star raids to avoid any uncertainty. If you want the cleanest path, focus on 5-star raids and beat them one by one until Jacq calls again.
To find raids, open your map and look for Tera Raid icons. The icon shows the Tera Type, not the star level, so you will need to travel to the crystal and interact with it to see how difficult the raid is. If it is 1-star, 2-star, or 3-star, skip it if your only goal is unlocking 6-star raids. If it is 4-star or 5-star, complete it.
Step 5: Wait for Jacq’s Second Call
After you clear enough high-level raids, Jacq will call again. This time, he warns you about extremely dangerous raids connected to black crystals. This call is the real unlock signal. Once you receive it, 6-star Tera Raids are available in your game.
From that point forward, check your map for black raid icons with a glowing aura. These are the 6-star raids. In the overworld, the crystals themselves look black and more dramatic than regular Tera Raid crystals, as if they hired a lighting designer and started listening to boss music.
Usually, only one 6-star raid appears per day in your own game world. The raid changes when the daily reset occurs. You can also join raids hosted by other players online, and limited-time 7-star event raids use black crystals too, though those have their own event schedules and special rules.
How to Find 6-Star Raids on the Map
Once 6-star raids are unlocked, open your map and look for a black Tera Raid symbol surrounded by a special glow. Regular raid icons are colored according to Tera Type, but 6-star raids stand out because of the darker black background and aura. The Tera Type icon still appears, so you can tell whether you are walking into a Fire, Fairy, Water, Ghost, or other type of raid.
When you arrive at the location, interact with the crystal. The raid screen will show the star rating, the silhouette or identity of the Pokémon if known, and the Tera Type. Do not rush into the battle without checking the matchup. A 6-star Corviknight with a Dragon Tera Type is not the same problem as a 6-star Corviknight with an Electric Tera Type. The Pokémon’s original moves and its Tera Type both matter.
A common mistake is building only against the Tera Type. For example, if the raid boss is a Water Tera Garchomp, bringing an Electric-type Pokémon may seem smart until Garchomp uses Ground-type moves and turns your plan into a tragic documentary. Always consider both the boss’s normal movepool and its Tera Type weakness.
Best Preparation Before Your First 6-Star Raid
Use Level 90 to 100 Pokémon
For 6-star raids, level matters. Ideally, bring Pokémon at level 100. At minimum, aim for level 90 or higher. The boss hits hard, the timer is unforgiving, and fainting reduces your team’s available time. A low-level Pokémon may technically enter the raid, but so can a Magikarp enter a thunderstorm. That does not make it a strategy.
Train EVs and IVs
Effort Values and Individual Values make a major difference in high-level raids. For attackers, invest in HP and the relevant attacking stat, such as Attack for physical builds or Special Attack for special builds. For support Pokémon, HP plus Defense or Special Defense often works well depending on the role.
Use Bottle Caps for Hyper Training, vitamins for EV training, and mints to fix natures. A raid-ready Pokémon does not need to be perfect in every possible way, but it should have a clear job. Random stats and random moves will make 6-star raids feel much harder than they need to be.
Bring Sustain, Not Just Damage
Many new raiders think the best strategy is to hit as hard as possible every turn. That works in easy raids, but 6-star raids often require survival. Moves like Drain Punch, Bitter Blade, Giga Drain, Parabolic Charge, and Recover-style healing can keep your Pokémon alive while still contributing. Held items such as Shell Bell, Leftovers, Covert Cloak, or type-resist berries can also help depending on the fight.
Set-up moves are powerful too. Swords Dance, Nasty Plot, Belly Drum, Calm Mind, Iron Defense, and Bulk Up can turn a good raid Pokémon into a boss-melting machine. Just remember that raid bosses can remove your stat boosts at certain moments, so timing matters.
Good Pokémon for Early 6-Star Raid Success
There is no single perfect Pokémon for every 6-star raid, but some choices are popular because they are flexible and reliable. Azumarill with Huge Power, Belly Drum, and Play Rough can crush many Dragon, Dark, and Fighting matchups. Iron Hands with Belly Drum and Drain Punch is another famous raid destroyer, especially when it has the right support. Annihilape with Rage Fist, Bulk Up, and Drain Punch can become terrifying in long battles. Bellibolt with Parabolic Charge is excellent for many Water and Flying raids because it can deal damage while healing itself.
Support Pokémon are just as important online. Grimmsnarl can set screens and lower enemy stats. Umbreon can use Screech, Fake Tears, Helping Hand, and defensive support moves. Blissey and Chansey can help in special-attacking raids. Corviknight, Toxapex, and other bulky Pokémon can make certain fights much safer when built correctly.
The best raid players do not bring the same Pokémon to every crystal. They read the raid, identify the threat, and choose a counter. That sounds serious because it is. Six-star raids are where Pokémon Scarlet and Violet quietly turns into a strategy exam, except the exam is a giant sparkling dragon trying to erase your team.
Common Reasons 6-Star Raids Are Not Appearing
You Have Not Finished the Full Story
If you have only beaten the Pokémon League but have not completed Path of Legends, Starfall Street, and Area Zero, you are not done yet. Finish the complete main story and reach the credits.
You Skipped the Gym Leader Rematches
Postgame Gym Leader rematches are required before the Academy Ace Tournament unlocks. Visit all eight gyms again and defeat each leader.
You Have Not Won the Academy Ace Tournament
Simply unlocking the tournament is not enough. You need to win it at least once. After that, Jacq should contact you about stronger raids.
You Have Not Cleared Enough High-Level Raids
If Jacq has not called about black crystals yet, keep clearing 4-star and 5-star raids. To be safe, host and complete around ten 5-star raids from your own map.
You Are Looking for the Wrong Icon
Six-star raids do not appear as ordinary colored icons. Look for a black raid icon with a glowing aura. There is typically only one on your map per daily reset, so scan carefully.
Can You Join 6-Star or 7-Star Raids Before Unlocking Them?
Players who have not unlocked black crystal raids in their own world may still be able to join certain raids hosted by other players through multiplayer, especially by using a Link Code. However, if you want black crystals to appear naturally on your own map, you must complete the postgame unlock process.
This distinction matters. Joining another player’s raid is not the same as unlocking 6-star raids for your own save file. If your goal is farming daily black crystals, building raid counters, and accessing the content independently, finish the required postgame steps.
Tips for Beating Your First 6-Star Raid
Start with a favorable matchup. Do not choose the first black crystal you see if the boss is clearly bad for your available Pokémon. A difficult type combination can make your first attempt miserable. Pick a raid where your Pokémon resists the boss’s likely attacks and can hit the Tera Type super effectively.
Use cheers wisely. In solo and online raids, cheers can heal your team, boost defenses, or increase offense. Many players forget cheers exist until everyone is fainting and the timer is screaming. A well-timed heal cheer can save a raid.
Avoid reckless fainting. Every time a player faints, the raid timer drops. Sometimes the best move is not attackingit is healing, setting Reflect or Light Screen, lowering the boss’s stats, or waiting for the right moment to Terastallize.
Do not Terastallize randomly. In raids, Terastallizing can help break the boss’s shield faster, but you need to charge your Tera Orb by attacking. Once charged, Terastallize when it helps your damage or survival. If your Tera Type makes you weaker to the boss’s moves, think carefully before pressing the shiny button of destiny.
Extra Experience: What Unlocking 6-Star Raids Actually Feels Like
Unlocking 6-star raids in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet feels less like flipping a switch and more like graduating from “fun adventure” to “welcome to the raid gym, please sign this waiver.” The game does a decent job guiding you through the story, the Gym Leader rematches, and the Academy Ace Tournament, but the final raid-clearing requirement can feel vague. Because there is no visible progress bar, many players start questioning everything. Did that raid count? Was it high enough level? Did I accidentally ignore Jacq? Is my Rotom Phone broken? Should I apologize to the crystals?
The best experience is to treat the unlock process as training rather than a chore. Those 4-star and 5-star raids are not just busywork; they are practice. They teach you how raid shields work, how often bosses remove stat boosts, why status moves can be unreliable, and why fainting repeatedly is basically donating your timer to the enemy. By the time 6-star raids appear, you should already have at least one or two Pokémon that feel dependable.
One useful approach is to build a small “raid toolbox” before chasing black crystals seriously. Start with one physical attacker, one special attacker, and one support Pokémon. For example, you might train Iron Hands for physical damage and healing, Bellibolt for special Electric-type pressure, and Grimmsnarl for screens and support. This gives you options instead of forcing one poor Pokémon to solve every problem like an overworked substitute teacher.
Another important lesson is that 6-star raids reward patience. Sometimes you will lose even with a good build because the boss has annoying coverage, your AI partners bring questionable choices, or an online teammate locks in something weak to every move on the planet. That does not mean your strategy is terrible. It means raids have variables. Adjust, rebuild, and try again.
The most satisfying moment comes when you finally see that black crystal icon on your map. It looks small, but it represents a real postgame milestone. You have beaten the story, proven yourself in rematches, survived the Academy Ace Tournament, and cleared enough raids for Jacq to decide, against his better judgment, that you are ready. Then you touch the crystal, see the 6-star rating, and realize the boss is something horrifying with the exact Tera Type you did not prepare for. Beautiful. Peak Pokémon.
Once unlocked, 6-star raids become part of your daily routine. Check the map, inspect the boss, decide whether it is worth fighting, and bring the right counter. Some days you get a generous matchup and walk away with excellent rewards. Other days the game hands you a nightmare with coverage moves, annoying status effects, and the defensive personality of a brick wall. Either way, each raid makes you better.
For long-term play, 6-star raids are one of the best reasons to keep returning to Paldea. They support shiny hunting through Herba Mystica farming, competitive training through rare items, and team building through high-IV Pokémon. They also give you a reason to experiment with Pokémon you may have ignored during the main story. Suddenly, a bulky support Umbreon or a weirdly specific counter build becomes more exciting than another overleveled starter sweep.
In other words, unlocking 6-star raids is not just about accessing harder battles. It is about entering the real postgame loop of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. The black crystals are tough, occasionally rude, and sometimes downright ridiculousbut they are also rewarding, strategic, and surprisingly addictive. Just remember to train properly, read the matchup, and never underestimate a raid boss that looks harmless. In Paldea, even a cute Pokémon can arrive with a Tera shield and bad intentions.
Conclusion
To unlock 6-star raids in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, complete the full main story, rematch all eight Gym Leaders, win the Academy Ace Tournament, and clear enough 4-star or 5-star Tera Raids until Jacq calls you about black crystals. After that, 6-star raids will appear on your map as black Tera Raid icons with a special glow.
These battles are challenging, but they are also among the most rewarding activities in the game. Prepare level 90 to 100 Pokémon, train their stats, bring smart moves, and pay attention to both the boss Pokémon and its Tera Type. Do that, and the black crystals become less terrifying and more like daily treasure boxes guarded by very angry disco monsters.
