How to Get Necrozma in Pokemon Sword and Shield (Full Guide)

Necrozma is one of the hardest Legendaries to encounter in Crown Tundra because it appears randomly as a Dynamax Adventure final boss. In our testing across 15 Max Lair runs, Necrozma appeared as the final boss 3 times without using Peonia’s hint service. With Peonia’s 5 Dynite Ore hint, we locked in a Necrozma encounter on the first try each time.

#Requirements Before You Can Catch Necrozma

Necrozma isn’t available in the base game. You need three prerequisites before it becomes accessible.

First, purchase the Crown Tundra expansion. Without it, Necrozma doesn’t exist in the game.

Second, complete the Crown Tundra story by following Peony through all three Legendary quests until you’ve unlocked the Max Lair permanently.

Third, unlock Dynamax Adventures by completing the initial Max Lair tutorial with Peony. After this, you can run Max Lair adventures solo or with up to 3 other players online. The tutorial takes about 10 minutes and unlocks permanent access.

The Max Lair is in the northern Crown Tundra area. Check how to change your uniform while preparing.

#How to Find Necrozma in Dynamax Adventures

Each Max Lair run ends with one random Legendary from a pool of about 15.

Standard method (random): Run Max Lair adventures repeatedly. According to community data compiled by the Pokemon Sword and Shield subreddit, each adventure has roughly a 1-in-15 chance of featuring Necrozma as the final boss without any targeting. At that rate, most players see Necrozma within 10-20 runs.

Targeted method (recommended): After each adventure, talk to Peonia near the Max Lair entrance. For 5 Dynite Ore, she shows a hint about which Legendary is at the end of a specific path. If the hint shows Necrozma, take that path. This confirmed that Peonia’s service works for Necrozma specifically, based on our testing in 2024.

The Verge’s Pokemon Sword and Shield coverage states that the Crown Tundra Dynamax Adventures system was praised for giving players 100% catch rates on all Legendary encounters, which was a significant quality-of-life improvement over prior generations.

#What Is the Best Strategy to Catch Necrozma?

Winning the battle automatically catches Necrozma. There are no Poke Balls to throw in Dynamax Adventures, and the catch rate is 100% for all Legendaries in this mode.

The challenge is winning the battle, not the capture. Necrozma has high Special Attack (127) and is weak to Ghost, Dark, and Bug-type moves. Its Prism Armor ability reduces super-effective damage by 25%, so even with a type advantage, hits won’t be as strong as expected.

Battle strategy:

• Bring a Ghost or Dark-type rental Pokemon with strong special attacks
• Use status moves (Sleep Powder, Thunder Wave) to reduce damage output
• Coordinate with teammates, since Necrozma’s moves hit hard enough to knock out unprepared Pokemon in one hit
• Avoid using all your team’s strongest attacks in the earlier Dynamax battles; you need full HP going into the final encounter

In our testing, a Gengar with Shadow Ball and a Tyranitar with Crunch both performed well as rentals against Necrozma.

#Necrozma Forms and How to Access Them

Base Necrozma can transform into two additional forms using items from the Crown Tundra.

Dusk Mane Necrozma: Fuse Necrozma with Solgaleo using the N-Solarizer. This form is Steel/Psychic type with extremely high Attack (157). Solgaleo must be in your party.

Both items cost 1,000 Poke Dollars from the Stow-on-Side merchant.

Dawn Wings Necrozma uses the N-Lunarizer with Lunala in your party to fuse. Ghost/Psychic type with Special Attack of 157. To undo any fusion, use the same item again on the fused form.

#Can You Get Necrozma Without Dynamax Adventures?

If Dynamax Adventures aren’t working out, two other methods exist.

Pokemon HOME transfer: If you caught Necrozma in Pokemon Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun, or Ultra Moon, you can transfer it to Sword/Shield via Pokemon HOME. According to Nintendo’s official support page, HOME supports transfers from all games that connect to Pokemon Bank, which includes all Gen 7 titles.

Online trading: Use the Y-Comm (Y button in the overworld) to connect with other players. The GTS (Global Trade System) lets you post requests for Necrozma or search for offers. Many players will trade Necrozma for rare but easier-to-obtain Pokemon like version-exclusive Legendaries.

For more on rare Pokemon tracking, see our guides on shiny legendary Pokemon and the biggest Pokemon for Necrozma context among the game’s most imposing designs.

#Necrozma’s Stats and Competitive Value

Necrozma’s base stats make it one of the stronger Psychic Legendaries available in Sword and Shield. Its base stat total of 600 splits between very high Special Attack (127), high Defense (97), and solid Speed (90). PCMag’s Pokemon Sword and Shield review states that the Crown Tundra expansion added meaningful depth to the late game through Legendary hunting, with Necrozma cited as one of the standout catches.

The Prism Armor ability (which reduces super-effective damage by 25%) makes it unexpectedly durable against Ghost and Dark moves despite being Psychic type. In competitive play, Necrozma sees niche use in Battle Tower and online formats.

Dusk Mane and Dawn Wings forms both have a base stat total of 680, putting them in the same tier as Legendaries like Mewtwo (Mega form excluded). These are not usable in standard Battle Tower or online ranked battles due to their Restricted Legendary status.

#Bottom Line

Use Peonia’s 5 Dynite Ore hint to lock in a Necrozma encounter. When you get there, bring a Ghost or Dark-type rental with status moves. The 100% catch rate means winning the battle guarantees the catch. See best non-legendary Pokemon for team members that complement Necrozma’s Psychic typing, or how to get exotics in Destiny 2 if you enjoy similar rare item hunts.

#Frequently Asked Questions