Red Desert in Pokemon Survivor

Red Desert at a glance

What the Red Desert is

A rift is a short fight against a legendary Pokemon. When the game opens one, it picks a legendary and then one of that legendary's types, and the arena of that type is where the fight happens. Red Desert is the arena for Ground. It is a circle about 11 tiles in radius, the fight lasts at most 120 seconds, and the legendary does not suffer the hazards of its own arena.

Patches of quicksand. A moderate number of columns offers some cover.

Red Desert terrain: quicksand

Standing in the quicksand does no damage, but it multiplies your movement speed by 0.45. Water-type Pokemon ignore it, which is 149 Pokemon on the roster, or 15%. About 25% of the arena floor is covered.

Speed is what keeps you out of the legendary's ground warnings, so a slow patch in the wrong place is how most runs are lost here. Your speed is the base speed stat of your Pokemon, so the table shows what you lose: 80 drops to 36, the median 105 drops to 47, and 162 drops to 73.

Weather in the Red Desert: Sandstorm

Sandstorm is forced for the whole fight. Rock, Ground and Steel moves hit 30% harder. Every Pokemon that is not Rock, Ground or Steel loses 1.2% of its max HP every 2 seconds.

The multipliers apply to the legendary's attacks as well. An enemy attacks as its first type, so 2 legendaries here hit harder in this weather (Groudon and Landorus).

Moves worth carrying here: Rock Throw, Rock Slide, Mud Shot, Bulldoze, Bonemerang, Spikes, Metal Claw, Flash Cannon and more. The weather guide lists every multiplier.

Legendaries that can open the Red Desert

3 legendaries have the Ground type: 1 shoots from a distance and 2 charge at you. Their speed runs from 71 to 73. A legendary with two types opens this arena only half the time, and a legendary you have not beaten yet is picked 4 times as often as one you have.

How to fight in the Red Desert

• Stay out of the quicksand whenever a ground warning is on screen. Wading multiplies your speed by 0.45, so you cannot dodge at full pace, and Sprint cards help on the clean ground only.
• Water types ignore the slow. The best by Stat Score are Kyogre, Palkia, Walking Wake, Keldeo, and Barraskewda.
• Expect both styles here: 1 shooter and 2 chargers. Use columns against shooters and open ground against chargers.
• Plan for the clock. At minute 10 the legendary has about 8,600 HP, so you need roughly 72 damage per second for 120 seconds. Its contact hit takes 66 HP and its shots 33 HP at that point, before armor and type effects. The rifts guide has the full table.
• Speed: the legendaries here move at 71 to 73, and the median Pokemon moves at 105, which drops to 47 in the quicksand, slower than every legendary here.

What you get for winning

A win gives the same prize in every arena: the legendary joins you as a bond, plus a held item, experience, three tickets and a share of coins, and a ten-ticket one time in two. The legendaries guide lists all 87, and beating one counts toward the legendary achievements in the achievements guide.

Red Desert in Pokemon Survivor FAQ

Which legendaries appear in the Red Desert?

3 legendaries: Groudon, Landorus, and Zygarde. The arena is the one of the legendary's type that the game picks, and a dual-type legendary opens this arena half the time.

How likely is the Red Desert?

On a fresh save, 2.3% of rifts open this arena. The game picks one of the 87 legendaries, then one of its types, and unbeaten legendaries are 4 times as likely to be picked, so the chance moves as you win.

What does Sandstorm do in the Red Desert?

Rock, Ground and Steel moves hit 30% harder. Every Pokemon that is not Rock, Ground or Steel loses 1.2% of its max HP every 2 seconds.

Browse all 18 arenas in the Pokemon Survivor arenas list, or read the Pokemon Survivor guides.