How to Unlock a Max Move in Pokemon GO? Everything You Need to Know

Unlike the main series, in Pokemon GO, the fate of every battle is not decided simply by which pocket monster you bring. The outcome of the battle is decided by the typing advantage as well as what moves you bring to the table. The move sets matter so much that it is safe to say that when you have the right coverage, any average Pokemon can turn into a powerhouse. This has been especially the case after the introduction of Dynamax and Gigantamax.

In addition to a new battle system, Gigantamax and Dynamax Pokemon GO introduced some special moves into the game, known as max moves. Over time, the correct max moves on your Dynamax pocket monster have become a priority. Generally, the default max moves could win you the battle with a low-tier one. However, when your target is a higher-tier variant, every Pokemon's special max move is a must! This is why ‘how to unlock a max move in Pokemon GO’ has been a common query among the trainers who began their journey.

In this post, we will take a look at what a max move is. We will also check out how to unlock a max move in Pokemon GO.

What are Max Moves in Pokemon GO?

Let us learn what the max moves are in our Max Moves in Pokemon GO guide. In its simplest explanation, Max Moves are a special type of move that are available to the Pokemon in their Dynamax form during max battles. These moves are inspired by the Dynamanx mechanics of the mainstream games.

Please note that a Pokemon can only have and use the max move if it can be Dynamax evolved in the first place. There is only one offensive max move and two support moves.

Unlike the charged moves and fast moves in the game, you can use resources such as max particles and candies to increase the power of these moves.

Primarily, there are three types of Max Moves, as we mentioned earlier:

• Max Attack: It is a strong offensive max move that has high base power.
• Max Guard: Max Guard is one of the support max moves that adds bonus HP to the user that blocks the damage taken.
• Max Spirit: Another support max move is Max Spirit. It heals the user and all the allied Pokemon during Max Battle by a percentage of the user's max HP.

Check out the table of max move effects in the game:

How to Unlock a Max Move in Pokemon GO?

Now that you know what the different kinds of max moves are, let us check out how to unlock a max move in Pokemon GO. First and foremost, you need to know that max moves are only available to the Dynamax type. They are the enormous versions of their regular form. You can distinguish them easily by noticing the sinister purple clouds above their head.

While the idea of max moves has come from the mainstream Pokemon game, not all can turn into Dynamax. Only the ones caught from the power spots after max battles can be turned into Dynamax. Once you have a Dynamax Pokemon, you will be able to access max moves during max battles. By default, all the Dynamax Pokemon are given Max Strike, which is the offensive move.

The other two supporting moves, Max Guard and Max Spirit, can be taught to that certain Pokemon. However, for unlocking these moves and powering all the max moves, you will need to use candies and max particles. The candies can be farmed by catching more of that species. The Max particles can be collected from power spots. Moreover, Max particles can also be bought from the store. These steps will help you better understand how to unlock a Max Move in Pokemon GO.

Here is the full list of max moves in Pokemon GO:

Here is the full list of G-Max Moves in Pokemon GO:

How to upgrade Max Moves in Pokemon GO?

To level up a max move in Pokemon GO, tap on the Gigantamax or Dynamax menu. It will showcase the Max moves that the Pokemon already has. Click on the move that you wish to level up. You will be shown the requirements to level up a max move. It changes based on the type of move and the level it will be upgrading to. Click on the train button to level the move if you meet the requirements.

Please note that all the primary max moves can be progressed to level three. Naturally, at level three, all the moves will have the highest strength. Also note that for every Max Pokemon, there is a different max attack move. However, for Gigantamax, the Max moves are fixed, as you could see on the table before. If a Pokemon is a fire type, its max attack will be of a fire-type move. The same can be said for other types.

How to Use Max Moves in Battles?

Before you can think about using max moves in battles meaningfully, you have to make preparations. Consider obtaining max particles and other resources, such as candies and XL candies, to unlock and level up the Max Moves.

You can choose which max move you wish to invest your resources in at first. You can do the same on your Pokemon's summary screen. Here is the process to use max moves in battles:

• The only way you can use max moves is in Dynamax and Gigantamax battles. Therefore, locate a power spot on your map that has a Pokemon featured first.
• You can tap on the power spot to join a max battle and select your team that includes Dynamax Pokemon.
• During the battle, use the fast attacks and charge attacks of your Pokemon. This will fill the max meter. You can also swipe left or right to collect symbols that appear during battles. It will charge the meter even faster.
• Once the meter is full, your Pokemon can be transformed into a Dynamax or Gigantamax.
• When it is transformed, you can make a max move and use it. After three turns of your max move, the Pokemon will revert to its normal form.

Unlocking and powering up a max move can cost a lot of Stardust. Just like our Max Move in Pokemon GO guide, check out our coverage on how to earn maximum Stardust in Pokemon GO.