By lay zuo · Unofficial fan guide for PokeSurvivor Hub. Mechanics summarised from the official site, the game's patch notes and its public source code.
Every so often in PokéSurvivor a strange portal opens on the map. Step in and you leave the horde behind for a separate arena with its own terrain and weather, where a legendary Pokémon is waiting. Rifts are the game's main mid-run challenge, and beating them unlocks bonds, the most powerful system in the game. This guide explains how rifts work, how to win, and how to work through all 87 legendaries.
How rifts work
- A rift (a mysterious portal) opens on the map now and then. Enter it to be taken to an arena.
- Win and you get a reward. Lose and you're sent back to the map with nothing, but your run continues.
- In co-op, the whole group enters together.
- Dual-type legendaries pick one of their two types at random to decide the arena.
Spawn timing (since 12 October)
Rifts used to be quite random. Now, every time a rift doesn't appear, the next one becomes more likely, with at most about 2.5 minutes between rifts. Legendaries you haven't beaten yet appear four times as often, so completing the roster is a matter of runs rather than pure luck.
The minute-28 cutoff (since 13 October)
No new rifts open from minute 28, so the Judgment of Arceus at minute 30 can't catch you inside one. Do your legendary hunting in the first 28 minutes.
The 18 arenas
There's one arena for each type: Eternal Meadow (Normal), Igneous Volcano (Fire), Sea Grotto (Water), Emerald Jungle (Grass), Volt Plant (Electric), Eternal Glacier (Ice), Ancient Dojo (Fighting), Toxic Swamp (Poison), Red Desert (Ground), Sky Peak (Flying), Mind Temple (Psychic), Hive Forest (Bug), Ancient Quarry (Rock), Gloomy Graveyard (Ghost), Dragon Sanctuary (Dragon), Dark Alley (Dark), Steel Fortress (Steel) and Enchanted Forest (Fairy).
Terrain matters. Lava burns, ice is slippery, and water slows you unless your partner is a Water type. Before you engage, take one lap of the arena to spot hazards and cover.
How to beat a legendary
Legendaries follow the boss rules added on 10 October: four telegraphed attacks, a mix of closing in and attacking from range, and an enraged phase at half health. The fight tests your dodging more than your damage.
- Check the type matchup as you enter. Super-effective hits deal ×1.6, up to ×2.4 against double weaknesses, and the chart also applies to the boss's attacks on you. Switch to your best coverage move straight away. PokeSurvivor Hub's type chart is handy here.
- Respect the telegraphs. Circles and lines on the floor fill up before they hit. Move out sideways rather than backwards so you keep the boss in range.
- Save your burst for the enrage. Below half HP the boss gets more aggressive. An evolved move matters more than raw durability at this point.
- Use the arena's cover. Walls and obstacles can block attacks, as they do on the main map.
- In co-op, spread out so one telegraph can't hit everyone, and revive fallen teammates by standing next to them.
Good held items for rifts: Focus Sash (survive one knockout every 60 seconds), which is perfect while you're learning patterns, or Assault Vest (+20% damage reduction).
Bonds: the reward that changes everything
Added on 11 October, every legendary you defeat in a rift gives you a bond. A bond links two moves so they fire at the same time from one slot, and each further legendary adds another, up to four fused at once.
That's huge in a game where normally only your active move fires. A good approach is to fuse a passive damage source (an aura or orbit) with your main projectile, so you never have to switch away from protection. Bonds also make the Choice Band (+40% damage, locks your move) much stronger, and they even make pure buff moves like Swords Dance worth taking.
In co-op, choosing a fusion pauses the run for everyone.
Other rewards
According to the official rift page, a win gives a ×10 gacha ticket. Since the 12 October patch, legendaries drop a ×10 ticket about half the time (they used to always drop two). Rift wins also count towards the weekly mission "Win N rift battles", which pays a ×10 ticket plus 1,000 coins.
Achievements for legend hunters
- The other side: win your first rift battle (title Brave)
- Rift jumper: win 10 rift battles
- Rift traveler: win in all 18 arenas (title Rift traveler)
- Legend hunter: defeat 10 different legendaries (title Legend hunter)
- Myth tamer: defeat 30 different legendaries
- Legend: defeat all 87 (title Legend)
- Plus an individual "Defeat …" achievement for each of the 87 legendaries
All of them are listed on the achievements page.
The 87 legendaries at a glance
The roster covers every region: 5 from Kanto (Articuno to Mew), 6 from Johto, 10 from Hoenn, 14 from Sinnoh (including Arceus), 13 from Unova, and the rest from Kalos, Alola, Galar and Paldea, through to Terapagos. Some of them are also excellent partners if you pull them from the gacha. Eternatus, Melmetal, Solgaleo and Lunala have some of the best stat lines in the game.
A practical hunting plan
- Build for survival first. A dead hunter defeats no legendaries.
- Evolve one ranged move early so you have damage when the first rift opens, usually within the first few minutes.
- Enter every rift before minute 28 and keep your coverage move ready.
- Use the bonds you earn straight away by fusing your aura with your main gun.
- Track which legendaries you've beaten. Unbeaten ones come up four times as often, so your roster fills in faster than you'd expect.
For the full list of legendaries by region with their types and arenas, see the rifts and legendaries guide on PokeSurvivor Hub. Good luck, and watch the floor.
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