Pokemon Scarlet & Violet added a number of new held items for players to give their Pokemon, and while many are extremely powerful, that’s not really the case with the Loaded Dice. Still, there is some use to the item once players know how it works.
Even diehard Pokemon fans might have trouble wrapping their head around the Loaded Dice item in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet. For the majority of Pokemon, it doesn’t have any value, and for some, like Maushold and its Population Bomb move, it seems like it would be helpful but actually isn’t.
That said, Loaded Dice is still an item worth picking up and one that can help some Pokemon hit extremely hard under the right circumstances. It’s just a matter of sorting through which moves actually benefit from the item.
How to Get Loaded Dice in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet
Players can purchase Loaded Dice from the Delibird Presents shop in Levincia. The item is available for $20,000. The item is available as soon as the player reaches Levincia and does not have a badge or story requirement, unlike many other powerful held items like Focus Sash.
Instead of purchasing one, players can also receive one from a Pokemon League representative for defeating trainers in East Province Area One. This is the grassy territory that lies between South Province Area Three’s rocky, dusty limits and the river south of Levincia, home of gym leader Iono. Players need to defeat six trainers in this area in order to receive the item for free.
What Moves Does Loaded Dice Work With?
Loaded Dice works with moves that hit two to five times, such as Scale Shot, Bullet Seed, and Icicle Spear. The item is not useful or is not preferred when it comes to other multi-strike moves. Here is the full list of moves where Loaded Dice can be helpful:
- Arm Thrust
- Barrage
- Bone Rush
- Bullet Seed
- Comet Punch
- Double Slap
- Fury Attack
- Fury Swipes
- Icicle Spear
- Pin Missile
- Rock Blast
- Scale Shot
- Spike Cannon
- Tail Slap
- Water Shuriken
Not all these moves are available in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet yet, and in many cases, the moves are not preferred after obtaining stronger moves at higher levels. However, moves such as Scale Shot, Rock Blast, Pin Missile, Bullet Seed, Bone Rush, and Icicle Spear can be extremely powerful with Loaded Dice.
Loaded Dice does not have any effect on multi-strike moves that hit a fixed number of times. For example, moves like Double Kick and Dual Wingbeat are guaranteed to hit twice, and there is no way to make them hit more than that.
Finally, Loaded Dice is not good with moves such as Population Bomb, Triple Axel, and Triple Kick. This is because the moves have a unique mechanic where there is an accuracy check for each instance of damage, and the attack continues up to a certain number of times, so long as the accuracy check is passed. A Wide Lens increases the accuracy and almost guarantees that the attacks will hit for the maximum number of times and is therefore superior to Loaded Dice for these moves.
Best Pokemon to Give Loaded Dice to
Bulky Pokemon with damaging multi-hit moves like Baxcalibur and Brute Bonnet can make great use of Loaded Dice. This allows Pokemon to up their damage with Icicle Spear and Bullet Seed so they can further invest EVs into defensive stats.
Loaded Dice turns Bullet Seed and Icicle Spear from moves that hit two to five times into moves that hit four or five times. This translates to either 100 or 125 base power with 100% accuracy, making them much better than go-to alternatives like Icicle Crash or Seed Bomb.
Baxcalibur is one of the strongest new Pokemon added in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, and Icicle Spear powered up by Loaded Dice is its strongest ice-type move. Paradox Pokemon Brute Bonnet is also likely to be a serious threat once it’s available in ranked battles, and Loaded Dice may be preferred over Booster Energy.
Pokemon Scarlet & Violet are available now on Nintendo Switch.