Our Pokemon Ultra Sun and Moon SOS Battles Guide is here to help you learn all about SOS Battles and using them for IVs farming, Shiny Pokemon, and Rare Pokemon. In Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon (USAUM), there is a mechanic that allows a Pokemon to call an Ally Pokemon for help during a battle.
Every Pokemon in Pokemon USAUM can call upon an Ally Pokemon from a selection of available Pokemon. Do note that some Pokemon in the game only appears as Ally Pokemon. This mechanic is particularly helpful when it comes to instances like farming Heart Scales from Luvdisc
For more help on Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, you can check out our Eggs, Breeding, and Hatching Guide, New Items Guide, and Everstone Guide.
Wild Pokemon can call for help when they are in trouble. This will trigger an SOS battle in Ultra Sun and Moon.
Pokemon Ultra Sun and Moon SOS Battles
When it comes to SOS Battles in Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, you should always keep a few things in mind.
First, the Ally Pokemon is always of the same evolutionary line to that of the weakened Pokemon. A weakened Pokemon cannot summon an Ally Pokemon under Poison, Paralysis, Burn, and other status effects.
You can use Fail Swipe to leave a Pokemon at 1HP to let it call for Ally Pokemon indefinitely. However, there are chances that no Ally Pokemon will come to the aid of a weakened Pokemon.
You can keep chaining the SOS Battles in order to get a chance of encountering a Pokemon with high IVs or to acquire Rare/Shiny Pokemon.
Ally Pokemon who will come to the aid of a weakened Pokemon is dependent on location and weather conditions.
You can also get an item called an Adrenaline Orb from any Pokemon Centre and increase the chances of a Wild Pokemon to call upon its call. It is important to note that you can only use a single Adrenaline Orb in one battle.
How to Start an SOS Battle
In order to start an SOS Battle in Pokemon USAUM, you need to take a Wild Pokemon below 50%.
As mentioned earlier, you should also try using an Adrenaline Orb in order to increase your chances. Continue repeating the process in order to chain the SOS Battles.
If you wish to discontinue the chain, there are some things that you can do.
You can either faint a Wild Pokemon in the absence of its Ally Pokemon or faint a Wild Pokemon in the presence of an Ally Pokemon if the latter is incapable of calling another Ally Pokemon.
Finally, you can simply run away from the battle and that should allow you to successfully break the chain.
It goes without saying that SOS Battle Chaining is pretty useful when it comes to EV Training. Once called, an Ally Pokemon doubles the number of EVs it provides upon getting defeated.
If you manage to combine it with Power Items and Pokerus, you should be able to hit the maximum of 252 EVs in no time. We have detailed more on EV Training Tips in our dedicated guide found at the link.
IV Farming Using SOS Battles
The first thing that you need to know is that a long chain allows you to have increased chances of finding a Shiny Pokemon, have Pokemon with better IVs, and find Pokemon with Hidden Abilities. It is also important to note that a chain cannot go beyond 255 Pokemon – it resets after 255.
When it comes to getting Perfect IVs, you have 4 guaranteed Perfect IVs between chain length of 30 to 255. As for getting a Pokemon with Hidden Abilities, there are 15% chances of getting one between 30 to 255.
Pokemon Exclusive to SOS Battles
| Pokemon | Locations |
| Pikachu | Route 1 |
| Clefairy | Mount Hokulani |
| Jigglypuff | Route 4 Route 6 |
| Persian | Malie Garden |
| Slowbro | Kala’e Bay |
| Gengar | Thrifty Megamart – Abandoned Site |
| Seaking | Brooklet Hill Malie Garden |
| Mr. Mime | Route 7 Hano Beach |
| Jynx | Hau’oli City – Shopping District |
| Electabuzz | Seaward Cave |
| Magmar | Mount Hokulani |
| Snorlax | Route 1 |
| Dragonair | Poni Gauntlet Poni Meadow |
| Dragonite | Poni Gauntlet |
| Noctowl | Lush Jungle – South Lush Jungle – West Lush Jungle – North |
| Crobat | Lush Jungle – Cave Resolution Cave – 1F Resolution Cave – B1F |
| Lanturn | Route 8 Akala Outskirts |
| Xatu | Akala Outskirts |
| Sudowoodo | Route 1 Route 5 Lush Jungle – South Lush Jungle – West Lush Jungle – North |
| Espeon | Route 4 Route 6 |
| Ummbreon | Route 4 Route 6 |
| Slowking | Kala’e Bay |
| Octillery | Route 8 Kala’e Bay Melemele Sea – East Melemele Sea – West |
| Blissey | Poni Plains |
| Sableye | Ten Carat Hill – Cave Ten Carat Hill – Undersea Cave Vast Poni Canyon – Inside Vast Poni Canyon – 2F Vast Poni Canyon – 2F Deep Vast Poni Canyon – B1F Vast Poni Canyon – 3F |
| Sharpendo | Poni Breaker Coast |
| Whishcash | Paniola Town Poni Gauntlet Poni Meadow Seaward Cave Vast Poni Canyon – B1F |
| CrawDaunt | Vast Poni Canyon – B1F |
| Baltoy | Haina Desert – Ultra Mooon |
| Huntail | Route 15 Melemele Sea – East Melemele Sea – West |
| Gorebyss | Route 15 Melemele Sea – East Melemele Sea – West |
| Shelgon | Kala’e Bay |
| Salamence | Route 3 |
| Ambiporn | Poni Plains |
| Lopunny | Poni Grove |
| Happiny | Route 1 Route 4 Route 5 Route 6 Hau’oli City – Shopping District Lush Jungle – South Lush Jungle – West Lush Jungle – North Mount Hokulani Poni Grove Seaward Cave Wela Volcano Park |
| Lucario | Poni Grove |
| Golett | Haina Desert- Ultra Sun |
| Pawniard | Route 17 |
| Volcarona | Lush Jungle – Cave |
| Fletchinder | Route 8 Wela Volcano Park |
| Pangoro | Route 10 Route 11 |
| Toucannon | Route 11 Poni Grove Poni Plains |
| Mareanie | Route 9 Melemele Sea – East Melemele Sea – West |
| Salazzle | Lush Jungle – Cave Wela Volcano Park |
| Hakamo-o | Vast Poni Canyon – Under Tree Vast Poni Canyon – Top |
| Kommo-o | Vast Poni Canyon – Under Tree Vast Poni Canyon – Top |
Weather/Location Specific SOS Pokemon
Sandstorm SOS Pokemon
Sandstorm
Haina Desert = Castform, Gabite
Hail SOS Pokemon
Tapu Village = Castform, Vanillite
Mount Lanakila = Castform, Vanillite
Rain SOS Pokemon
Lush Jungle = Castform, Goomy
Malie Garden = Casftorm, Poliwhirl
Alola Route 17 = Castform, Goomy
Exeggutor Island = Castform, Sliggoo
