Want to unleash the full power of zacian and Zamazenta in Pokémon Go? Their formidable crowned forms—Crowned Sword Zacian and Crowned Shield Zamazenta—aren’t just for show. These powerful versions boast enhanced stats, signature moves, and even unique effects to aid you in battle.
Unlike some temporary transformations, obtaining these forms requires a specific process: a form change using special energy and candy. This guide breaks down everything you need to know to add these legendary beasts to your collection and deploy them strategically in raids, the Go Battle League, and the challenging new Max Battles.
What Are Crowned Forms and Why Get Them?
Zacian and Zamazenta, the Legendary Pokémon originally discovered in the Galar region, have two primary forms in Pokémon Go: their standard “Hero of Many Battles” form and their empowered “Crowned” form, wielding either a sword or a shield.
In their Hero of Many Battles forms, Zacian is a pure Fairy-type and Zamazenta is a pure Fighting-type. When they undergo a form change into their Crowned versions, they gain the Steel typing, becoming Fairy/Steel (Zacian) and Fighting/Steel (Zamazenta). This dual typing dramatically changes their strengths, weaknesses, and utility in battles.
Crowned Sword Zacian, for instance, boasts one of the highest Attack stats among Fairy and Steel types. Crowned Shield Zamazenta excels defensively and becomes the top Steel-type attacker. Getting these forms is essential if you aim to compete at the highest levels, tackle challenging raids, or succeed in Max Battles against Dynamax/Gigantamax Pokémon.
How to Get Crowned Sword Zacian and Crowned Shield Zamazenta
Acquiring the Crowned forms isn’t like evolving or fusing Pokémon. It’s a distinct form change mechanic. To transform your Hero of Many Battles Zacian or Zamazenta, you’ll need specific resources and a crucial prerequisite move.
Here are the requirements for each Pokémon:
Crowned Sword Zacian:
A Hero of Many Battles Zacian (the base form).
This specific Zacian must know the Charged Attack Iron Head.
1,000 Crowned Sword Energy.
30 Zacian Candy.
Crowned Shield Zamazenta:
A Hero of Many Battles Zamazenta (the base form).
This specific Zamazenta must know the Charged Attack Iron Head.
1,000 Crowned Shield Energy.
30 Zamazenta Candy.
You’ll need to meet all conditions for the specific Pokémon you wish to transform. If you want both Crowned forms, you’ll need two separate Pokémon (one Zacian, one Zamazenta) and fulfill the requirements for each.
Obtaining Hero of Many Battles Zacian and Zamazenta
The base forms, Hero of Many Battles Zacian and Zamazenta, are primarily available through five-star raids during specific events or raid rotations in Pokémon Go. Keep an eye on in-game announcements to know when they are featured in raids.
Gathering Crowned Energy
Crowned Sword Energy and Crowned Shield Energy are specific resources required for the form change. The most consistent way to obtain this energy is by participating in and winning raids featuring the respective Legendary Pokémon. For example, defeating a Hero of Many Battles Zacian in a raid will reward you with Crowned Sword Energy.
A significant source of this energy for many players was the ticketed “A Hero’s Journey” Special Research quest during the Go Fest 2025 event. Completing this research path provided a substantial amount of energy (500 units) for one of the legendary beasts, based on the player’s path choice (Crowned Sword Journey for Zacian Energy, Crowned Shield Journey for Zamazenta Energy). While this event-specific quest offered a kickstart, you’ll still need to earn the remaining 500 energy, likely through raids featuring that Pokémon, to reach the 1,000 required for the initial transformation.
Other limited-time events or redemption codes may also offer small amounts of Crowned Energy in the future, but raids remain the main method outside of specific research storylines.
Accumulating Candy
Zacian Candy and Zamazenta Candy are standard resources obtained by catching these Pokémon, transferring them to Professor Willow, using Pinap Berries during catches, or walking them as your buddy. You’ll need 30 Candy of the specific Pokémon you wish to transform.
Checking for the Iron Head Requirement
The requirement for your Zacian or Zamazenta to know Iron Head is crucial and often overlooked. Iron Head is a Steel-type Charged Attack. Not every Zacian or Zamazenta caught will automatically know this move.
To check if your specific Pokémon has Iron Head, go to its details page in your Pokémon Storage. Scroll down to view its moveset. If Iron Head isn’t listed under its Charged Attacks, you’ll need to use a Charged TM (Technical Machine) to teach it the move. You might need to use multiple Charged TMs until Iron Head appears in its random move pool. Ensure you do this before attempting the form change.
Performing the Form Change
Once you have a Hero of Many Battles Zacian or Zamazenta with Iron Head, the required 1,000 Crowned Energy of the corresponding type, and 30 Candy, the transformation is straightforward.
- Go to the details page of the Zacian or Zamazenta you want to transform in your Pokémon Storage.
- Scroll down past the “Power Up” option.
- You will find a “Change Form” option. Tap on it.
- A confirmation screen will appear, showing you the required resources (Energy and Candy) and potentially previewing how the form change impacts the Pokémon’s stats.
- Confirm the change by tapping “Change Form” again.
- Go to the details page of the Crowned Sword Zacian or Crowned Shield Zamazenta.
- Scroll down to the “Change Form” option.
- Tap the button to revert.
Your Pokémon will then transform into its majestic Crowned Sword or Crowned Shield form! Note that upon transforming, the move Iron Head will be replaced by their signature moves: Behemoth Blade for Zacian and Behemoth Bash for Zamazenta.
Benefits of the Crowned Forms
Crowned Sword Zacian and Crowned Shield Zamazenta are significantly more powerful than their Hero of Many Battles counterparts. Their dual Steel typing provides valuable resistances, and their signature moves are potent in various battle formats.
Signature Moves: Behemoth Blade & Behemoth Bash
When Zacian transforms into Crowned Sword form, Iron Head is replaced by Behemoth Blade. Similarly, Zamazenta in its Crowned Shield form gains Behemoth Bash. Both are powerful Steel-type Charged Attacks.
Here are the stats for these signature moves:
| Move | Battle Context | Power | Energy | Damage per Second (DPS) | Damage per Energy (DPE) |
| :————— | :—————– | :—- | :—– | :———————- | :———————- |
| Behemoth Blade | Trainer Battles | 100 | 55 | 1.82 | 1.82 |
| Behemoth Blade | Gyms / Raids | 200 | 3.5 | 57.14 | 2.00 |
| Behemoth Bash | Trainer Battles | 80 | 45 | 1.78 | 1.78 |
| Behemoth Bash | Gyms / Raids | 125 | 50 | 83.33 | 2.50 |
Note: Gym/Raid stats are typically simplified in game data; Max Battle stats may differ slightly or use the Raid column.
Both moves are super effective against Fairy, Ice, and Rock-type Pokémon. They are not very effective against Electric, Fire, Steel, and Water-type Pokémon.
Crowned Form Adventure Effects
The signature moves Behemoth Blade and Behemoth Bash also grant unique “Adventure Effects” when used by their respective Crowned forms. Unlike typical Adventure Effects that might grant passive benefits outside of battle (like travel distance bonuses), these effects provide temporary in-battle boosts.
Crowned Sword Zacian’s Behemoth Blade: Grants an Attack boost to your Pokémon during raids and Max Battles.
Crowned Shield Zamazenta’s Behemoth Bash: Grants a Defense boost to your Pokémon during raids and Max Battles.
Activating either of these Adventure Effects costs 5,000 Stardust and 5 Candy (Zacian or Zamazenta Candy, depending on which Pokémon uses the effect). The base duration of the boost is six minutes. You can extend this duration by spending additional Stardust and Candy, up to a maximum of 24 hours. Keep in mind you can only have one Adventure Effect active at a time, so you cannot benefit from both Zacian’s and Zamazenta’s boosts simultaneously, nor can you stack them with effects from other Pokémon like Origin Forme Dialga or White Kyurem.
Utility in Max Battles
Crowned Sword Zacian and Crowned Shield Zamazenta are confirmed to be highly effective in the new Max Battles feature against Dynamax and Gigantamax Pokémon. Their powerful stats, dual typing, signature moves, and the option to use their Adventure Effects make them valuable assets for tackling these challenging encounters. In Max Battles, their signature moves and other attacks like Max Guard and Spirit can also be leveled up.
Changing Back to Hero of Many Battles Form
Decided you want your Zacian or Zamazenta back in its original form? It’s simple. Just like transforming into the Crowned form, the option to revert is found on the Pokémon’s details page in your storage.
Here’s the best part: after you have transformed a specific Zacian or Zamazenta into its Crowned form for the first time, you will never need to spend the 1,000 Crowned Energy again for that same Pokémon to switch between its forms. You can freely change it between its Hero of Many Battles and Crowned forms whenever you like without the huge energy cost. The 30 Candy cost might still apply for switching, but the primary barrier (the energy) is removed for that individual Pokémon permanently after the initial transformation. Remember, this benefit applies only to the specific Pokémon you initially transformed; any other Zacian or Zamazenta will still require the energy for their first change.
While you can easily switch back, there’s often little practical reason to do so, as the Crowned forms offer significantly better battle performance.
Strategic Considerations: Which Path to Choose?
For players who accessed Crowned Energy via the “A Hero’s Journey” Special Research quest, a key decision was choosing the “Crowned Sword Journey” (Zacian) or “Crowned Shield Journey” (Zamazenta) path. This choice determined which energy and candy rewards you received from the quest.
Meta analysis by experts shows Crowned Sword Zacian is generally considered the stronger, more versatile Pokémon. According to data, it ranks highly in the Master League PvP format and is a top-tier attacker for both its Fairy and Steel types in raids. Crowned Shield Zamazenta is also powerful, particularly as the top Steel-type attacker, but its Fighting utility is less prominent.
If you participated in the event, a strategic approach to choosing your research path might have been based on the raid schedule. For example, if Zamazenta was raiding heavily on a day you couldn’t play much, picking the “Crowned Shield Journey” path for its energy could ensure you still got a significant head start on obtaining Crowned Shield Zamazenta. If you could only raid Zacian, picking the “Crowned Sword Journey” would make sense.
Ultimately, the research path choice doesn’t lock you out of obtaining the other Pokémon or its energy later. You can still raid for the other legendary or find alternative energy sources. Therefore, if battle performance isn’t your sole focus, many recommend simply picking the Pokémon you like more!
Crowned Form Limitations
Despite their power, there’s one important restriction for Crowned Sword Zacian and Crowned Shield Zamazenta: you cannot transfer them to Pokémon Home while they are in their Crowned forms. If you wish to transfer them, you must first revert them back to their Hero of Many Battles forms using the form change option in Pokémon Go.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get Crowned Energy for Zacian and Zamazenta?
The primary way to get Crowned Sword Energy and Crowned Shield Energy in Pokémon Go is by defeating Hero of Many Battles Zacian or Zamazenta in five-star raids. During the Go Fest 2025 event, completing the ticketed “A Hero’s Journey” Special Research path also provided a significant amount (500) of energy for the chosen legendary. Future events or redemption codes may also occasionally offer this energy.
Where is the option to change Zacian or Zamazenta’s form?
To change Zacian or Zamazenta into their Crowned forms (or back), navigate to the specific Pokémon’s details page in your Pokémon Storage. Scroll down past the “Power Up” option. You will find a “Change Form” button listed there. Tapping this button will allow you to perform the transformation, provided you meet the requirements (Iron Head move, sufficient Energy and Candy).
Which Crowned form is better, Crowned Sword Zacian or Crowned Shield Zamazenta?
Based on current battle performance meta, Crowned Sword Zacian is generally considered stronger due to its top-tier performance in Master League PvP and its high attack power as a Fairy and Steel attacker in raids. Crowned Shield Zamazenta is an excellent Steel-type attacker and defensively strong, but often ranks slightly lower overall. However, the choice depends on your needs and preferences; both are powerful additions to your team.
Conclusion
Obtaining Crowned Sword Zacian and Crowned Shield Zamazenta is a significant milestone for any dedicated Pokémon Go player. These forms are not only visually impressive but offer substantial power boosts, game-changing signature moves with Adventure Effects, and essential utility in high-level battles like Max Battles. By understanding the requirements—securing the base form, teaching it Iron Head, and gathering the necessary Energy and Candy—you can unlock their true potential. Remember, after the initial transformation cost, switching forms for that specific Pokémon becomes free, allowing you to adapt your strategy as needed. Good luck adding these legendary powerhouses to your collection!
