The Unwritten Rules of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet’s Indigo Disk DLC Explained

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet‘s Indigo Disk DLC has been available for around two weeks now, and players seem to be discovering new things about it daily. Regarding the sheer quantity of content, it has certainly exceeded what The Teal Mask (the first part of the Pokemon Scarlet and Violet DLC) provided the community with. The newest Pokemon titles have been controversial releases, but the second and last part of the game’s DLC has given fans hours of extra gameplay beyond just the Paldea region. Despite what’s seemingly available at face value, there are a plethora of unwritten rules to follow to get the ideal Indigo Disk experience.

Fans of the fifth generation of the series have been pleased to see that the Indigo Disk DLC takes the player back to Pokemon Black and White‘s Unova region, set in a school known as the Blueberry Academy. It continues the story introduced in the land of Kitakami during The Teal Mask, as familiar faces such as Kieran, Carmine, Perrin and more make a return.

Come To The Blueberry Academy Prepared For Battle

There’s a heavy emphasis on battling at the Blueberry Academy, and trainers are noticeably stronger here than in Paldea or Kitakami. Furthermore, all battles that take place are double battles. This was quite an unexpected feature, as double battles haven’t been predominantly featured in the series since Pokemon Colosseum and Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness on the Nintendo GameCube. They’re also the official battle format of the Pokemon Video Game Championships.

The Perfect Opportunity To Start Playing Competitively

In the past, it has been notoriously difficult for casual Pokemon players to jump into the competitive scene. This is predominantly due to the individual values (IVs) of a Pokemon caught being fixed. IVs are like the genetic makeup of a Pokemon and dictate how high or low its stats will be. This is essential for competitive play, as it was incredibly tedious to find a perfect pocket monster for the bigger stage. Starting in Pokemon Sun and Moon, however, developer Game Freak finally allowed players to maximize stats with the Bottle Cap item, making competitive play immensely more accessible.

Scarlet and Violet introduced the Terastal phenomenon, a mechanic allowing players to change their Pokemon’s type once per battle. When this gimmick was first unveiled, fans immediately wondered how Tera Types could be changed. It turns out that trainers need to collect 50 Tera Shards of a specific type, which are found predominantly through raids that only reward around two to four per battle. The monotony of preparing a competitively ready team gave tons of veteran players flashbacks of older times. Thankfully, the terrarium in Blueberry Academy is filled with tons of Tera Shards that can simply be found as overworld items.

A Surprise Atop The Terrarium

On that note, a crucial unwritten rule of The Indigo Disk lies at the very top of the massive ball that looms over the terrarium. As Koraidon and Miraidon are now able to fly freely thanks to Amarys of the Blueberry Academy’s Elite Four, soaring to the very top of the terrarium will reward players with the following:

• A Gold Bottle Cap, which maximizes all six of a Pokemon’s IVs.
• An Ability Patch, an incredibly rare item that lets players access their Pokemon’s hidden ability.
• 50 Stellar Tera Shards, which immediately allows players to change a Pokemon’s Tera Type to the newly introduced Stellar type.

A Secret Ending In The Land of Kitakami

Despite the onslaught of criticism that Scarlet and Violet received upon release, one aspect of the games that was praised was its rich story. Characters are noticeably more nuanced and developed in these titles, and the themes explored are a little darker than the series is normally known for.

The Teal Mask, which introduces the land of Kitakami, continues the story explored in the base games. The Terastal phenomenon is still deeply examined here, and The Indigo Disk provides a satisfying conclusion in which the player catches a certain legendary Pokemon known as The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero, the namesake of Scarlet and Violet’s DLC. At the risk of additional spoilers, just know that the Crystal Pool in Kitakami may be worth visiting, even after completing The Indigo Disk.

Perrin Shouldn’t Be Overlooked

Scarlet and Violet introduced Paradox Pokemon, which resemble past and future relatives of existing Pokemon. The Indigo Disk DLC went further and introduced Paradox Pokemon that parallel the Legendary beasts of Johto for Scarlet, and the Swords of Justice of Unova for Violet. Catching these creatures is no easy task, however.

Perrin Returns From Kitakami

First, trainers will need to speak to Perrin, who is located in the terrarium in the Savannah Biome’s Rest Area 1. She will claim to have some information to share, but only once players have at least 200 Pokemon registered in the Blueberry Pokedex.

She will proceed to show the player two photographs. In Scarlet, the photos will contain the figures of Pokemon that look like ancient relatives of Raikou and Entei. In Violet, the photos will contain what seem to be futuristic relatives of Terrakion and Cobalion. Most importantly, it looks as though the Paradox creatures have appeared in Paldea’s Area Zero. They will then be available to battle and catch as soon as players head there.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

Released

November 18, 2022

ESRB

E For Everyone Due To Mild Fantasy Violence

How Long To Beat

31½ Hours

Metascore

72