Tips For Completing The Pokedex In Pokemon Scarlet & Violet

Among the many challenges players face in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet is completing the Pokedex. As with Generation 8 games, many Pokemon have been cut from the initial launch to the chagrin of many long-time fans. That being said, there are still four hundred Pokemon in the region of Paldea.

Despite the initial small size of the Pokedex, catching every single Pokemon is still a big challenge. In the latest games, a few new features have been added to make catching smoother, and a few challenges have been introduced to up the stakes of completing the Dex. These are some helpful tips for how to complete the Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Pokedex.

Updated February 24, 2024 by Ben Painter: Pokemon Scarlet & Violet has now been out for some time, but completing the Pokedex can be a daunting task. Some Pokemon are very rare, require trades, and simply aren’t in the version of the game, so gamers may need a hand when it comes to registering every ‘mon found across Paldea.

The two-part DLC of the Nintendo Switch title, The Hidden Treasures of Area Zero: The Teal Mask and Indigo Disk came with new regions for players to explore, complete with their own separate Pokedexes. However, a lot of the entries on this list are still relevant to the DLCs, and the new lands of Kitakami and the Blueberry Academy may have some shortcuts for completing the base Paldea Pokedex.

1 Use A Pokemon With False Swipe

A Reliable Move For Catching Pokemon

When catching Pokemon to fill the ‘dex, battling them can be tricky. After a certain point in the game, the trainer’s Pokemon will be highly leveled and capable of taking down wild Pokemon with ease. This is where the move “False Swipe” comes into play.

It is a Normal-type move that has the unique ability to never knock out a Pokemon. It will leave the unlucky target on 1 HP, meaning it is in the prime spot to be caught. Pokemon found across Paldea such as Scyther and Axew learn the move by level up, but the TM can be found after registering 30 Pokemon in the Pokedex and speaking to Professor Jacq in the Naranja or Uva Academy biology lab. Persian is a go-to ‘mon for this tactic in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet.

2 Keep An Eye Out For Tera Raids

Challenging Raids Can Net The Player With Rare Pokemon

Raid Battles are carried over into Scarlet & Violet from Pokemon Sword & Shield. They are a unique form of battle where four Pokemon take on one and, upon defeating them, they can be caught.

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Tera Raids come with different difficulties, with 5-star, 6-star, and 7-star raids being the ones gamers should look out for. In these more challenging raids, rare evolved Pokemon can be found, some of which require special evolution items and trade evolutions to acquire. It is somewhat of a shortcut, but that does not mean it will be easy. 7-star raids are difficult and even the most skilled of trainers will struggle. Pokemon like Gengar, Scizor, and Milotic are prime examples of ‘mons to look out for in the raid dens.

3 Adventure Into The DLCs

Some Pokemon Are Easier To Locate In The DLC Regions

The two separate DLCs (The Teal Mask & The Indigo Disk) have their own Pokedexes, featuring new but also returning Pokemon. Luckily, the tips and tricks outlined here can still be followed in their separate Pokedexes.

But what makes these DLCs a useful tool is the spawning of certain Pokemon in Kitakami or the Blueberry Academy Terrarium. There are Pokemon found in Paldea also, and some of these are easier to locate in these newer regions. For example, Slakoth is a Pokemon that some players have struggled to locate in Paldea, but in the Coastal Biome in The Indigo Disc DLC, it is found in abundance.

4 Status Conditions Can Help

Sleep Can Be Especially Helpful

If gamers are struggling to catch a certain Pokemon then they should resort to using Status Conditions, which are an effective way to give the player an edge in battle. They come in the form of Sleep, Paralysis, Burn, and Freeze and several moves inflict the effect. The main ones are Sleep Powder, Thunder Wave, and Will-O-Wisp. There is no set move to Freeze an opponent, but every Ice-type move has the additional effect of potentially Freeze an opponent.

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The best way to ensure the Pokemon will stay in its ball is to get the wild ‘mon down to as low HP as possible and put it to sleep. Then all the player can do is throw balls and hope for that three-shake reward.

5 Resort To Older Games

Transfer Pokemon To Make Life Easier

If all else fails, then a somewhat taboo method is to trade a Pokemon from an older game. This can be done by the Pokemon Home app, a storage system that allows gamers to keep their Pokemon from older games and transfer them to the latest entry into the franchise, in this case, Pokemon Scarlet & Violet.

It can be a very easy method for long-time fans of the series. Gamers who have completed the Pokedex in previous editions may not see a sense in repeating their same efforts in newer games. However, some Pokefans view each game as a separate entity and should complete every Pokedex within said game. Nonetheless, this option is there for the player.

6 Stay Off The Beaten Path

Some Pokemon Like To Hide In The Grass

While this isn’t always the case, Pokemon tend to hide out in the wild grass areas as opposed to staying on the in-game paths. While this makes them more difficult to see, there’s also a higher variety of Pokemon in these wild grasses, especially ones that shy away from players.

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Luckily, traversing the grass in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet does nothing to impact the speed the player goes, so there’s plenty of exploring to be done with no irritating slowness. Keeping an eye on the grass is a surefire way to catch a variety of Pokemon.

7 Keep An Eye Out

Small Pokemon Are Easy To Miss

Pokemon in Paldea seem tiny. Because they appear in the open world, Game Freak seems to have placed particular emphasis on the size of Pokemon relative to the player. This means that one-inch Pokemon are almost impossible to see in the wild, which might lead to players missing out on catching them.

Keeping a vigilant eye for these tiny Pokemon can be worthwhile for completing the Dex. Looking out for movement on paths or in the wild grass can help when finding smaller Pokemon, as well as the ‘?’ or ‘!’ symbols that pop up when a Pokemon notices the player.

8 Read Up On Evolutions

Certain Criteria Sometimes Need To Be Met

In Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, as in other games, many stages of evolved Pokemon roam around in wild areas to be caught. But some Pokemon require special tricks to evolve or simply don’t appear on the map in their evolved form. For example, the starter Pokemon can’t be found in the wild areas, so they will have to be evolved to register in the Dex.

Some Pokemon evolve at certain levels or after meeting certain criteria, while some require specific held items. With all this to keep in mind, it’s worth reading up on Pokemon evolutions to ensure they get registered to the Pokedex.

9 Use The Map

Consult The Map Regularly To Stay On Track

When searching in a specific area, it can be easy to miss or underestimate the amount of Pokemon that are present. The new UI, however, has a solution for this. On the mini-map, Pokemon in the area are displayed with individual icons, alerting the player to their presence.

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This feature is similar to the one in Pokemon Go, where silhouettes of nearby Pokemon appear in a pop-up menu. If a player thinks they’ve caught every Pokemon in the area, it might be worth checking the map for any potential misses.

10 Lock On

Essential For Catching Elusive Pokemon

Players paying attention to the dialogue from Nurse Joy will quickly discover this trick for completing the Pokedex. By locking onto a visible Pokemon with ZL, and pressing ZR, players can throw a ball at their targeted Pokemon from afar, without needing to worry about bumping into other wild Pokemon on the way.

This trick is also especially effective for Pokemon that are up in trees, on the water, or ones that run away when approached. Pokemon like Wiglett will duck under the ground if the player gets too close, so this is an easy way to ensure hard-to-catch Pokemon don’t escape the Dex.

11 Manage Money

Always Make Sure To Have Pokeballs On Hand

While the player can find the odd Pokeball here and there in the wild, the most reliable method for getting Pokeballs is to purchase them from the Pokemon Center. At the beginning of the game, 200 Pokecoins or League Points for one Pokeball can seem like a lot of money, even if there are two methods of payment available.

Players looking to complete the Pokedex will want to be conscious of how much money they spend to ensure they always have funds for additional Pokeballs. Battling trainers, completing gyms, investigating raid dens, and catching Tera Pokemon are all great methods of gathering Pokecoins and LP.

12 Trade With Friends

Trading Is Simple And Saves Time

Because of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Pokedex exclusives, players can’t actually complete the Pokedex without online play. Pokemon like Drifloon and Hydreigon are only available in Scarlet, while Pokemon like Misdreavus and Dragapult are only available in Violet.

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This is also the case for the remaining two starters that players will not get the opportunity to catch after they’ve chosen theirs, as well as the version-exclusive legendaries. Registering to the Pokedex through trading is easy enough, though, as the Pokemon doesn’t have to stay with the player for it to be registered. Just trade it right back once it’s registered, and it’ll count towards the Dex.

13 Stick To Old Tricks

The Basics Are Usually The Best

When it comes to the basics, everything is still the same in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. Players will want to lower the health of a Pokemon to the orange or red zone before catching it, as this increases the likelihood that the Pokemon will stay in the ball.

For this, players will want to be wary of type match-ups, as a super-effective move from a high-level Pokemon can easily one-shot the creature they’re trying to catch. Using status effect moves can also boost the chance of a successful catch. If a Pokemon is asleep, paralyzed, confused, or frozen, it’ll be easier to catch.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

Released

November 18, 2022