Full Pokemon Scarlet and Violet guide to help you master Paldea

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
(Image credit: Nintendo)

Our Pokemon Scarlet and Violet guide will be a helpful walkthrough for any new players, explaining secrets, collectibles, how to beat gyms and more. Paldea is a new world with new ways to explore, and we don't blame anybody for being a bit overwhelmed. 

With that in mind, we've gone through everything worth knowing in our total Pokemon Scarlet and Violet guide below, to help you master the treasure hunt and explore the region properly. From legendaries to the word Cheugy - seriously - we've got everything you need here!

Tips and Tricks

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

(Image credit: Nintendo)

Where do you go? What do you do? How do all these new elements work? If you're a little confused from the beginning or just need a leg-up, our Pokemon Scarlet and Violet tips will make it all easier from the beginning, and teach you a little bit about everything. Whether you're new to Pokemon or a returning master, this guide is a good place to start.

Best starters

Pokemon Scarlet Violet starters best evolutions

(Image credit: Nintendo)

Picking the Pokemon Scarlet and Violet best starters is the first choice you make, and it's a big one - the fiery Fuecoco, the sprightly Sprigatito, or the quirky Quaxly? These allies will stay with you throughout your journey, and we go over the best ones, their strengths, weaknesses and final evolutions.

Legendary Pokemon

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Legendary Pokemon

(Image credit: The Pokemon Company)

The Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Legendaries are either very easy or very hard to get, as some are given to you early on while others are locked away behind hidden doors with secret keys. In this guide we've covered how to get all the legendary Pokemon, including the two box art beasties - Scarlet's Koraidon and Violet's Miraidon.

Type chart

Pokemon scarlet and violet false dragon titan

(Image credit: Nintendo)

Is Fairy weak to Steel? What does Ice do to Water? How is Ghost affected by Dark types? Our Pokemon Scarlet and Violet type chart will make everything totally clear, with weaknesses, strengths and resistances all laid out simply and effectively for players to understand.

Full Pokedex

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

(Image credit: Pokemon Company)

The full Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Pokedex has a mix of old classics and strange newcomers to mark generation nine, and has finally taken us to over a thousand different Pokemon across the franchise. We've got the full Pokedex here, as well as highlighting all the new Pokemon added in the game!

Co-op and online multiplayer

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet coop multiplayer online

(Image credit: Nintendo)

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet coop was a big selling point, the idea that now you can enjoy the world of Paldea with friends! However, cooperative and online play has its limits and its advantages, and we've laid out everything you need to know about it in the attached guide.

Gym leaders and best order

Pokemon Scarlet Violet tips tricks

(Image credit: Nintendo)

Now that the Pokemon Scarlet and Violet gym leaders can technically be done in any order, it's more important than ever to understand them - especially considering you might do them in the wrong order and end up with a challenge you're not ready for. We've laid out all their locations, weaknesses and the best order in which to battle them at our dedicated page linked above.

Paradox Pokemon

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

(Image credit: The Pokemon Company)

The Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Paradox Pokemon are strange-looking versions of existing Pokemon - some of which look like dinosaurs, some of which look like robots. We'll explain what Paradox Pokemon are, how you can get them, and which ones are available in which game, as Scarlet and Violet feature different Paradox Pokemon to choose from! 

Terastallizing and Tera types explained

Pokemon Scarlet Violet Tera types raids terastallization change

(Image credit: Nintendo)

The big new powers of Paldea are based in the Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Tera types and Terastallizing mechanic, wherein Pokemon can change their type and gain new strengths and weaknesses. The Terastal power is a little more complicated than gigantimaxing or mega evolution, so it's worth understanding what it is and how it works so you can really use it to its full potential!

Where to go first after the Academy

Pokemon Scarlet Violet where to go first east west naranja uva academy

(Image credit: NIntendo)

Wondering where to go first in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet? After a few lessons at the Academy you'll start the Treasure Hunt with the intention to explore the world and find new adventures - but where's the best place to start? We'll cover all the options and the best of them here, where we explain the difference between the Path of Legends, Victory Road and Starfall Street here!

Koraidon and Miraidon abilities

Pokemon Scarlet Violet Koraidon Miraidon abilities path legends surf fly glide climb sprint jump

(Image credit: Nintendo)

Want to fly, surf, glide or climb? To do that you'll have to unlock all the Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Koraidon and Miraidon abilities, the powers of the strange, wheeled mounts you find early in the game. We'll show you how to get them all below, as well as how to unlock Koraidon and Miraidon's battle forms for combat!

Mystery Gifts

Flying Terastal Pikachu in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

(Image credit: The Pokemon Company)

Having some Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Mystery Gift codes will help you get a little more from the world of Paldea! Special items, Pokemon with unique Tera types, and all manner of little extras and gifts for you to grab. We've laid out what you need to get Mystery Gifts in Pokemon here, as well as any known codes.

Ominous Black Stakes, Shrines and the Ruinous Legendary Pokemon

Pokemon Scarlet Violet Ominous Stakes Shrines legendaries

(Image credit: Nintendo)

The Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Stakes and Shrines are based around finding the "Ominous Black Stakes", all of which unlock special shrines that hold unique legendary Pokemon, the Ruinous Quartet. There's no way to get these powerful legendary without finding all the stakes and shrines, so our guide will take you through all their locations, and even how to catch the four legendary Pokemon hidden away.

Class answers for lessons and exams

Classes in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's Uva Academy

(Image credit: The Pokemon Company)

Looking for the Pokemon Scarlet and Violet class answers? We won't judge you for a little sneaky glance at the paper of the next kid, so we've got the ultimate cheat sheet here to pass all the classes, midterms and finals of the Naranja or Uva Academy, as well as the rewards at play for doing so!

Amulet Coin location and making money fast

Pokemon Scarlet Violet Amulet Coin

(Image credit: Nintendo)

Now that you don't have to fight every trainer, it's easy to find yourself a little strapped for cash. The Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Amulet Coin will help that, a special held item that doubles the monetary rewards for every battle you do - but where do you find this legendary Amulet Coin? We'll show you where to get it and how it's used in our attached guide.

False Dragon Titan location

Pokemon scarlet and violet false dragon titan

(Image credit: Nintendo)

Looking for the toughest of the titans? The Pokemon Scarlet and Violet False Dragon Titan is hidden somewhere in Casseroya Lake, but it's hard to find - especially considering you don't know what it looks like! If you want to know where it is and how to beat it, we've got a page dedicated to that here.

Eevee

Pokemon Scarlet Violet Eevee

(Image credit: Nintendo)

One of the most popular critters out there, finding a Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Eevee isn't easy if you don't know where to start. Capable of evolving into almost any type of Pokemon, Eevee is pretty rare in Paldea and you'll need to go to very specific locations to find one of your own.

Cheugy

Director Clavell asking what cheugy means in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

(Image credit: The Pokemon Company)

(Sigh)… yes, the Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Cheugy thing has become a bit of a meme, but at one point Director Clavell will ask you what the word Cheugy means - and depending on your age, you might find that question a little harder to answer than others. We've explained its meaning and what you'll get for answering correctly here! 

Iron Hands Raid Build

Pokemon Scarlet Violet iron hands

(Image credit: Nintendo)

Want one of the most powerful Pokemon for tera raids? The overpowered Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Iron Hands Raid build takes the mechanical version of Hariyama and uses the Belly Drum move to massive effect, doing huge damage in just a couple of turns. We'll explain how it works and how to get your own Iron Hands in the attached page!

Sinistea Chips, Malicious Armor and Ceruledge

Pokemon Violet sinistea chips malicious armor ceruledge

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Finding all the Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Sinistea Chips and Malicious Armor will allow you to evolve a little Charcadet into the incredibly powerful Ceruledge - but where do you get the Sinistea Chips, and how do you turn them into a set of Malicious Armor? And is it even possible to get a Ceruledge if you're playing Scarlet instead of Violet? We'll cover all these questions at the link provided.

Kingambit

Pokemon Scarlet Violet Kingambit bisharp evolution

(Image credit: Nintendo)

One of the most eye-catching new entries to the Pokedex, the Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Kingambit is a new evolution for Bisharp, but getting it to evolve is a lot more complicated than simply levelling up Bisharp enough. You'll need to find and correctly use a special item called the Leader's Crest, which we've covered how to do here.

Joel Franey
Guides Writer

Joel Franey is a writer, journalist, podcaster and raconteur with a Masters from Sussex University, none of which has actually equipped him for anything in real life. As a result he chooses to spend most of his time playing video games, reading old books and ingesting chemically-risky levels of caffeine. He is a firm believer that the vast majority of games would be improved by adding a grappling hook, and if they already have one, they should probably add another just to be safe. You can find old work of his at USgamer, Gfinity, Eurogamer and more besides.