The best Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Gym Leader order takes you from Cortondo to Glaseado, generally moving from the South to North of Paldea. That's totally intentional - the map is designed to get harder as you move upwards, and the gym leaders do the same, with the toughest of them living up in the Northern mountains.
That being said, there's a few nuances to the order, and there's nothing stopping you from challenging them in whatever order you want - though they don't scale to your level, so it's possible to go in either way too powerful or not powerful enough. For that reason, we've laid out the best Gym Leader Order in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet below, as well as their locations and weaknesses!
Best Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Gym leader order
The best Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Gym Leader order of completion would be the following, though again - you can do them in any order.
- Cortondo Gym: Katy (Bug-type): level 14-15
- Artazon Gym: Brassius (Grass-type): level 16-17
- Levincia Gym: Iono (Electric-type): level 23-24
- Cascarrafa Gym: Kofu (Water-type): level 29-30
- Medali Gym: Larry (Normal-type): level 35-36
- Montenevera Gym: Ryme (Ghost-type): level 41-42
- Alfornada Gym: Tulip (Psychic-type): level 44-45
- Glaseado Gym: Grusha (Ice-type): level 47-48
Can't remember Fairy weaknesses or Psychic's strengths? Check out our handy Pokemon Scarlet and Violet type chart here!
When we refer to level, we specifically mean the level of the Pokemon that the Gym Leader uses - so Katy's bug Pokemon are all between level 14 and 15. Make sure your Pokemon can handle them, either by matching their level or by having a type advantage. Depending on if you picked the Pokemon Scarlet and Violet best starters, you'll have an edge in that regard.
It's also important to know that every Gym Leader uses Terastallization on their last Pokemon, to turn them into the type that they use. For example, Brassius' most powerful Pokemon is a Rock-type Sudowoodo - but the first thing he does after sending it out is Terastallize it to turn it into a grass type. All the Gym Leaders do this; if you see them send out a Pokemon that doesn't match their Gym type, they're immediately about to Terastallize it so that it does match the Gym type. If you need more help on how this all works, we put together a simple guide to Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Tera types and Terastallizing here!
Do Gym Leaders scale to your level in Scarlet and Violet?
No, Gym Leaders in Scarlet and Violet do not scale to player level, at least from what we've seen. They have a set level and difficulty, and players can actually get a clue as to how tough they are by going into the map and reading the description for each Gym (or by using the list we've provided above). Even if you beat Grusha first, Katy won't get any easier or harder to defeat - she'll still have Pokemon at level 14-15.
All Scarlet and Violet Gym Leader weaknesses
If you need help knowing what to use against the Gym Leaders, here's the specific weaknesses for their Gym types.
- Cortondo Bug Gym: Fire, Flying, Rock
- Artazon Grass Gym: Fire, Ice, Poison, Flying, Bug
- Levincia Electric Gym: Ground
- Cascarrafa Water Gym: Grass, Electric
- Medali Normal Gym: Fighting
- Montenevera Ghost Gym: Ghost, Dark
- Alfornada Psychic Gym: Bug, Ghost, Dark
- Glaseado Ice Gym: Fire, Fighting, Rock, Steel
All Scarlet and Violet Gym Tests explained
Gym Tests in Scarlet and Violet are new challenges - a player has to complete a Gym Test before they're allowed to fight the Gym Leader, but the Tests are specific to each Gym - some involve battling, some are minigames. Here's what you can expect from each Gym Test.
- Cortondo Gym Test: Roll a giant olive through a maze to the end.
- Artazon Gym Test: Find 10 Sunflora hidden throughout Artazon.
- Levincia Gym Test: Find Director Clavell hidden in various CCTV images.
- Cascarrafa Gym Test: Travel to Porto Marinada, battle a Trainer and and win the Auction.
- Medali Gym Test: Battle several trainers around Medali so they'll give you clues about what secret meal you should order at the Gym.
- Montenevera Gym Test: Beat three Ghost-type Trainers in Double Battles.
- Alfornada Gym Test: Quickly match the actions of an NPC as they give instructions, interspersed with Psychic-type battles.
- Glaseado Gym Test: Slide down an icy slope on Koraidon or Miraidon within the time limit.
Some of these are a lot harder than others - for example, it's just a matter of time until you find all the Sunflora in Artazon, whereas the Double Battles in Montenevera are pretty challenging. That'll then be followed up by the Gym battle - and if you want some tips on mastering that, check out our Pokemon Scarlet and Violet tips here!
