Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Reveal New Story Details, Tera Raid Battles, New Gym Leader and More

Nintendo revealed a massive amount of information about Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, including story details, Tera Raid Battles, a new gym leader and much more.

The Story Unfolds the Way You Want It To

Weave three grand stories into your adventure as you meet Pokémon you’ve never seen and unique characters. These titles have the hallmark Pokémon story of going to Gyms and aiming to become a Champion, but there is no set path, so you can go to whichever Gym you want to challenge in the order you desire.

Furthermore, there are two other grand stories besides your pursuit of becoming a Champion, and many trials and tribulations await you in those stories as well. Please look forward to finding out what kinds of stories they are.

Furthermore, you can freely go back and forth between all three stories, allowing your adventure to develop in the way you want it to. Some may want to reach the rank of Champion and rush through the Gyms, while others might want to adventure at their leisure—at times searching for Pokémon or meeting all sorts of people. Everybody can experience the game the way they want to. Being able to make your very own story is one of the hallmarks of Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet.

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Aim for the Champion Rank!

The Paldea region has a Pokémon League and a special class of pro-rank Pokémon Trainers who have achieved the Champion Rank. These Trainers have grown with their Pokémon to be able to dazzle audiences with their skills in battle.

There are facilities called Pokémon Gyms in many towns, and the leaders of these Gyms are awaiting the challenge of Trainers like you and your friends.

There is no set path to the Gyms. You can purposefully seek out a stronger Gym Leader, or you can simply stop by a Gym that happens to be located in a town you came across on your journey. This time, you get to plot your very own path along Victory Road.

If you beat all eight Gyms spread across the region and collect their Gym Badges, you will be able to take on a special test called the Champion Assessment. If you successfully pass the assessment, your strength will be acknowledged and you will be given the Champion Rank, making you an object of admiration for other Trainers.

Polish your skills with many Pokémon and Trainers, and aim for the glorious Champion Rank!

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Gym Leader of the Glaseado Gym, Grusha

Grusha used to be a professional snowboarder, but he is now the Gym Leader of the Glaseado Gym full-time. He is an Ice-type specialist who has Cetitan as his partner. He is usually coolheaded, but when battles get heated, he starts showing the emotions he usually keeps pushed down.

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Look the Way You Want to When You Explore the Paldea Region

Arrange your looks and hairstyle to freely change your appearance

In Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet, you can now make changes to your character’s eye shape, mouth shape, and more to look the way you want to look. You can, of course, change your hairstyle, hair color, and eyebrows at salons, too, so look your best when on your Treasure Hunt!

Use all sorts of items to make your uniform fit you

Ranging from short sleeves and shorts to warm blazers, the academy has four different kinds of uniforms in total. Additionally, you can collect a wide variety of accessories from boutiques. Wear your favorite items and try out different styles along the way on your adventure!

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Enjoy Pokémon with Friends

In Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet, you can trade and battle with Trainers all over the world by using a feature called the Poké Portal.

Use the Nintendo Switch system’s local wireless to connect with people nearby or use an internet connection to interact with people from all over the world.

Enjoy co-op play with the Union Circle!

Your adventure is bound to be more enjoyable by playing with friends, cooperating to beat Tera Pokémon in Tera Raid Battles, and sometimes even testing your skills against each other.

Additionally, with the new Union Circle feature added to the Poké Portal, you and up to three friends can adventure together in the same space, cheering each other on as you battle wild Pokémon or showing each other the Pokémon that walk along with you.

There is no single way to play using the Union Circle. You can wander around together and spend time with your friends how you want to!

Trade Pokémon with each other

In the Poké Portal, there are two features that allow you to enjoy trading, Link Trades and Surprise Trades. A Link Trade lets you trade with a specific person. With a Surprise Trade, after choosing a Pokémon to trade, you’ll be able to trade with a random Trainer somewhere in the world.

Make lots of trades to find your favorite Pokémon and complete the Pokédex!

Battle together

If you go to the Link Battle option in the Poké Portal, you’ll be able to have Pokémon battles with other Pokémon Trainers.

There are many battle formats. Hone your skills in Pokémon battles with Trainers from all around the world, using the Pokémon you trained!

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The Oldest School in the Paldea Region

At Naranja Academy and Uva Academy, you can meet new people, new Pokémon—and a new you

In the center of Paldea sits the largest city in the region, Mesagoza. It is here that you’ll find a school boasting a history that few other schools do, where people from all sorts of regions come to hone their skills against each other, be it through academics or Pokémon battles.

Age is not an issue in enrollment here, so a wide range of age groups—from children to adults—take the same classes, which mostly relate to Pokémon. It seems there are a few classes that you can take WITH Pokémon too.

In Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet, the name of the school, its emblem, its uniforms, and other details will differ depending on which game version you’re playing.

Set out from school for a grand adventure! The special independent study project, the Treasure Hunt

As the main character, you will be enrolling at the academy. Of course, you will not be alone at this school. You will also have friends you can sharpen your skills against—like Nemona, Arven, and Penny—in addition to unique teachers who will teach you what they know about battling, Pokémon biology, and more.

This academy is also where Director Clavell will give you and your friends an independent study assignment, the Treasure Hunt. Where will you go? Who will you meet? What will you accomplish? Embark on a journey across Paldea to gain new experiences, meet new people, and find your very own treasure.

People at the academy

Along with Director Clavell, there are many other members of the faculty at the academy.

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Clavell

He acts as the director of the academy, and since you’re a new student, he will teach you many things about your school. He can be strict, but he can also be kind. He seems to be a friend of Professor Sada and Professor Turo.

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Jacq

Mr. Jacq is your homeroom teacher, and he teaches biology. He is very knowledgeable about Pokémon biology and is the developer of the Pokédex app for the Rotom Phone. He has a slightly airheaded side to him, and he sometimes loses himself in his research.

Main character’s friends

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Arven

Arven is an upperclassman at the academy. He’s good at cooking and is researching healthy recipes that can help Pokémon feel better. He will be asking you to help him out, since he isn’t good at Pokémon battles.

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Penny

Penny is in the same grade as you. She has a bit of a shy personality, and for some reason, she doesn’t seem to come to the academy very often. She is especially fond of her fluffy Eevee bag and always has it on her back.

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During your adventure, you will meet a Legendary Pokémon—either Koraidon or Miraidon—and it will join you on your journey. Koraidon and Miraidon are full of mystery and are said to have power that far surpasses that of other Pokémon.

It seems Koraidon and Miraidon have even more forms than those we’ve already discovered—these Pokémon are capable of changing their forms to better suit what they’re doing or what terrain they’re traveling over.

Ride these Legendary Pokémon to embark on an unrestricted adventure

Ride your Legendary Pokémon to traverse the expansive Paldea region and explore every nook and cranny together.

Sprint through plains and deserts, move across water, scale cliffs, cross hills, and glide off peaks. Enjoy a fresh and liberating adventure that only an open world can provide.

Meet a variety of people and Pokémon alongside your Legendary Pokémon, and seek out the mysteries that await you in Paldea.

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Sprinting Build / Drive Mode

Traveling through Paldea on foot can be quite the hassle. If you learn how to ride Sprinting Build Koraidon or Drive Mode Miraidon, you’ll be able to traverse the expansive Paldea region more freely and at full speed.

Swimming Build / Aquatic Mode

On your adventure, you’ll be able to jump into rivers, lakes, and vibrant oceans to approach the Pokémon that live there or cross perilous waters in a snap by riding Swimming Build Koraidon or Aquatic Mode Miraidon.

Gliding Build / Glide Mode

You can jump from mountains, towering cliffs or tall buildings and glide toward your destination.

Not only does this offer you more options when choosing what to do, but you can also freely glide around and enjoy a view that you can see only from the Paldean skies.

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Fight alongside friends within the time limit in Tera Raid Battles

Tera Raid Battles are a completely new battle format where you will team up with three other Trainers in order to take on a Terastallized wild Pokémon within a time limit. In Tera Raid Battles, you can attack without waiting for other Trainers’ turns, so it’s important that you cooperate with your fellow Trainers at a quick pace.

The Pokémon that will appear in Tera Raid Battles are fierce, but you can join forces with other players to prove victorious!

Seek out crystals for Tera Raid Battles

You’ll be able to attempt a Tera Raid Battle by touching shining crystals. The colors of these crystals correspond to the Tera Type of the Tera Pokémon you’ll encounter. They almost look like gemstones! Additionally, a sparkling pillar of light will be shooting into the sky above any of these crystals, making them easy to spot at a distance.

Challenge Tera Pokémon!

This battle system has a time limit and allows you to continue attacking seamlessly without having to wait for other Trainers to choose their actions. Take on these battles by coordinating with your teammates and by increasing the stats of the Pokémon on your side or healing them.

Note: A paid Nintendo Switch Online membership is required to interact with other Trainers using the internet.

Expand your options in co-op play by cheering

There are three kinds of cheers you can use, and they will benefit all the ally Pokémon on your side. The three effects are boosting Attack and Sp. Atk, boosting Defense and Sp. Def, and healing.

Anybody can use these cheers, allowing you to play cooperatively even if your Pokémon hasn’t learned any moves to support other Pokémon.

Cooperation is the key to Tera Raid Battles. Lead your side to victory by cheering!

Catch defeated Tera Pokémon!

Managing to defeat the Tera Pokémon within the time limit will undo the Pokémon’s transformation, giving you the chance to try to catch it by throwing Poké Balls. Victories can reward you with many useful items too!

How to participate in a Tera Raid Battle

You will be able to search for allies to join your Tera Raid Battles, or you can join someone else who is searching for allies in their Tera Raid Battles.

Work together with Trainers across the world to try your hand at these battles!

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Pokémon Shine and Glimmer Like Gems Thanks to the Terastal Phenomenon

What is the Terastal phenomenon?

This phenomenon is found only in the Paldea region and makes Pokémon shine and glimmer like gems.

When a Pokémon Terastallizes, a Tera Jewel appears above the Pokémon’s head like a crown, and the Pokémon’s body glistens like a cut gemstone.

It’s said that the Terastal energy that seeps from the ground of the Paldea region is involved in the phenomenon.

Many details remain unclear, but Professor Sada and Professor Turo are researching this mystery.

Master Terastallizing and dominate Pokémon battles!

Terastallizing holds the key to victory or defeat in battles in the Paldea region.

All Pokémon in Paldea can Terastallize to gain special power.

First, each Pokémon has a Tera Type. A Pokémon’s Tera Type is inactive until the Pokémon Terastallizes, at which time the Pokémon’s type will change to its Tera Type.

For example, some Eevee will have a Normal Tera Type, but some other Eevee have a Flying Tera Type.

There are 18 types, meaning there are countless combinations of Pokémon and Tera Types.

Terastallizing a Pokémon allows you to enhance your battle strategies by increasing the power of any moves that have the same type as your Pokémon’s Tera Type or by changing your Pokémon’s weaknesses.

When to activate this special transformation and the combination of Pokémon and Tera Types you choose to use are all up to you.

Find what works best for you to gain the upper hand in battle!

You will need a Tera Orb to Terastallize a Pokémon

Only select Trainers in the Paldea region are allowed to carry this special item.

Once you Terastallize a Pokémon, your Tera Orb will lose all its Terastal energy, and you won’t be able to use it again until it’s been recharged. You can charge your Tera Orb if you touch crystals overflowing with Terastal energy or go to a Pokémon Center.

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Receive a special Pikachu as an early-purchase bonus!

By purchasing Pokémon Scarlet or Pokémon Violet early, you will receive a special Pikachu as a gift.

This Pikachu has two unique characteristics:

It knows the move Fly, which it normally cannot learn.

Its Tera Type is Flying.

You can receive it by choosing Get via Internet from the Mystery Gift feature in your game, up until Tuesday, February 28, 2023.

* Note: You will need to connect your Nintendo Switch system to the internet to claim this early-purchase bonus.

The user profile on your system will need to be linked to a Nintendo Account in order to connect to the internet. (This does not require a paid Nintendo Switch Online membership.)

It takes approximately 1 to 1.5 hours of play time before you can access the Mystery Gift feature to input the serial code.

This special Pikachu can be received in either the retail version or the downloadable version.

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Currently, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are set to release on Nov. 18 for Nintendo Switch.