Not sure which storyline to do first? This can help.
Guide by Lottie Lynn Guides Editor
Updated on
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Pokémon Scarlet and Violet for the Nintendo Switch merge the traditional Pokémon gameplay with the open world nature of Paldea.
In Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, you’re a transfer student at the region’s Pokémon Academy and, during the school’s annual Treasure Hunt, you find yourself going on three adventures - Victory Road, Path of Legends and Starfall Street.
Thanks to the games’ open world nature, you’re free to tackle these storylines, along with many of the activities within them, in any order you like.
There is, however, a best path to take through these storylines which you can find below in our Pokémon Scarlet and Violet walkthrough. We’ve also included a list of helpful tips for your Pokémon journey and links to our other Scarlet and Violet guides. Though, if you’re unsure whether the games’ are for you, check our Pokémon Scarlet and Violet review.
On this page:
- Pokémon Scarlet and Violet walkthrough
- Tips and tricks for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet
- Pokémon Scarlet and Violet guides list: All our Scarlet and Violet guides listed
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet walkthrough
Your first task in both Pokémon Scarlet and Violet is to complete The First Day of School, which acts as the games’ opening chapter.
With this introduction complete, you’re free to complete the three storylines - Victory Road, Path of Legends and Starfall Street - at your own pace. This means you can jump between the three storylines, moving between defeating Gym Leaders to investigating the Titan Pokémon, whenever you like.
If you’d like to learn more about these storylines, then visit our pages on Victory Road, Path of Legends and Starfall Street.
You can complete them one at a time, but we recommend the following preferred path through Paldea, which we’ve outlined below. This is just our suggestion, so feel free to experiment, explore, and see what takes your fancy as you go.
Remember, as you go, it's always a good idea to take the time to level up your Pokémon before the next challenge.
Here's our recommended walkthrough through Pokémon Scarlet and Violet:
- Complete The First Day of School
- Bug Gym Leader Kathy in Cortondo
- Klawf, the Stony Cliff Titan
- Grass Gym Leader Brassius in Artazon
- Bombirdier, the Open Sky Titan
- Dark Crew and Giacomo of Team Star
- Fire Crew and Mela of Team Star
- Third Nemona battle
- Electric Gym Leader Iono in Levincia
- Orthworm, the Lurking Steel Titan
- Water Gym Leader Kofu in Cascarrafa
- Poison Crew and Atticus of Team Star
- Normal Gym Leader Larry in Medali
- Fourth Nemona battle
- Ghost Gym Leader Ryme in Montenevera
- Fifth Nemona battle
- Psychic Gym Leader Tulip in Alfornada
- Great Tusk, the Quaking Earth Titan in Scarlet or the Iron Treads, the Quaking Earth Titan in Violet
- Ice Gym Leader Grusha in Glaseado
- Fairy Crew and Ortega of Team Star
- Fighting Crew and Eri of Team Star
- Dondozo, the False Dragon Titan
- Complete the Path of Legends storyline - Beat Arven
- Complete the Starfall Street storyline - Battle outside the school and with the Big Boss of Team Star
- Elite Four
- Top Champion
- Sixth Nemona battle
- The Way Home and final battle
Congratulations - you've completed the main campaign!
You'll awake in your dorm room and be summoned to the Director's office. Here Geeta will ask you to have rematches with the Gym Leaders and, once you've done so, the Academy Ace Tournament will be unlocked.
Tips for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet
Here are some tips which will help you make the most out of your adventure across the Paldea region in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet:
- Pay attention to which Province and Area number you’re in. Wild Pokémon and trainer levels are dictated by both the Province and Area number, with the idea being the further you go from Cabo Poco, the stronger the Pokémon will become. This means that the wild Pokémon in the northern Provinces of Paldea will typically have higher levels than those in the south.
- Visit the watchtowers! Not only do the watchtowers provide you with a great view of the surrounding area, but you can also fast travel to them. This makes it easier to reach certain parts of Paldea that don’t contain a Pokémon Center.
- Have your Pokémon explore Paldea using Let’s Go. This feature allows your leading Pokémon to escape its Poké Ball and explore the world alongside you. While doing so, they can fight Pokémon and gather items. Doing so, can help you level up your Pokémon quickly and gather crafting materials for TMs.
- Check your Pokédex regularly. Your Pokédex in Scarlet and Violet doesn’t just collect information on the Pokémon you’ve personally seen or caught, but ones you haven’t even encountered yet. These notes include the habitats of the unseen Pokémon, which is incredibly useful in tracking down a creature you might have missed in the vast wilds of Paldea.
- Always carry a couple of Pokémon Dolls. Due to the open world nature of Scarlet and Violet, there’s a chance you’ll find yourself battling a wild Pokémon far above the current levels of your party. It can be rather difficult to escape these fights, so it’s always a good idea to carry a number of Pokémon Dolls in your bag as these items will allow you to instantly escape the battle.
- Recharge your Tera Orb! Remember - you can only Terastallize your Pokémon once before you’ll need to visit a Pokémon Center and have your Tera Orb recharged. Due to this, it’s always a good idea to visit a Pokémon Center after using the Terastallizing a Pokémon - you never know when you’ll need it again!
- You can change your Pokémon’s Tera Types. While we’re on the subject of Tera Types, it’s important to mention that they can be changed. This can be done by collecting Tera Shards and then visiting the Treasure Eatery in Medali. There’s a different type of shard for each type and you’ll need 50 Shards to complete the change, so it’s quite the task but one worth doing for the right Pokémon.
- Look for the character with golden chat boxes above their heads. These characters are connected to a feature - be it checking the Friendship levels of your Pokémon or offering a trade - meaning they’re always worth chatting to.
- Eat a sandwich or a meal. All of the food in Scarlet and Violet, from icecream to the sandwiches you make, will provide you with a set of boosts. These can range from a specific type becoming more powerful in Tera Raids to increasing your chances of finding eggs during picnics. For this reason, it’s always a good idea to stop for a bite to eat.
- Attend classes at the Academy! It’s easy to forget you’re still a student when you’re out in the wilds of Paldea and, though the Academy may be far from your mind, it’s worth a visit. Taking classes at the Academy will allow you to develop friendships with your teachers and, in doing so, unlock useful rewards.
- Pick up the small, sparkling, items. There are two types of items you can gather in Scarlet and Violet - the ones represented by a Poké Ball (as is tradition) and the small sparkles you’ll see on the ground. It’s tempting to ignore these little sparkles, but they are definitely worth collecting. You never know - it might be an evolution stone!
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet guides list: All our Scarlet and Violet guides listed
Below you’ll find all of our Pokémon Scarlet and Violet guides published so far:
Main story:
- The First Day of School quest steps
- Best Titan order for Path of Legends
- Best Team Star base order for Starfall Street
- Best Victory Road gym order
- Nemona battles
- The Way Home quest steps
- How to beat the final boss
The Teal Mask DLC:
- How to start The Teal Mask DLC
- The Teal Mask walkthrough
- Kitakami Pokédex and all returning Pokémon in The Teal Mask DLC
- Lovey Dovey couple solution
- How to catch The Loyal Three
- How to evolve Applin into Dipplin
- How to evolve Poltchageist into Sinistcha
- How to get Bloodmoon Ursaluna
- How to evolve Basculin into Basculegion
- How to evolve Feebas into Milotic
- How to evolve Gligar into Gliscor
- How to evolve Piloswine into Mamoswine
- Teal Mask version exclusive Pokémon
The Indigo Disk DLC:
- How to start The Indigo Disk DLC
- Indigo Disk version exclusive Pokémon
Mochi Mayhem - The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero epilogue:
- How to start the epilogue and get the Mythical Pecha Berry
- Mochi Mayhem walkthrough
- How to catch Pecharunt
Gym Leaders:
- Cortondo Gym: How to beat Bug Gym leader Kathy and the Olive Roll
- Artazon Gym: How to beat Grass Gym Leader Brassius and Sunflora locations
- Cascarrafa Gym: How to beat Water Gym Leader Kofu and reach Port Marinada
- Levincia Gym: How to beat Electric Gym Leader Iono and Mister Walksabout locations
- Medali Gym: How to beat Normal Gym Leader Larry and secret menu item solution
- Montenevera Gym: How to beat Ghost Gym Leader Ryme and double battles
- Alfornada Gym: How to beat Psychic Gym Leader Tulip and ESP battles
- Glaseado Gym: How to beat Ice Gym Leader Grusha and Snow Slope Run
- How to beat the Elite Four
- How to beat the Top Champion
Team Star:
- How to beat Giacomo and Team Star Dark Crew base location
- How to beat Mela and Team Star Fire Crew base location
- How to beat Atticus and Team Star Poison Crew base location
- How to beat Ortega and Team Star Fairy Crew base location
- How to beat Eri and Team Star Fighting Crew base location
- How to beat Director Clavell
- How to beat Cassiopeia
Titans:
- Stony Cliff Titan location and Klawf weaknesses
- Open Sky Titan location and Bombirdier weaknesses
- Lurking Steel Titan location and Orthworm weaknesses
- Quaking Earth Titan location, including Great Tusk and Iron Treads strategy
- False Dragon Titan location and Dondozo weaknesses
Abilities, upgrades and items:
- How to fly, swim, climb, dash and high jump
- Fire Stone locations
- Thunder Stone locations
- Ice Stone locations
- Dawn Stone locations
- Amulet Coin location
Evolutions:
- How to check Friendship level and increase Friendship
- How to evolve Eevee into Flareon, Vaporeon, Jolteon, Umbreon, Espeon, Leafeon, Glaceon, and Sylveon
- How to evolve Charcadet into Armarouge
- How to evolve Charcadet into Ceruledge
- How to evolve Tadbulb into Bellibolt
- How to evolve Pawmo into Pawmot
- How to evolve Primeape into Annihilape
- How to evolve Capsakid into Scovillain
- Gimmighoul coin locations and how to evolve Gimmighoul
- How to evolve Finizen into Palafin
- How to evolve Rellor into Rabsca
- How to evolve Bramblin into Brambleghast
- How to evolve Girafarig into Farigiraf
- How to evolve Cetoddle into Cetitan
- How to evolve Greavard into Houndstone
- How to evolve Haunter into Gengar
- How to evolve Dunsparce into Dudunsparce
- How to evolve Rockruff into Lycanrock
- How to evolve Sneasel into Weavile
- How to evolve Applin into Appletun and Flapple
- How to evolve Scyther into Scizor
- How to evolve Riolu into Lucario
- How to evolve Floette into Florges
- How to evolve Happiny into Chansey
- How to evolve Steenee into Tsareena
Pokémon:
- Starter Pokémon: How to choose the best starter for you
- Legendary Pokémon Koraidon, Miraidon and the Treasures of Ruin explained
- Paradox Pokémon, including Iron Valiant and Roaring Moon locations
- How to get Ditto
- How to get Sinistea and evolution Polteageist, Cracked Pot and Chipped Pot locations
- How to get Bronzor
- How to get Frigibax
- How to get Pikachu
- How to catch Spiritomb
- Iron Hands build and location for 5 star and 6 star solo raids
- Paldea Pokédex and all Pokémon locations listed
- New Gen 9 Pokémon list
- Paldean Pokémon Form list and locations
Shrine stake locations and legendary Pokémon:
- School answers for History, Biology, Math, Languages, Battle Studies, Art and Home Ec
- Blue stake locations, Firescourge Shrine and catching Chi-Yu
- Green stake locations, Groundblight Shrine and catching Ting-Lu
- Purple stake locations, Grasswither Shrine and catching Wo-Chien
- Yellow stake locations, Icerend shrine and catching Chien-Pao
Additional features and information:
- Version differences, including version exclusive Pokémon
- Mystery Gift codes
- Bottle Caps, Gold Bottle Caps, and Hyper Training explained
- Easy money farming method
- Easy EXP farming method
- How to get Shiny Pokémon, Shiny Charm location and increasing Shiny odds
- Breeding, from egg moves to perfect IV, abilities and natures explained
- How to change Tera type and collect Tera Shards
- Best sandwiches to make in Scarlet and Violet
- How to rename Pokémon
- How to Auto Battle with the 'Let's Go' feature
- How to change Rotom phone cases and unlock save bonus cases
- How to change and where to buy clothes
Good luck in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet!
