08/03/22Learn more

New details revealed for Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet, including Tera Raid Battles

During a Pokémon Presents today, The Pokémon Company International revealed more details about the Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet video games, launching November 18, 2022, exclusively on the Nintendo Switch™ system.

New updates for the Pokémon World Championships 2022 were also announced, in addition to in-game events for Pokémon GO, Pokémon UNITE, Pokémon Café ReMix and Pokémon Masters EX. Details about all announcements made today are below:

Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet

Welcome to Paldea!

Players will start their adventure in the Paldea region, a land of vast open spaces dotted with lakes, towering peaks, wastelands, and mountain ranges. Players will find lots of people and Pokémon living together in a variety of locations, ranging from a farming village with bountiful harvests to a port town with a bustling marketplace. There are also Pokémon living in treetops, rivers, and other locations in the wilderness.

In the center of Paldea sits the largest city in the region: Mesagoza. It’s here that players will find either Naranja Academy or Uva Academy. In Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet, the name of the school, its emblem, and its uniforms and other details will differ depending on which version of the game is played.

The Pokédex will be loaded on the Rotom Phone as an app. Players will be able to see a map of the entire Paldea region in the map app, which will show their current location. Players will also see all kinds of information, like nearby towns, Pokémon Centers and wild Pokémon.

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.

All Pokémon in Paldea can Terastallize to gain special power, and Terastallization allows players to enhance their battle strategies by increasing the power of any moves that have the same type as their Pokémon’s Tera Type. There are 18 types, meaning there are countless combinations of Pokémon and Tera Types.

Players can Terastallize a Pokémon once per battle and the transformation will last until the battle ends. Players will need a Tera Orb to Terastallize a Pokémon, which will need to be recharged after each use. Players can charge their Tera Orb by touching crystals overflowing with Terastal energy or by going to a Pokémon Center.

Tera Raid Battles

Tera Raid Battles occur in Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet when three other players team up to take on a Terastallized wild Pokémon. Trainers can find other players to participate in a Tera Raid Battle through the Terra Raid Battle option, then choose to recruit allies or join someone else’s raid. To have a battle together with friends a player already knows, they’ll need to set a Link Code. This battle system has a time limit and allows players to continue attacking seamlessly without having to wait for other Trainers to choose their actions. [1]

Poké Portal & the Union Circle

In Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet, players can trade and battle with Trainers all over the world by using a feature called the Poké Portal. [2]

  • Trading: In the Poké Portal, a Link Trade lets players trade with a specific person. With a Surprise Trade, after choosing a Pokémon to trade, players will be able to trade with a random Trainer somewhere in the world.

  • Battling: In the Link Battle option in the Poké Portal, players will be able to have Pokémon battles with other Pokémon Trainers.

Additionally, with the new Union Circle feature added to the Poké Portal, a player and up to three friends can adventure together in the same space.

People of the Paldea Region

  • Clavell: He acts as the director of the academy and will teach the player many things about their school.

  • Jacq: Mr. Jacq is very knowledgeable about Pokémon biology and is the developer of the Pokédex app for the Rotom Phone. He’ll also be the player’s homeroom teacher.

  • Arven: Arven is an upperclassman at the academy. He’s good at cooking and is researching healthy recipes that can help Pokémon feel better.

  • Penny: Penny has a bit of a shy personality, and for some reason, she doesn’t seem to come to the academy very often.

  • 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.

More Pokémon Revealed

In addition to new regional Pokémon found across both Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet, different species of Pokémon will appear depending on which game the player purchases. For example, Larvitar and Stonjourner appear in Pokémon Scarlet, while Bagon and Eiscue appear in Pokémon Violet.

Fidough

Fidough’s moist, smooth skin has elastic qualities and is both firm and soft at the same time. When these Pokémon become excited, they intimidate their opponents by puffing up their bodies to appear bigger. Fidough ferments things in its vicinity using the yeast in its breath. The yeast is useful for cooking, so this Pokémon has been protected by people since long ago.

  • Category: Puppy Pokémon

  • Type: Fairy

  • Height: 1'

  • Weight: 24 lbs.

  • Ability: Own Tempo

Paldean Wooper

In ancient times, Wooper lived underwater in the Paldea region. After losing in a struggle for territory, it seems they began living in bogs on land. To keep from drying out while living on land, they began to cover their bodies with a poisonous film. Their gills have hardened thanks to living on land for so long. Their bodies are heavy and they move slowly, but they can protect themselves by shooting powerful poisonous liquid from their gills.

  • Category: Poison Fish Pokémon

  • Type: Poison/Ground

  • Height: 1'4"

  • Weight: 24.3 lbs.

  • Ability: Poison Point / Water Absorb

Cetitan

Cetitan need to have tough muscles to be able to support their immense bodies, and physical attacks using their bodies have incredible power. They also migrate around the snowy regions, protected by a thick layer of fat.

  • Category: Terra Whale Pokémon

  • Type: Ice

  • Height: 14'9"

  • Weight: 1,543.2 lbs.

  • Ability: Thick Fat / Slush Rush

New Forms Discovered for the Legendary Pokémon Koraidon and Miraidon

Players will meet a Legendary Pokémon—either Koraidon or Miraidon—and it will join them on their journey. Koraidon and Miraidon are full of mystery and are said to have power that far surpasses that of other Pokémon. These Pokémon can change their forms to better suit what they’re doing or what terrain they’re traveling over.

  • Sprinting Build / Drive Mode: Players can ride Sprinting Build Koraidon or Drive Mode Miraidon, making it easier to traverse the expansive Paldea region more freely.

  • Swimming Build / Aquatic Mode: Players will 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: Players can jump from mountains, towering cliffs or tall buildings and glide toward their destination.

Purchase Bonuses Announced

Special Pikachu

By purchasing Pokémon Scarlet or Pokémon Violet early, players will receive a special in-game 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.

Players can receive it by choosing Get via Internet from the Mystery Gift feature in their game, up until Tuesday, February 28, 2023. [3]

Adventure Set

If players download the digital version of Pokémon Scarlet or Pokémon Violet from Nintendo eShop by Tuesday, February 28, 2023, they can receive a serial code for the Adventure Set. [4]

  • Potion ×10

  • Full Heal ×5

  • Revive ×3

  • Ether ×3

  • Rare Candy ×1

  • Nugget ×1

Double-Pack Bonus

As a special bonus for purchasing the Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet Double Pack, Trainers will receive two codes (one per game) that will reward them with 100 Poké Balls. [5]

Pokémon World Championships 2022

Returning after three years, the Pokémon World Championships 2022 welcomes Pokémon GO and Pokémon UNITE to the competition taking place August 18- 21 in London. The all-new design for the Pokémon World Championships 2022 trophy was also revealed, featuring Pikachu.

Additionally, fans can look forward to the Pokémon Center Pop-Up Store available throughout the 2022 Pokémon World Championships, featuring a range of Pokémon Center-branded products and Pokémon World Championships merchandise not found anywhere else, including the Pikachu 2022 Pokémon World Championships Poké Plush.

To keep up-to-date with the latest information on the 2022 Pokémon World Championships and other Play! Pokémon events, please visit pokemon.com/us/play-pokemon.

Upcoming In-Game Events

  • Mysterious lifeforms known as Ultra Beasts have appeared across Pokémon GO Fest 2022 events this year, and it seems that all four Ultra Beasts will be gathering at the Pokémon GO Fest 2022 finale held on August 27. The finale is an online global event which can be enjoyed by Trainers wherever they are in the world.

  • Pokémon UNITE celebrates its one-year anniversary by introducing Buzzwole to Unite Battles as well as a new type of quick battle, Pika Party, beginning today, August 3 at 5:00pm PT.

  • In the Pokémon Café ReMix game, players will have another chance at recruiting Mewtwo to join their staff. Starting today, there will also be a special campaign for players to get Latias on their staff.

  • Pokémon Masters EX is approaching its three-year anniversary. Players can get ready to celebrate with the upcoming debut of the Trainer Lodge.

[1] A paid Nintendo Switch Online membership is required to interact with other Trainers using the internet.

[2] A paid Nintendo Switch Online membership is required to interact with other Trainers using the internet.

[3] Players will need to connect their Nintendo Switch system to the internet to claim this early-purchase bonus. The user profile on their 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 players can access the Mystery Gift feature. This special Pikachu can be received in either the retail version or the downloadable version.

[4] Serial code can be received through Tuesday, February 28, 2023. Serial code is valid through Tuesday March 7, 2023.

Players will need to connect their Nintendo Switch system to the internet to claim this early-purchase bonus. The user profile on their 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).

Each serial code can be used only once. It takes approximately 1 to 1.5 hours of play time before you are able to access the Mystery Gift feature to input the serial code.

[5] There will be two serial codes, each of which can be redeemed for one hundred Poké Balls. Each serial code can be used only once. There is no expiration date for these serial codes, but there are circumstances (such as the ending of network services) that may prevent players from claiming the gift. There will be a prior communication if network services will be ending.

Players will need to connect their Nintendo Switch system to the internet to claim this bonus. The user profile on their 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 accessing the Mystery Gift feature to input the serial code.