While many players have likely completed Pokémon Scarlet and Violet's Legendary Shrines and caught the four Treasures of Ruin, there's an in-game secret that can make the process easier for those who have yet to commit to Legendary hunting. With the Shrines and their respective Stakes being relatively hard to find and keep track of, Scarlet and Violet have included a measure to make seeking them out more convenient, although it's not hinted at in-game.
Following in the footsteps of Legendary Pokémon like the Island Guardians of Alola, Scarlet and Violet's Treasures of Ruin are a group of four powerful Pokémon with unique Ruin abilities, each of which reduce a certain stat for all surrounding Pokémon in battle. With one member of the group, Chi-Yu, being strong enough be banned from Pokémon Showdown, and the other three not far behind in terms of power, most players will likely be wanting to get their hands on all four. Although online guides will certainly do the job when it comes to finding the four Shrines and pulling their requisite Stakes, Scarlet and Violet actually include an in-game method of finding their locations.
The Treasures of Ruin Can Be Found Through Scarlet & Violet's Academy Classes
While many players will likely catch onto the existence of the Legendary Shrines through other means, going through Scarlet and Violet's history classes under Raifort at the academy will actually mark their locations on the map. There isn't much to suggest that this would be the case besides the Treasures of Ruin being Scarlet and Violet anti-heroes associated with Paldean history - and with many players likely ignoring academy classes in favor of exploring the open world or pursuing main quest objectives, it isn't too surprising that most players would find and complete the shrines without ever finding out how to get them marked on the map.
Academy Classes Will Reveal Pokémon Scarlet & Violet's Legendary Shrine Locations
Although Scarlet and Violet do include a way for the game to direct players towards the Treasures of Ruin, it potentially could have been implemented in a more interesting way. Many of the game's classes offer little reward, and most players will likely find themselves ignoring them in favor of the more compelling open world. On the other hand, discovering the Shrines on one's own can be an interesting experience in its own right - bringing back some of the mystery of older games. Arguably, discovering the shrines organically is a natural fit for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet's open world, making exploration a more exciting prospect.
One of the great challenges of large, open-world RPGs can be the signposting - how the game directs players towards more interesting content. In the case of the Treasures of Ruin, the relative mundanity of the academy classes potentially make the game's seemingly intended method of signposting mostly ineffective. For Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, however, the more common, more natural way of discovering the Legendary Shrines could be a blessing in disguise.
Source: Nintendo of America/YouTube