Pokémon Scarlet and Violet feature a load of unlockable content in their postgames. Having discovered the many Pokémon that inhabit the Paldea region, trainers will find they still have plenty of new battles to fight, locations to explore, and even new Pokémon to catch. The postgame mostly centers on completing the Pokédex and defeating even harder opponents. With so many little details that aren’t necessarily pointed out to the player, it’s crucial not to miss anything.
First, to access the postgame the trainer must complete Pokémon Scarlet and Violet’s three main story quests which they began following the Academy’s Treasure Hunt. To be clear, that means completing the Path of Legends by defeating/capturing all five Titan Pokémon, completing Starfall Street by defeating all five Team Star bosses, and completing Victory Road by obtaining all eight Gym Leaders’ badges and conquering the Elite Four. Only upon defeating Champion Geeta and watching the credits roll will players unlock Pokémon Scarlet and Violet’s postgame content.
Instant Unlockables After Scarlet & Violet's Pokémon League
The postgame begins with a couple of freebies. As is tradition in Pokémon, players will obtain a single Master Ball which can catch any Pokémon without fail when used. Director Clavell will call the player to pick this up automatically after finishing the game. Additionally, if players go into any Pokémon Center they will recognize the Hall of Fame badge and grant access to a new service: the Judge Function, which allows players to check the IV stats, which Pokémon Legends: Arceus threw out, and evaluate a Pokémon's strength. Most crucially though, players will immediately gain the ability to freely roam Area Zero inside the Great Crater of Paldea, and it’s here that the true content can be found. A number of items are strewn about the crater, including TMs, Tera Shards, and stat boosters like Zinc and PP Up.
Completing Pokémon Scarlet & Violet's Pokédex
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Players may also notice some new, yet familiar-looking Pokémon wandering around while they scour Area Zero. These are called Paradox Pokémon, and depending on which version is being played, they’ll have a different theme. Pokémon Scarlet has the ancient-themed Pokémon Great Tusk, Scream Tail, Brute Bonnet, Flutter Mane, Slither Wing, Roaring Moon, and Sandy Shocks. In Pokémon Violet, however, are the futuristic-themed Pokémon Iron Treads, Iron Bundle, Iron Hands, Iron Jugulis, Iron Moth, Iron Valiant, and Iron Thorns. Each of Scarlet and Violet's Paradox Pokémon resembles an already existing creature, like Brute Bonnet which resembles Amoongus, or Iron Hands which resembles Hariyama - but these are entirely new Pokémon with new typings and new movesets. To get all 14 of them, players will need to trade with a friend for the other version’s exclusive Paradox Pokémon.
Inside Area Zero, players will also find another copy of the Legendary Pokémon - Koraidon for Scarlet, or Miraidon for Violet. Catching this level 72 version means players can obtain two copies of the Legendary in the same game - the first time this has been possible in Pokémon. On the topic of Koraidon and Miraidon, finishing the game also unlocks the ability to switch Scarlet and Violet's Legendary Pokémon from Ride Mode to Battle Mode. In Battle Mode, the Legendary can join the party and fight in battles. Thanks to this, that second Legendary obtained in Area Zero can be traded to a friend for their Legendary, helping complete both Pokédexes.
It’s worth noting here that there are four sub-Legendary Pokémon in Paldea too: The Ruinous Legendaries. These can technically be obtained before the postgame by finding all the Stakes scattered around Paldea, but it is far easier to wait until the end of the game when the map is fully explored to set about finding every Stake and unlocking the Ruinous Legendaries. Once the Pokédex is complete with all of Scarlet and Violet's Pokémon registered, the Shiny Charm can be obtained by visiting Mr. Jacq at the Academy.
New, Stronger Pokémon Battles Appear In Postgame
There are plenty of difficult challenges in the postgame on which to test out all these new Pokémon. The first and most apparent is the Academy Ace Tournament, which is triggered by returning to the Academy and chatting with Nemona. The Tournament involves a series of four battles in which trainers fight staff from the Academy with their own high-level teams. That includes Jacq, Nemona, and Geeta, among others. Completing the Academy Ace Tournament will net you stat boosters and expensive items to sell for Pokémon Dollars. For a different challenge, players can also complete the Training Centers of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet's Team Star villains. This involves revisiting the Team Star bosses by approaching their bases and chatting, prompting a second and much more difficult battle than the first time around. Both the Academy Ace Tournament and the Team Star Training Centers can be completed repeatedly, making for a fantastic way to grind Pokémon levels. Unfortunately, there is currently no Battle Tower-style system, but such mechanics could conceivably come to the games as DLC.
There is one other major reward for completing the Academy Ace Tournament: receiving a call that unlocks five-star Tera Raids. Similar to the one- through four-star Tera Raids, these five-star Tera Raids require teaming up with three companions (friends or AI) to defeat difficult Scarlet and Violet Terastal types. Five-star Tera Raids are more difficult and will net greater rewards: more Tera Shards, stat boosters, sellable items, and even Herba Mystica. After completing a dozen or so five-star Tera Raids, another call will come through that unlocks special once-a-day six-star Tera Raid battles. These Pokémon increase in difficulty yet again, net greater rewards, and are almost impossible to defeat with just AI companions.
Finally, players will occasionally see black crystals instead of the typical crystals they approach to start a Tera Raid. These black crystals are special seven-star Tera Raids scheduled by Game Freak in which players can obtain one-time-only Pokémon that are far tougher and will definitely require human companions. As an example, a special Charizard in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet with a Dragon-type Tera form will appear at black crystals between 4:00 PM Thursday, December 1 and 3:59 PM Sunday, December 4 PST.
With the new items, new Pokémon, and new challenges unlocked after finishing the story’s main quests, there is plenty for players to do after the credits roll. The journey doesn’t necessarily stop there - using the Shiny Charm, players can start hunting down the rare Shiny forms of Pokémon. Players can also use the Ace Academy Tournament and five- and six-star Tera Raids to level up their Pokémon, give them new Tera forms and get a team ready for competitive battles with other players. With all of these unlockables, players will have plenty to do running around in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet’s postgame.