Before you start Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, there are a few things you should know. Our guide lists out beginner’s tips and tricks for new players.
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet is the first mainline open world game in the series, bringing tons of new features and lots of the good magic from Pokémon Legends: Arceus while keeping the original formula that makes Pokémon games so fun.
As you take down the many challenges in Paldea — the tough trainers of Victory Road, the massive Pokémon of Path of Legends, and the antagonistic faction of Starfall Street — you’ll explore the gigantic world alongside your companion legendary Pokémon, Koraidon or Miraidon. There’s a lot to do in the game, but we’re here to help.
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Below, we list some tips we wish we knew starting out in the game.
The map in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet is absolutely cluttered with icons. Press the R stick to lock the big map, though unfortunately there is no way (that we know of) to lock the minimap.
Making sure the map always has north at the top helps navigate Paldea a ton — and will also make you less dizzy.
You capture Koraidon or Miraidon (in Scarlet and Violet respectively) very early on, and the legendary Pokémon offer a huge boon: Unlike previous mainline Pokémon games, you can actually jump up cliffs and ledges with the help of your mount.
If you see items up a cliff, try jumping up to reach them. Of course, you won’t be able to reach every ledge you see — you’ll need to feed your mount some special sandwiches (with Herba Mystica, obtained from defeating Titan Pokémon) to leap to some of the higher places.
