Pokemon Scarlet & Violet offers players the freedom to go through the three different paths the game offers in whatever order they want. However, there’s an ideal progression linked to level scaling, so here’s exactly how you should trace your journey in the Paldea region.
Pokemon games used to be fairly straightforward, jumping from gym to gym, with the occasional battle or event to spruce things up. But, now Scarlet & Violet offers players more paths and the freedom to go anywhere and do anything.
With three main storylines and plenty of challenges in between, things can get a little overwhelming, so we’ve mapped the ideal way to progress through the story.
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Now that both DLC parts, The Teal Mask and The Indigo Disk are out, don’t forget to check our other guides, including all version-exclusive Pokemon, and The Complete Blueberry Pokedex.
Contents
All Pokemon Scarlet & Violet paths
There are three distinct storylines spread across Scarlet & Violet’s open world, and players can progress each storyline in whichever order they choose. These storylines are:
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- Victory Road (Gym battles)
- Path of Legends (Titan Pokemon)
- Operation Star Street (Team Star battles)
Scarlet & Violet being open world means that if you want to take on Glaseado Mountain’s Gym Leader and their level 40+ team right away, you can.
However, for those who want to experience a more traditional Pokemon journey, we’ve designed the ideal Gym order in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, as well as how you should complete the Path of Legends and Operation Star Street storylines.
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Pokemon Scarlet & Violet ideal order: Gyms, Titans & Team Star
Here is the proper level order of challenges for Gyms and more in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, as well as where each one is located on the map of Paldea:
Here is the correct order to play through Pokemon Scarlet & Violet according to levels.1. Bug Gym Leader Katy – Cortondo
The first stop on a trainers’ journey through Paldea is Cortondo, home of the Bug-type Gym Leader Katy. This Gym is a bit of a pushover because of the low level and the Bug-type’s many common weaknesses.
Katy’s Team:
2. Klawf Titan – South Province (Area Three)
Next is Klawf, the Crab Titan Pokemon, which introduces players to how Titan battles work throughout the rest of the story. And once again, this low-level encounter isn’t much to remark on.
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Related:
How to start Pokemon Scarlet & Violet DLC: The Indigo Disk
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3. Grass Gym Leader Brassius – Artazon
Artazon’s Gym Leader is yet another that opens its Pokemon up to a world of weaknesses, and it also doesn’t help that Brassius’ Pokemon are only marginally higher level than that of the previous Gym.
4. Bombirdier Titan – West Province (Area One)
Bombirdier is where battles start to get a little bit tough if players don’t start paying attention to their Pokemon’s levels or type matchups. It’s also easy to stumble upon early if players tread off the beaten path.
5. Team Star Leader Giacomo – West Province (Area One)
While heading toward Cascarrafa from the Bombirdier Titan, players will stumble upon the lowest-level Team Star camp. It’s ruled by Team Star’s Dark-type leader Giacomo, and it introduces how Team Star likes to do battle.
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6. Electric Gym Leader Iono – Levincia
The high-energy streamer who doubles as a Gym Leader – Iono – is next on the list of Pokemon Scarlet & Violet’s Gym order. While her Electric-type Pokemon’s levels may not match the height of her energy, their type advantages can make an unprepared trainer wish they never joined her Livestream.
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7. Team Star Leader Mela – East Province (Area One)
Team Star’s Fire-type leader Mela is another trainer who opens themselves up to fundamental type disadvantages. She may be up there in levels, but dousing this trainer with Water-type attacks is a super effective tactic.
8. Orthworm Titan – East Province (Area Three)
This Titan encounter can be pretty underwhelming, depending on your choice of starter. Even a low-level Fuecoco evolution can easily take down Orthworm since it’s feeble against Fire-type moves. But checking this one off gives players yet another upgrade for their Legendary bike.
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9. Water Gym Leader Kofu – Cascarrafa
Cascarrafa’s Water-type Gym Leader can put a hurting on trainers if they go into this fight unprepared. Veluza alone is enough to cause trouble, but Kofu’s ace, Crabominable, is an absolute powerhouse save for its Tera-type change.
10. Team Star Leader Atticus – Tagtree Thicket
Atticus is a formidable foe mainly due to his ability to inflict the Poisoned status condition. This can quickly whittle away a Pokemon’s health if the battle is too long, so players will want to be ready to deal with his Poison-type setup.
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11. Normal Gym Leader Larry – Medali
Medali’s Gym Leader is the unassuming Normal-type wielder, Larry. Leave your Ghost-types at home for this battle, stock up on Fighting-type moves instead, and Larry will be easy to take down despite the level of his ‘mon.
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12. Ghost Gym Leader Ryme – Montenevera
For this next Gym, trainers will have to trek deep into Glaseado Mountain to reach the town of Montenevera. Here, Ryme waits to battle trainers with her Pokemon or lyrical prowess. Luckily, Paldea is filled with new and returning Ghost-types that can help even the playing field.
13. Future/Past Donphan Titan – Asado Desert
Here is where players will be introduced to the first Paradox Pokemon, which happens to be a Titan. If you are in Pokemon Violet, you will fight Future Donphan, aka Iron Treads; Scarlet players will face Past Donphan, aka Great Tusk.
Tulips is a more difficult Gym Leader to beat in Scarlet & Violet, so be sure to battle her in the order we’ve listed.14. Psychic Gym Leader Tulip – Alfornada
Alfornada is a town you can easily wander into early in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, but you won’t want to take on Tulip until much later in your playthrough. Her Psychic-type Pokemon are no joke and are tough to take down, even with a high-level team.
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15. Ice Gym Leader Grusha – Glaseado
Players will again need to trek up Glaseado Mountain to take on the final Gym Leader: Grusha. And with a team of powerful Ice-type Pokemon, it makes sense for him to be the final stepping stone before the Elite Four.
16. Team Star Leader Ortega – North Province (Area Three)
As the snow dissipates in the far northern regions of Paldea, players will find the camp of Team Star’s Fairy-type leader, Ortega. He isn’t the most challenging trainer, but a team of level 50+ Pokemon is no pushover.
17. Dondozo & Tatsugiri Titans – Casseroya Lake
The titanous duo of Dondozo and Tatsugiri is the penultimate challenge for the three main paths of Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, and it also concludes the Path of Legends. It fits that a battle this challenging grants the trainer the final Legendary bike upgrade.
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18. Team Star Leader Eri – North Province (Area One)
Eri is all that stands between the trainer and the end-game content. Overcoming this elite Team Star Leader’s team of Fighting-type Pokemon is no small feat, especially considering the Team Star challenge beforehand. It’s a final battle worthy of putting Team Star to rest.
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19. Elite Four Rika, Poppy, Larry & Hassel – South Province (Area 2)
Following a long journey around Paldea, stomping on all eight Gym Leaders, players will find themselves at the foot of the Elite Four. And as is tradition, players will have to take on four powerful trainers back-to-back to prove their strength. Here are the team compositions of each Elite Four member.
Rika:
Poppy:
Larry:
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Hassel:
20. Paldea Champion Geeta – Pokemon League
After beating the Elite Four, players will have to face the chairwoman of the Paldea Pokémon League: Geeta.
21. Director Clavell – Uva/Naranja Academy
The next hurdle in your journey will be Director Clavell – who has been disguised as Clive throughout the Starfall Street storyline – attempting to take credit for leading Team Star. His team is a mixed bag of typing that can be tricky to deal with without proper counters.
22. Arven – Poco Path Lighthouse
Players will have to take on Arven while wrapping up the Path of Legends storyline. Throughout the story, Arven has helped the player defeat powerful Titan Pokemon to regain his Mabosstiff’s strength, and now it’s on full display in this final battle.
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23. Penny/Cassiopeia – Uva/Naranja Academy Courtyard
At the end of the Starfall Street storyline, like the mask removal of a Scooby-Doo villain, Penny reveals she has been Cassiopeia the whole time and challenges the trainer to a battle. Her team consists of six mono-type Eeveelution.
24. Champion Nemona – Uva/Naranja Academy
Wrapping up the Victory Road storyline requires players to fight their rival Nemona in one final Pokemon battle. Her team is much stronger now than the last time you two fought, so make sure to go in with the right type of advantages to secure victory.
25. Professor Sada & Professor Turo – Area Zero Lab
After completing all three storylines, players will go to Area Zero to rescue Arven’s parents: his mother, Professor Sada, for Scarlet players & his father, Professor Turo, for Violet players. However, in a crazy turn of events, players will have to face off against their very powerful team of paradox Pokemon.
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Professor Sada (Scarlet):
Professor Turo (Violet):
Pokemon Scarlet & Violet All Gym Leader Rematches
After the credits roll and players return to their dorms, Nemona has the brilliant idea to host the Academy Ace tournament. But to participate in the tourney, players must first rematch all eight Paldean Gyms.
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These rematches are a lot tougher than the first time around. Each Gym has a team of five level 65 Pokemon, which means you can attempt them in any order. We will list them in the original Gym order:
Bug Gym Leader Katy – Cortondo
Grass Gym Leader Brassius – Artazon
Electric Gym Leader Iono – Levincia
Water Gym Leader Kofu – Cascarrafa
Normal Gym Leader Larry – Medali
Ghost Gym Leader Ryme – Montenevera
Psychic Gym Leader Tulip – Alfornada
Ice Gym Leader Grusha – Glaseado
Pokemon Scarlet & Violet Academy Ace Tournament Guide
Now that you’ve re-beaten all eight Gym Leaders, players can participate in the Academy Ace Tournament, where they will partake in four battles against the academy’s staff and some of their friends.
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The first time players attempt the tournament, they will face the same four trainers in each playthrough. Every time after will be random, but this guide will tackle the four set battles against Arven, Jacq, Dendra, and Geeta.
Academy Ace Arven
Academy Ace Jacq
Academy Ace Dendra
Academy Ace Geeta
It is worth noting that while this guide only covers the main storyline, both halves of The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero are available for players to enjoy new sidequests and catch even more Pokemon.
The first one – The Teal Mask – is set in a new small region called Kitakami, and the second one – The Indigo Disk – takes place at the Blueberry Academy.
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That’s everything you need to know about Pokemon Scarlet & Violet’s progression. Don’t forget to check out our guides with all the regular and Shiny sandwiches in the game, as well as the trade codes to get you every starter and exclusive Pokemon available.
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