Pokémon Scarlet, Violet Introduce More Pokémon, Special Tera Raid Battles

by Alex Fuller · November 8, 2022

The Pokémon Company provided more details and media for the upcoming Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. First, it introduced a new Pokémon appearing in both games, Gimmighoul. Gimmighoul comes in two forms, its Chest Form hides in treasure chests giving it solid defence but slow movement. It ambushes people and Pokémon, using its ghost power to make them collect coins. Meanwhile, its Roaming Form is small and carries a single coin on its back. It runs away from people and so far no trainer has been able to catch one, so little else is known about it.

The Pokémon Company also introduced the Scarlet Book and the Violet Book. These appear in the relevant game and are expedition records from long in the past said to have explored an uncharted part of Paldea. They include sketches of unidentified Pokémon; the Scarlet Book contains “The Monster Known as Great Tusk”, while the Violet Book contains “The Monster Known as Iron Treads”.

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet include special battles known as Tera Raid Battles, where players join in co-op to take on special Tera-Type Pokémon. The games will have special black crystals that are different to regular Tera Raid crystals. These are only available for a limited time to players who have completed certain post-game events and contain more powerful Pokémon than regular Tera Raid battles. One confirmed black crystal will run December 1–4, 2022, and feature Charizard with the Mightiest Mark, a Charizard that cannot be normally encountered in the games with the Dragon Tera-type. There will also be special events where regular Tera Raid battles are more likely to include specific Pokémon, with the Eevee Spotlight event set to run November 24–27, 2022.

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet will release worldwide for Nintendo Switch on November 18, 2022. They will be available physically and digitally, including in a physical bundle containing both games, with European copies for the dual pack including a SteelBook case. Those who purchase one of the games before February 28, 2023, will be able to receive a special in-game Pikachu that knows the move Fly and has the Flying Tera Type. Those who purchase one of the games digitally by February 28, 2023, will also be able to receive an in-game Adventure Set containing numerous items.