Summary
Pokemon Scarlet & Violetserves as the 9th mainline installment of the beloved and long-runningPokemonseries. Part of what makes these games engaging is having players pursue Pokemon that are hard to both find and capture. Sometimes thesePokemonsimply require a bit of luck or patience, while other times a specific set of tasks or obstacles must be overcome in order to unlock the chance for an encounter.
Sure, every Pokemon isn’t going to be designed to satisfy every member of the fandom, but more often than not, the most desirable pocket monsters tend to be the hardest ones to track down. It’s important to have an understanding of challenges before they are presented, so knowingwhich Pokemon are the hardest to find in Pokemon Scarlet & Violetcan place players in a more realistic and even-keeled state of mind.
Updated on July 07, 2025 by Renri Seong:With both part 1 and part 2 ofPokemon Scarlet/Violet’s expansion pass released worldwide, various Pokemon from previous generations can now be caught or transferred to the Gen 9 mainline game.Indigo Disktakes place at Blueberry Academy in the Unova Region, and there are various references toPokemon Black/Whitefrom characters to even the battle music. More importantly, there are Pokemon to be caught to fill up the pages of the Blueberry Pokedex. Just as with part 1, theTeal Mask, some Pokemon are more challenging to find than others. The following list has been updated to include more Pokemon as well as their base stat spread/total.
18Charcadet
Where to Find: South Province (Area Three), East Province (Area Two)
Pokemonis a series where its creators understand the value of some of its creatures. Charcadet happens to be a fan-favorite among Pokemon introduced within the Paldea region ofPokemon Scarlet & Violet. This little armored Fire-type evolves into one of two forms depending on which version of the game is being played. Not only does it have a spawn rate of one percent, making it difficult to even find, but players must also then acquire either ten Sinistea Chips or Bronzor Fragments, depending on the version of the game.
These Pokemon drops then have to be traded to a woman in Zapapico, and in return, she provides the player with armor that acts as a held item, which in turn allows Charcadet to evolve.
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17Gholdengo
Where to Find: Evolve Gimmighoul
The thing that’s frustrating with Gholdengo is that obtaining it really comes down to a bit of luck and plenty of persistence. Early inPokemon Scarlet & Violet, players will come across the Ghost-type Pokemon Gimmighoul. Sure, catching the Chest Form is neat and all, but in order to obtain its Steel and Ghost dual-type final form, players will need to acquire 999 Gimmighoul coins.
The only way to do so is to battle and defeat Gimmighoul and receive a random amount of coins as a prize, and also find its Roaming Form hiding away around Paldea. There are people who get lucky and obtain those 999 coins before finishing any of the main stories, but also a number of people who have rolled credits and still haven’t been able toevolve their Gimmighoul into a Gholdengo.
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16Palafin
Where to Find: 5-star Tera Raids (Paldea), Evolve Finizen
Whether one is looking at achievements on Xbox or trophies on PlayStation, players tend to agree that rewards or accomplishments attached to multiplayer modes in single-player games are often lame and unnecessary. ForPokemon Scarlet & Violet,they’ve committed this gamer sin and implemented an evolution that requires the use of the game’s multiplayer functionality.
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15Tauros' Blaze & Aqua Breeds
Where to Find: Asado Desert, East Province Area Two/Three)
Not only didPokemon Scarlet & Violetintroduce a charcoal-colored regional variant of the Kanto region’s Tauros, but it also brought in a trio with unique detailed accent coloring. The Combat Breed, which is entirely black-furred with grey accents, can be found in both games. AnAqua Breed sporting flashes of dazzling blue on its chest is the regional form exclusive toPokemon Violet,whereas those looking for theBlaze Breed that features red accents will need to get their hands on a copy ofPokemon Scarlet.
Since the introduction of regional forms to existing Pokemon was introduced inPokemon Sun & Moon,the series has done some fun experiments when it comes to how exactly these refreshes of known Pokemon are handled and what they bring to the ever-expanding roster of pocket monsters.
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14The Treasures Of Ruin
Where to Find: Grasswither Shrine (Wo-Chien), Icerend Shrine (Chien-Pao), Groundblight Shrine (Ting-Lu), Firescourge Shrine (Chi-Yu)
EveryPokemonmainline entry comes with a brand new roster of Pokemon to capture and befriend, but it usually also has a group of legendary and mythical creatures that are part of the post-game content. InPokemon Scarlet & Violet, there is a group of four mystic Pokemon referred to as The Treasures of Ruin, waiting to be challenged by whoever comes across them.
In order to do so, players will need to unlock their unique encounters by finding all 32 colored stakes found around Paldea. Each Pokemon requires the removal of eight of its unique stakes, so in order to battle and capture all four, players will need to search out each and every stake and pull it out from the ground in which it resides.
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13Paradox Forms
Where to Find: Area Zero
New mainlinePokemongames, upon release, tend to always break sales records as millions of people pick them up to hop into a brand new adventure in a video game series that they love. The truth is that though millions of people boughtPokemon Scarlet & Violet,the majority of them likely will never see it through to completion. That’s what makes the acquisition of the Paradox Forms so difficult to accomplish.
Not only do players need to reach the end of the game in order to learn about time travel and how past and future forms of modern Pokemon have slipped through into the Paldea region, but there arecertain Paradox Pokemonthat are version exclusive and will need to be acquired via trade. All of this fails to even confront the fact that these creatures are high-level and won’t be the easiest things to catch.
Pokemon Scarlet
Koraidon, Great Tusk, Brute Bonnet, Scream Tail, Flutter Mane, Slither Wing, Sandy Shocks, Slither Wing, Roaring Moon, Walking Wake, Gouging Flame, Raging Bolt
Pokemon Violet
Miraidon, Iron Treads, Iron Hands, Iron Bundle, Iron Jugulis, Iron Throns, Iron Moth, Iron Valiant, Iron Leaves, Iron Boulder, Iron Crown
12Ditto/Zorua
Where to Find: West Province (Area Three) (Ditto), Tagtree Thicket (Zorua)
It’s one thing to find a rare Pokemon in the wild; it’s another to run into it and engage it in battle, only to fail to catch it regardless of how many pokeballs are thrown in its direction. That can be both frustrating and time-consuming for those looking to complete their Pokedex. Ditto and Zorua take that annoyance to a whole new level inPokemon Scarlet & Violet.
These creatures won’t actually appear in the overworld as themselves. Instead, they disguise themselves as other Pokemon, and it isn’t until the player engages in a battle that it reveals what it actually is. Now, canonically this is neat and fits into the personality behaviors that these Pokemon would have, but it doesn’t mean that the process of finding and catching them is higher in difficulty by at least a measure of two.
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11Trevenant
Where to Find: 5-star Tera Raids (Kitakami), Evolve Phantump
Trevenant is a Ghost/Grass-type Pokemon that made its debut in the series with its pre-evolved form, Phantump, inPokemon X/Y. While they weren’t available in the base game ofScarlet/Violet, they’re officially compatible with the Gen 9 mainline game thanks to the Teal Mask. Those that bought the Teal Mask can catch their own Phantump and evolve it into Trevenant. The catch is that Phantump only evolves when it’s traded, similar to Ghost-type Haunter and Fighting-type Gurdurr. Those thatdo not have an online subscriptionwill be unable to obtain Trevenant via evolution.
Fortunately, trainerscanfind a Normal-type Terastallized Trevenant in the Timeless Woods in Kitakami.Unfortunately, Trevenant has asmaller level scalethan the other Pokemon found around Kitakami. If trainers havenotcompleted “The Way Home,” Trevenant will belevel 54; if they have, it will belevel 75. Those that aren’t able to trade-evolve Phantump will need to catch this Trevenant if they want to get its dex entry. Of course, another way to get Trevenant is to transfer one usingPokemon HOMEfromSword/ShieldorPokemon GO. If players don’t haveSword/Shield/GO, then obtaining Trevenant can be a chore.
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10Basculegion
Where to Find: 5-star Tera Raids (Kitakami), Evolve White-Striped Basculin
Basculin appeared in Gen 5, but it didn’t receive an evolution until Gen8, and even then, the evolution went toanewspecies of Basculinrather than the pre-existing ones. White-Striped Basculin debuted inPokemon Legends: Arceus, in ancient Sinnoh: Hisui. It also has a unique evolution method: It needs totake 294HP damage from recoil attacksbefore it can evolve. If it faints when using a recoil-move, then the “points” won’t count for that move.
Once Basculin has met the requirements, it will evolve into Water/Ghost-type Basculegion. This Pokemon has two different appearances based on its gender, much like Hippopotas and Hippowdon. What makes Basculegion hard to obtain inScarlet/Violet(without transferring) is that Basculegion does not appear in the wild, and White-Striped Basculin only spawns inone area in Kitakami. Trainers can catch White-Striped Basculin in the Timeless Woods, but they’ll need to be quick, as these species of Basculin are quick to flee unlike their Red/Blue-Striped counterparts. Trainers that don’t want to go through the process of evolving White-Striped Basculin will need tolook for 5-star Raids in Kitakami. Basculegion only appears in 5/6-star Raids, meaning players will need to have completedScarlet/Violet’s main story before the Big Fish Pokemon can start spawning in Raids.
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9Dusknoir
Where to Find: 5/6-star Tera Raids (Kitakami), Evolve Dusclops
Trainers can find Duskull and even its evolution, Dusclops, haunting the lands of Kitakami at night. Good places to search for the Ghost-type Pokemon are the Infernal Pass (Oni Mountain) and Timeless Woods. However, longtime fans of the series will know that the Duskull-line gained a third evolution in Gen 4: Dusknoir.
Dusclops will evolve into Dusknoir when tradedwhile holding a Reaper Cloth. This is an item like King’s Rock or a Prism Scale. If Dusclops is traded without holding the cloth, it will not evolve. Just as with Phantump, players will need an online subscription to be able to trade with others. For those that havePokemon Legends: Arceus, they can just transfer their Dusclops toLAandevolve it with the Reaper Clothfrom the Merit Shop. Once evolved, transfer it back toScarlet/Violet. Of course,Legends: Arceusplayers can alsocatcha wild Dusknoir if they’d prefer. Otherwise, trainers aren’t going to see Dusknoir wandering about Kitakami like its pre-evolved forms, making the methods of registering it to the Pokedex quite limited.
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