By now, many players have already finished the main story of Pokemon Scarlet & Violet and are patiently awaiting the news of future DLC. Thankfully, until then, the Gen 9 Pokemon games have plenty of post-game content, including completing the Pokedex and exploring what the Paldea region has to offer.
Pokemon Scarlet & Violet offer major replay value too, from special Tera Raid events to Ranked Battles, all of which should be able to keep players occupied for the foreseeable future. There are also plenty of other ways for trainers to spice up their Scarlet & Violet playthroughs, particularly for those who tend to play the games offline rather than with other players.
10 Use Pokemon With Different Tera-Types
Unlike previous gimmicks that focus on giving Pokemon new forms or increasing their power, Terastallization can change a Pokemon's type for a short period. This provides an opportunity for weaker types to get a boost, like Ice and Bug-type Pokemon.
With that in mind, players can limit themselves in a playthrough to only use Pokemon with Tera Types that are different from their actual types, such as the Flying Tera-Type Pikachu. This opens up a whole new area of strategy in which trainers can decide what other types will benefit their Pokemon the most in battle and when exactly to activate it, seeing as the Tera Orb needs to be charged between uses.
9 Only Catch Pokemon From Tera Raids
Once trainers leave Mesagoza for the first time, Tera Raid dens become available. Instead of capturing Pokemon in the wild overworld, players can instead focus on building their team using Pokemon caught in Tera Raids. Not only will this provide the opportunity to experiment with different Tera-types, but the Pokemon that appear in these raids are random, so trainers may stumble across something they may not be able to catch in that particular province.
There are also Pokemon that wander the overworld with special Tera-types, including the Eevee evolution line. Each Eeveelution has the Tera-type that matches their actual typing, rather than Eevee's Normal-type.
8 Play The Stories In A Different Order
The beauty of Scarlet & Violet is that trainers can play the game at their own pace, taking on the three different storylines in whichever order they choose. As a result, despite there being a set route to take, the games don't hold players back.
There's no stopping players from leaving the gyms until last or even taking on over-leveled Titans and Star Raids for the ultimate challenge. For veteran players, taking on the latter can make for some fierce battles where specialized items and training are the stars of the show.
7 Leave That Starter Behind
Since Pokemon Red & Blue, trainers have been given a starter Pokemon. More often than not, players feel an obligation to play with their starter throughout the entire game, even though it's not mandatory.
Despite being absolutely adorable, putting Sprigatito, Quaxly, or Fuecuco in a box for a Scarlet & Violet playthrough is a great way to change the game. Not only will trainers have an extra space in their party for another Pokemon, but the starter could be substituted for Pokemon that are rarely used or even a Legendary Pokemon later on in the game.
6 Only Play With Pokemon From Paldea
There is an abundance of new Pokemon in the Paldea region, so it would be a shame not to utilize them in a playthrough. Whether players are starting an entirely new run or continuing their first save, committing to only training and battling with Pokemon introduced in the ninth generation allows them to try out different playstyles. There are 107 new Pokemon in Scarlet & Violet, including the Paradox and Mythical Legendaries.
That's not to say that players can't use regional variants like Wooper and Tauros. There are also new evolutions to explore in the Mankey and Girafarig lines and the convergent species of Toadscool and Wiglett.
5 Complete The Shiny Dex
Once players have completed the Pokedex and obtained the Shiny Charm from Biology teacher Jacq, a new quest presents itself: completing the shiny dex. When combining the Shiny Charm and the ability to make shiny sandwiches while on a picnic, players' chances of encountering shiny Pokemon increases exponentially.
Still, the art of shiny hunting is a difficult task, made even more challenging by there being no sound to notify players of a shiny Pokemon like in Pokemon Legends: Arceus. While shiny Pokemon can be easy to miss in Scarlet & Violet, if players use the Let's Go feature, Pokemon will refuse to knock out another if they're shiny. This is the best way to find shiny Ditto, Zorua, and Zoroark, as they are always disguised as different Pokemon in the overworld.
4 Defeat All Trainers In Paldea
Unlike previous Pokemon games, Scarlet & Violet have no numbered route structure. Instead, Paldea is divided into provinces with paths connecting towns, cities, and other areas to each other. As for where players can find other trainers to battle, they don't line these paths in the traditional sense. Instead, they can be found throughout the region and sometimes in peculiar places that can be hard to spot.
The main perks of battling these trainers are earning prize money and leveling up teams. Players can also receive TMs and special items for beating a specific number of trainers in each province by speaking to the men standing outside Pokemon Centers throughout Paldea.
3 Only Use Paradox Pokemon
Once trainers have made it to the Great Crater of Paldea, it's time to collect the Paradox Pokemon. There's enough in Scarlet & Violet to make an entire team, which can be carried on throughout the rest of the post-game and any potential DLC.
This is particularly useful for the Academy Ace Tournament, which can only be accessed once players have defeated Paldea's gym leaders for a second time. Here, players can use their brand new Paradox team to battle their friends, Academy teachers, and members of the Elite Four at random.
2 Use The Same Teams As In-Game Characters
Scarlet & Violet introduce a bunch of new characters that some players will encounter more than others. From Nemona to Arven, Director Clavell to the gym leaders and Elite Four, each has a diverse team suited to their personalities. To make a playthrough even more interesting, players can emulate which Pokemon these characters choose to go on their own adventures with.
That could mean sticking to a team entirely made up of Eeveelutions like Penny or mimicking Arven's bulky Pokemon like Garganacl, Greedent, and Mabosstiff. For those who tend to stick with the same Pokemon in whatever game they play, this presents the opportunity to play with unfamiliar Pokemon and type match-ups.
1 Train Every Pokemon To Level 100
The ultimate challenge of Scarlet & Violet’s post-game is training all 400 Pokemon in Paldea to Level 100. To make it even more complicated, players can attempt this twice if they've also completed the shiny dex.
Leveling up Pokemon has gotten easier since Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee, with the introduction of EXP candies. In Paldea, trainers can collect these level boosters by participating in raids or finding them on the ground throughout the region. As a result, players can either level up their Pokemon the hard way through battle grinding or by collecting a mountain of candies from Tera Raids to expedite the process.
Pokemon Scarlet & Violet are available now for the Nintendo Switch.