Put a speed belt on, this article comes from a speedrun perspective. The first 12 things to do first covers half of the game.
1. Run through the tutorial as fast as possible
Beginner Guide to Pokémon Violet
Some game tutorials are annoying. When you play Scarlet and Violet for the first time, it immerses you into a fresh-narrative.
Some game tutorials are annoying. When you play Scarlet and Violet for the first time, it immerses you in a fresh narrative.
Why you should do this:
You should run through the tutorial as quickly as possible because it allows you to be free to enjoy the game.
How to Run Through the Tutorial as fast as Possible:
- Lots of YouTube videos make the tutorial a long time, when it really isn’t. There’s no need for you to double-watch cutscenes.
- Carefully follow all the in-game instructions from the events starting from Your House. Then, do the same when your avatar arrives at school. If you’re having trouble, read the next part.
- Read Best Items for Early Game if you need a full walkthrough to get to school. It’s nice to grab some free items during the tutorial to save money. After reading that article through #4, come back to this article and read the next step.
- Follow all the instructions in school. Here’s the order of who to talk to, after Jacque’s class.
1. Talk to Nemona in the Staff Room, unlocking the Victory Road quest.
2. Talk to Arven in the Cafeteria. It will automatically unlock Path of Legends quest and Operation Starfalll Quest.
3. You’ll be called to Director Clavell’s Office. Go there.
4. Nemona escorts you to the dorm, where you can rest and watch a cutscene.
5. Follow Nemona after you rest. She’ll take you down to Mesagoza.
6. In Mesagoza, Nemona and Arven bicker on what you should do first:
A. Attempt the Gyms
B. Defeat the Path of Legends Titans
C. Investigate Operation Starfall
- After their dialogue, the tutorial ends and you can do whatever you like! You can ride on Miraidon.
2. Level up your existing Pokémon, and catch a Water, Grass, or Ground-Type.
Level up your existing Pokémon before you attempt any of your journeys. If you don’t have any Pokémon, feel free to explore Los Platos again or West Province. If you don’t have a Water, Ground, or Grass-Type Pokémon, you should catch one of each.
Why you should do this:
This step is crucial if your starter is a Fuecoco. Skip this step if you started with a Quaxly or Sprigatitto. This step is meant for #3, to tackle the first Titan, and to unlock Miraidon’s Abilities as fast as possible.
Finding your first Water-Pokémon:
Option 1:
- There are plenty of Grass and Water Pokémon around Los Platos. Make life easy and catch a Water Pokémon around that Poké Center.
- Water-Pokémon are near that pond, such as Psyduck and Marill who are great low level Pokémon to start with.
Option 2:
- Alternatively, go back to the beach where you first fought Nemona.
- There’s plenty of great Water-Pokémon around there, unfortunately you have to catch them while you’re on the shore. Buizel, Magikarp, Wingull, and Arrokuda are great Water Pokémon to start with. Catch lots of Magikarp on the shore. Their parts will come in handy.
Option 3:
- Catch an Evee in West Province Area 3. This is preparation after you defeat your first 3 gyms, where you can buy a Water Stone and evolve Evee into a Vaporeon. Vapoeron is a powerful Water-Type.
Finding your first Grass Type:
- Los Platos has plenty of great Grass Pokémon to start with such as Deerling and Hoppip.
- South Province Area 3 has great grass Types such as Skiddo.
Finding your first Ground Type:
Option 1:
- Whooper is an excellent Ground Type to catch first. Find it swimming in ponds in between the Los Platos Poké Center and the Mesagoza South Poké Center.
Option 2:
- There’s lots of Ground Type Pokémon in South Province Area 3, making your way to the first Titan. Sawsbuck is a Normal Type Pokémon but it can learn many Ground Type moves such as Sand Attack and Earthquake.
- Other great Pokémon around South Province Area 3 are Mudbray, Toedscool, and Barboach.
Best way to level up your Pokémon:
- Go on a catching spree and catch any Pokémon of your choice.
- Allow your party to Auto-Battle.
- Attempt tera raids around Paldea. It’s recommended to start with 1-2 Star Tera Raids. The more you do Tera Raids, you’ll earn more prizes, such as experience candy (Exp) which levels up your Pokémon.
3. Focus on upgrading Miraidon as fast as possible, and start the Path of Legends Quest, and open many Poké Center spots
How to beat the Stony Cliff Titan
Make travel easy! Also, face the first Titan to unlock the Dash ability.
Why you should do this:
When you fully upgrade Miraidon, traveling through Paldea becomes less strenuous. Visiting Poké Centers enables fast travel points.
You should plan to defeat the first titan, the Stony Cliff Titan. Miraidon will get the Dash Ability and you’ll earn Sweet Hebra Mystica. Feel free to catch Pokémon!
How to upgrade Miraidon as fast as possible:
- Start the Path of Legends Quest, and defeat the Titans when you want to.
- The key is to find Pokémon who are strong against specific Titans.
How to open many Poké Center spots as fast as possible:
- Mark the Poké Centers on your map with “set as destination.” All you have to do is interact with the Poké Center to make it available for it to become a Fast Travel spot.
- Now that Miraidon has the Dash Ability, you can travel a little faster than normal.
- There are 32 Poké Centers total in Paldea. It is possible to unlock most of them in the game. It will take roughly over an hour to unlock all the Poké Centers in 1 swing.
- The only Poké Center that can’t be unlocked early is the Pokémon League Poké Center.
4. Tackle some gyms and buy the Water Stone.
Along your journey, you should face a few gyms. The first 3 easy gyms are Cortondo, Artazon, and Levencia.
Why you should do this:
When you defeat gyms, you get to unlock a variety of items at shops and once you catch Pokémon, they must obey you. Also, you get money!
A Water Stone can evolve an Evee into a Vaporeon, one of the most powerful Water-Types.
How to defeat these gyms:
Read our article about the recommended order on how to attempt all the gyms.
Where to buy the Water Stone:
- Step #2, helped you catch an Evee. Let’s evolve it into a Vaporeon!
- Return to Mesagoza West and go to the Delibird Presents.
- Search for the Water Stone. It costs $3,000.
- After buying it, use it to evolve your Evee.
- Plan to level it up as you play the game. At some point, you’ll need it when it reaches around level 35-44.
5. Get a power weight, do more solo Tera Raids, and get to the Sky Titan
How to defeat the Open Sky Titan
You should get a Power Weight for your Fuecoco, so it can have large HP stats as it matures. You’ll want it to evolve into Skeledirge eventually. Level up the rest of your Pokémon and defeat the Sky Titan.
Why you should do this:
The Power Weight will increase your Pokémon HP stat after every battle.
Get more Exp Candy by solo Tera Raiding to increase your party Pokémon’s levels. Also, pay attention to the Pokémon you may receive in Tera Raids, such as keeping Fairy and Ice Pokémon to face Dragon-Type Pokémon.
Defeat the Sky Titan to unlock Miraidon’s Swim Ability. You’ll earn Bitter Hebra Mystica. This will be useful to catch other Water-Types swimming in the sea, such as finding a Gyrados.
Where to find the Power Weight:
- It’s located at a Delibird in Mesagoza West.
How to defeat the Sky Titan:
- Rock, Fairy, and Electric Type Pokémon are strong against the Sky Titan. Emphasize using their type advantage moves such as rock Slide, Dazzling Gleam, Electro Ball, and Discharge.
6. Find lots of stuff on the ground, and sell some stuff, and even catch an Ice-Type Level 75 Lucario.
Level 75 Ice Tera Type Lucario Location
Nobody likes to be poor. If there’s something shiny on the ground, always pick it up, never ignore it. Same thing goes for finding a Pokéball on the ground. Make plenty of money too, because you’re going to want to buy Great Balls and Dusk Balls.
Why you should do this:
Enhance your playing time by finding lots of great stuff on the ground and get curious about what they offer. You may find a Rare Bone, a TM, Rare Candy, Stardust, and more. Rare Bone and Stardust are great things to sell.
In this step, you need the money to buy Dusk Balls and Great Balls because you should catch an Ice-Tera-Type Lucario in Dalizapa Passage. This Lucario’s special because it knows an Ice Type move, Ice Punch, which will be useful for battling against the Quaking Earth Titan.
The rest of its moves are:
- Close Combat
- Meteor Mash
- Bullet Punch
If you started with a Fuecoco and have Lucario, you’re going to have an easier time finishing the game’s story with swift. When you level them up at their max including some EV training, they’re merciless against:
- Team Star
- The Gym Bosses
- Elite 4 Bosses
- Area 0 Final Boss
How to do this step:
- Through the power of exploration, find shiny stuff on the ground and pick it up! If it has a high selling value at Poké Center marts, sell them!
- After selling a bit, buy some Dusk Balls and Great Balls.
- Travel to Dalizapa Passage and catch Luario!
- Ensure that you have a Pokémon that can put Lucario in a paralysis or sleeping state. A burning status condition can work too.
- You want a mix of Electric, Fairy, Fire, and Water-Type Pokémon. Lucario’s super weak against fire. Since you’re trying to catch it, paralysis or sleeping conditions are best.
- Azumarill is a perfect choice because Water and Fairy Types take minimal damage to Fighting-Types. Have Azumarill facing Lucario when you need to revive and heal your Pokémon. Its move Charm will be essential, lowering Lucario’s attack by 2 stages.
- Arrive and save when entering the cave. Make Azumarill the 1’st Pokémon in your party.
- During the battle against Lucario, try to catch it with a Great Ball first. If unsuccessful, have Azumarill use Charm to lower Lucario’s Attack a lot.
- Azumarill’s Rain Dance and Aqua Ring will help it stay alive when you’re trying to catch Lucario. The move Defense Curl will make Azumarill prone to Lucario’s attacks.
- Swap in only the Pokémon that will give Lucario a paralyze or sleep condition.
- In case all your Pokémon faint or you just can’t survive the battle, quickly close the game and restart from your recent save.
7. Buy awesome stuff like some Soothe Bells, increase friendship levels with the Lucario you caught
For generations, Soothe Bells help with building friendship levels with strong high level Pokémon as a shortcut to beat difficult gyms and battles. In Scarlet and Violet, building friendship levels is much faster than before.
Why you should do this:
Here’s what the previous steps helped you with.
- Leveling up Pokémon and catching Pokémon
- Farming Exp Candy and money
- Upgrading Miraidon twice
- Defeated 3 Gyms
- Strengthen your Starter
- Find 1 Powerful Pokémon, Lucario (Dalizapa Passage)
At this specific point, this is the most essential time to buy great stuff and build friendship levels. More importantly, Lucario is such a strong Pokémon that it will disobey you if you don’t nurture it. When Lucario holds a Soothe Bell and you wash it many times, it will likely listen to your battle commands.
How to Increase Friendship levels fast:
The video above explains several fast friendship building methods. In short:
1. Set up a picnic. Wash your Pokémon until a heart symbol displays.5 hearts means that your Pokémon has max friendship.
2. Go to the East Province Area and collect 20 Kelpsy Berries or Tamato Berries to increase your Pokémon’s friendship levels. Feed your Lucario those berries and go to an NPC in Casscarfa to check Lucario’s happiness. If it’s really happy, level it up.
3. After you understand how friendship levels work, you should try to find Gible who evolves into Garchomp. Garchomp is a Ground and Dragon Type. With Skeledirge, Lucario, and Garchomp, you’ll become comfortable doing the rest of the steps below.
8. Attempt the Team Star quest and defeat the Dark Crew, Fire Crew, and Poison Crew
How to beat the Dark Crew Base
While doing some early Tera Raids, 1-3 star Tera Raids, they’ve helped you earn some League Points (LP) but not enough. You may have caught plenty of Pokémon.
LP is another currency system, like how you make money, but primarily for buying TM's. Defeating Team Star is another way to earn LP but in bulk such as 5,000 LP.
Crafting TMs require some level of catching Pokémom depending on the Pokémon furs and other Pokémon body parts like claws.
Why you should do this:
Usually, you need LP to look for a TM to make your strong Pokémon, such as Skeledirge and Lucario, even stronger. By defeating Team Star you can unlock TMs.
If you defeat the Dark, Fire, and Poison Crew in this step you’ll achieve a total of 18,000 LP.
How Team Star battles work:
Team Star has a neat system containing 2 parts.
Part 1: Your first 3 Pokémon in your party (descending) auto battle against the entire crew.
Part 2: All of your Pokémon battle against the crew’s boss.
How to defeat Team Star Dark and Fire:
- The Dark Crew resides next to the Casscarafa Gym. The whole crew is weak to Fighting, Bug, and Fairy Pokémon. This crew and boss has low level Pokémon, but with your Lucario this base should be a breeze.
- The Fire Crew resides next to the Artazon gym. The whole crew is weak to Water, Ground, and Rock Types. The previous steps helped you with finding some of the best Pokémon for this job, Azumarill, Vaporeon, Whopper, and Gible.
- The Poison Crew resides close to the East Province Area 3 Poké Center. The whole crew is weak to Grass and Fairy-Types. However, the boss’s Revaroom is super weak against Fire and Ground-Type moves. After defeating the Poison Crew, an essential TM becomes available at the TM machine, Thunder Punch.
- Save your 18,000 LP, don’t use it all yet.
9. Attempt the Lurking Steel Titan and prepare to craft Lucario’s best TM
How to defeat Lurking Steel Titan
Join plenty of 3 Star Tera Raids while you make your journey to attempt the Lurking Steel Titan.
Why you should do this:
Defeating the Lurking Steel Titan gives Miraidon the ability to jump higher. You’ll earn Salty Hebra Mystica.
You’ll need additional TMs for your Lucario that you’ve caught in Dalizapa Passage. This will help speed run the battles coming ahead. You can always go to “remember moves.”
Remember that you can trade in Pokémon Materials at the TM machines. If you saved 11,00 LP You’ll need an additional 2,000 - 5,000 LP.
How to defeat the Lurking Steel Titan:
- The Lurking Steel Titan’s weak to Fairy, Ice, and Rock. Defeat it with Lucario’s Ice Punch, then craft 1 of Lucario's TM's after.
How to craft Lucario’s best TMs:
Keep the following moves Meteor Mash and Close Combat.
You’re going to need Drain Punch and Thunder Punch. You can always make Lucario relearn Ice-Punch.
Drain Punch, 8,000 LP
Thunder Punch, 5,000 LP
10. Do a few Tera Raids and then attempt the Quaking Earth Titan
How to defeat Quaking Earth Titan
Doing a few more 3-Star Tera Raids will allow you to earn more Exp Candy.
Then, get to the Quaking Earth Titan in the Asado Desert.
Why you should do this:
When you defeat the Quaking Earth Titan, Miraidon learns the Glide ability. You’ll get Sour Hebra Mystica. Gliding will become important when traveling around.
How to defeat the Quaking Earth Titan:
- The Quaking Earth Titan is weak to Fire, Fighting, Ground, and Water Pokémon.
- Water moves are more super effective against it.
- Skeledirge, Lucario, Gible, and Vaporeon are great choices to have.
- At this point, you should use your Vaporeon if it has reached level 35-44. Great moves to have are Water Pulse, Aqua Ring, Muddy Water, and Copycat.
11. Do a few Tera Raids and Defeat the False Dragon Titan
How to defeat the False Dragon Titan
Doing a few more 3-Star Tera Raids will allow you to earn more Exp Candy.
The False Dragon Type is one of the hardest to beat. It’s located in Casseroya Lake.
Why you should do this:
By defeating the False Dragon Titan, Miraidon learns the Climb ability. You’ll earn Spicy Hebra Mystica.
How to Defeat the False Dragon Titan:
- The False Dragon Titan is weak to Electric and Grass Pokémon with Dragon and Fairy-Type attacks.
- Tropius is a great example, who is a Grass and Dragon Type Pokémon. You’ll want to use Tropius’s Grass Type moves in part 1 of the Battle. In part 2 of the battle, prioritize Tropius’s Dragon Type moves.
- Your Ice Tera Type Lucario is a great choice, since it knows moves like Thunder Punch. You’ll want to use Lucario in part 1 of the battle. It may paralyze the False Dragon in part 2 of the battle.
- Your Azumarill is a great choice for part 2 of the battle. Prioritize Azumarill’s Fairy Type moves, as it naturally learns Play Rough.
12. Finish all the gyms
Ideally, level 45-50 Pokémon can sweep most gym bosses but it always depends on the type of Pokémon too.
From the 3 star Tera Raids you completed, you should have some Exp Candy such as Exp Candy Small and Exp Medium. Use all of them on your preferred strong Pokémon such as Skeledirge, Lucario, or Garchomp.
Why you should do this:
There are plenty of other things to do later that are more with your time, but in order to do them you have to finish all the gyms. That one thing is catching Pokémon that will obey you, and that will become important when preparing for the Pokémon League Elite 4.
How to finish all the gyms:
- In case you need to view it again, here’s our article about the recommended order and how to defeat the gyms.
Thanks for reading!
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