Pokémon Scarlet and Violet - First previews reveal new features

This Friday 21 October, the first previews of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet were published by several media around the world. A few lucky people were able to try the game for an hour and a half and were able to uncover important information on the next games of the licence.

Fighting NPCs

As every Pokémon player knows, walking past an NPC Trainer often means engaging in a battle. Well, in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, this will no longer be the case, as Trainers you encounter will no longer automatically challenge you.

Indeed, from now on, an icon above their head will indicate whether they want to fight or not. This way, you won't be bothered during your adventure if you don't want to be challenged at any given moment. However, you can always come back to fight later if you want to get experience points for your Pokémon or some Pokédollars. Be careful to keep your eyes open though, as you may miss Trainers without even seeing them.

Fighting and gaining experience

As explained in a previous articleYou will have access to a "Forward" command, which will allow you to release the first Pokémon from your team from his pokéball. He can then automatically fight other Pokémon or pick up items. Be aware that if it is defeated in an auto-battle, it cannot be knocked out and will retain at least 1 health point. However, it will not want to fight again.

The Pokémon you pull out of its pokéball will not distinguish between normal and shiny Pokémon, so be careful if you don't want to accidentally knock out a chromatic. Terascrystallized Pokémon, on the other hand, will simply be ignored.

If you wish to Capture one of the Pokémon you come acrossyou will need to enter the fight against him. In a fight, the environment around you will be dynamic and you will be able to see the grass move or see the air currents...

In terms of experience, your Pokémon will gain less experience when they defeat another Pokémon in an automatic battle. In addition, the XP earned by your Pokémon will now be fixed and will no longer depend on their level. Finally, in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, you will find the Multi ExpThis allows all of your Pokémon to gain experience even if they did not participate in battle. It will not, once again, not be disabled.

Pokémon shiny

It was the fear of many shapers that there would be no Shiny Pokémon in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. Indeed, Teracrystallization has long been thought to replace our beloved Chromatics. Well, rest assured Trainers, you'll be able to go on a shassle as of November 18!

Shiny will be present in these new opuses of the saga and, as in Pokémon Legend: Arceus, they will apparaîtront directement sur la carte. So you don't need to start a battle to find out, but you still have to fight if you want to catch it. However, as mentioned earlier, be careful not to send your Pokémon with the "Go!" command, as it could then start an automatic battle and knock out the precious shiny.

Thanks to the picnic mode, you can make sandwiches that will increase the rate of appearance of shiny.

Multiplayer mode

In Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, you can invite your friends to join your party and vice versa. When playing together, you can use emotes, take group photos or have picnics together.

In multiplayer, you can also go off on your own and do the same actions as usual, i.e. battle, catch Pokémon... But if you get too far away from your friends, don't panic. You will always be able to find them since their position will be indicated on your mini-map.

Finally, you will be able to launch Teracristal raids from a distance and invite your friends to join you even if they are on the opposite side of the world from you.

Goodbye CS, hello teleportation

Say goodbye to CS But how will you get around from now on? There are two ways to get around. First of all, you can use your Pokémonture from the beginning of the game, so Koraidon or Miraidon. Once on his back, you can run, fly, swim or climb to your heart's content. However, not all movement options will be available from the start and you will have to unlock them by completing quests.

But if you want to move more quickly so as not to waste time, you can also teleport in Pokémon centres or cities, for example. This replaces the Flight CS, which allows you to go anywhere you want once you've taught it to one of your Pokémon.

Raids and Teracristal Pokémon

Introduced in Pokémon Sword and Shield, raids return in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. The premise will still be the same, with four of you battling a huge, powerful Teracrystallised Pokémon, which you must fight in order to catch. However, in this new version, raids will no longer be played in turn-based mode but in real time.

If you don't have three friends available to raid with you, you can use NPCs. These were not very effective in Sword and Shield, but they will normally be much more effective in Scarlet and Violet.

Teracrystallised Pokémon can also be obtained in the wild. Defeating them will give you items that you can use to make TCs or buy various items in the game's shops.

Finally, once you've used Teracrystallisation on one of your Pokémon, you'll need to go to a Pokémon centre to recharge it.

With less than a month to go before the release of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, more information will likely be revealed before then. Stay tuned!