Pokémon Scarlet and Violet is Gen 9's open-world entry — three concurrent storylines, Paldea as your explore-in-any-order sandbox, plus two DLC campaigns (The Teal Mask, The Indigo Disk) and an Epilogue. This guide is the shortest path from download to enjoying the game.
Pick Sprigatito for the fastest story runthrough (Meowscarada carries hard). Play the storylines in order: Path of Legends → Victory Road → Starfall Street → The Way Home. Save the DLCs for after finishing the main story.
Best starter
All three starters are viable, but they scale differently:
- Sprigatito → Meowscarada — story speed. Flower Trick has 100% crit rate.
- Fuecoco → Skeledirge — Torch Song stacks Special Attack, best for beginner-friendly bulk.
- Quaxly → Quaquaval — Aqua Step ramps Speed; most gear-hungry pick.
Story path order
- Path of Legends first — beat Titan Pokémon, unlock ride Pokémon movement powers.
- Victory Road second — Gym Leaders scale with story completion.
- Starfall Street third — Team Star bosses go up to level 60+.
- The Way Home — unlocks after all three; the true finale.
Terastallization basics
Terastallizing changes your Pokémon's type in battle to a chosen Tera type. Rules:
- You can Tera once per battle.
- Terastallizing to your Pokémon's original type doubles STAB instead of just boosting.
- Every Pokémon can hold a different Tera type. Save Tera Shards for the ones worth changing.
Sandwiches — the buff system
Sandwich recipes at picnics grant party-wide buffs: shiny hunting, encounter rate, EXP gain, catch rate. The most valuable recipes are the Sparkling Sandwiches that quintuple shiny odds. Use this system — it saves hours in Tera Raid farming.
Breeding basics
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet's breeding runs through picnics. Two compatible Pokémon in a picnic will produce eggs over time. Priority: use a Ditto for perfect IVs, then transfer egg moves through the parent's known moveset.
7-Star Tera Raid events
7-Star Tera Raids are event-only. Current: Hisuian Samurott (Water Tera) reruns July 10–16, 2026. Bring Chien-Pao with Grass Tera; guide details in the Tera Raid strategy pages.
For this guide we consulted the Game8 Pokémon Scarlet and Violet wiki (starter comparisons, story path structure, Terastallization mechanics, sandwich system), the official Pokémon page, and community discussion on Reddit and player Discords.