Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are out, and though many people are excited by the new features, the new, open-world presentation can leave some players confused, particularly with all the new mechanical additions. Where to go first, you might wonder, as the days of linear Pokemon days may be behind us–but don’t worry! We’ve got the tips you need to find your way. Here are a few things to do in the opening hours of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet to get yourself poised for success.

Save before choosing your partner pokemon, if you care about breeding

Very soon after starting the game, you’ll run down a hill with the three starter Pokemon before being prompted to choose one. If you want to be able to breed your own starters (which are great fodder for trades) quickly and easily, save here and restart until you get a female starter of your favorite type. This has always made breeding starters with great IVs way easier than waiting to find a Ditto, and that’s still true now.

Get to the first Pokemon Center ASAP to unlock Surprise Trades

While players are normally locked out of multiplayer things for a while, you can unlock some of the most important and game-changing things the moment you reach the first Pokemon Center. Once you meet/get saved by the legendary motorcycle Pokemon, get its Poke-ball, and see a view of the school, hop down and run down the hill to find the center.

After that, you’ll be able to engage in multiplayer, link trades and, perhaps most importantly, Surprise Trade. Catch a ton of Pokemon and throw them in Surprise Trade. You wouldn’t believe what you can get. From other starter Pokemon to endgame monsters, and even Pokemon bred to have very high IVs. Surprise Trade is a fantastic way to get an edge on the early game and set yourself up for success.

Grab the Flying Tera-type Pikachu Mystery Gift

Early on, your team will be as lean as it can be. While you’ll soon get a ton of Pokemon to flesh out your team, you can unlock a unique Pikachu with the Flying Tera type that also knows Fly. While Fly used to be a lot more important (because you needed it to get around the world), it’s still a powerful move that Pikachu can’t normally learn. And who doesn’t love Pikachu? We know we do. To get Pikachu, go to the Poke Portal > Mystery Gift > Get via Internet.

Look around for green objects to find new TMs

There are small, glowing pillars of red light all over the world. These represent consumable items in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet. Whether they are Potions or Pokeballs, these are really useful items, but they aren’t the only goodies sitting on the ground. Small twinkling golden lights represent Berries and green lights are TMs.

Going out of your way to pick them up is extra important in this entry because once you’ve obtained a TM, you’ll unlock the ability to craft more of them.

Do Tera Raids

While many of the Pokemon you’ll catch in the opening hours of Scarlet & Violet will be weak, this isn’t true of Pokemon caught via Tera Raids. They are typically higher level than your team, come with great movesets, and even have unique Tera types, potentially giving them a competitive advantage that normal Pokemon of that type have access to.

Because of this, whenever you see a shining pillar of light in the overworld, you should go towards it.

You can also access special Tera Raids in the multiplayer menu, with a special Eevee raid running from Nov. 25-27 and a Charizard one running Dec. 2-4 and Dec. 16-18. Don’t miss out!

Go find Titans to unlock Miraidon / Koraidon abilities

Early on in the game, after you’ve visited the school and experienced the game’s very small introductory time jump, you’ll be given access to the open world. Whether you want to tackle the gyms like the classic Champion-in-training or you want to do something else, it’s worth prioritizing finding the Titans.

This is because your legendary mount’s abilities will be expanded each time you do. The ability to swim, glide, and others will all be unlocked through this questline, meaning you can gain early mastery of the open world by prioritizing it. Happy hunting!

Auto-Battle & take out the Bug Gym to make Level 25 Pokemon obey

Make liberal use of the R button’s Auto-Battle functionality to level up your team quickly and easily. Not only that, but you’ll get plenty of TM crafting materials. Leveling up your team is even easier if you’ve been using Surprise Trade to get fast-growing Pokemon from others.

Because of this, you should also pop over to the Bug Gym in Cortondo, west of the school, because it’s a quick and easy gym that also ensures Pokemon 25 and below will obey without question.

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