I’m looking forward to the Pokemon Scarlet & Violet DLC. I’m no Scarlet & Violet apologist – those games have few redeeming features, if any – but Pokemon has good form with DLC since introducing it in Sword & Shield. I liked Gen 8 more than most, and the areas in the Isle of Armor and Crown Tundra were the pinnacle of the games’ storytelling. Think back to Pokken and New Pokemon Snap too, and the series is three for three on great additional stories.
I wonder if Scarlet & Violet is beyond saving. Will the new areas have improved textures and framerates, or is that kind of basic infrastructure already set in stone? The one redeeming feature of Gen 9 was the Paldean Pokemon designs, which were, for the most part, excellent. But the new monsters in the DLC are underwhelming, to say the least.
However, I’m going in with an open mind. Still, if there’s one piece of advice I can give you before embarking on your journey to find the Teal Mask, it’s that you should leave your Pokemon League-winning party behind.
The Pokemon League isn’t particularly difficult in Scarlet & Violet, but your team was probably pretty strong by the time you faced off against Nemona for the final time. The DLC won’t be even half as tricky. If The Teal Mask is anything like the Sword & Shield DLC, it’ll be story-oriented first and foremost, with a few necessary battles along the way to make it feel like Pokemon.
The Isle of Armor and Crown Tundra were intended to be tackled about halfway through your Sword & Shield playthroughs and were levelled accordingly. Many players were disappointed by the lack of challenge when embarking to new lands, but they were taking their League-beating teams to a more chilled region. Even worse, some people arrived in snowy climes with max-IVed, perfect EV-ed competitive teams that they’d been using on the ranked ladder or in tournaments. This is a different side of the game, so leave the Legendaries at home.
I get it, it can be hard to say goodbye to your well-loved party. Perhaps you really bonded with a Smoliv, or kept an unevolved Lechonk in your party until the very end. It might be that you can’t bear to leave your starter behind after all this time. But this is your chance to form new bonds with new creatures, to create another party that you will love, cherish, and look back on fondly in years to come.
I’m going to pick a new starter and go into things completely empty handed. Something I didn’t use at all on my initial playthrough, maybe a Pawniard or Paldean Wooper. Heck, I might even go full meme and start with an Orthworm.
Once I’ve checked out the general levels, I’ll bring my starter up to speed and get catching like it’s the start of any new Pokemon game. This way, I’ll appreciate the new and old Pokemon added in the DLC, use a brand new party, and add some challenge to what will likely be a pretty easy experience.
I imagine we’ll be greeted with an opening battle that will allow us to acclimatise to the difficulty curve, and going in with just one Pokemon will be incredibly difficult. But I’ve done my time on Showdown, and I’ve reached Master Ball tier in ranked (admittedly not in Scarlet & Violet because I hate picking up this game). I can handle a challenge.
You don’t have to go as far as me. You don’t have to start over to experience the DLC – play it your way. But taking your team of overpowered monsters into a story-based quest will only ruin it for yourself. Leave those six behind and find some new friends. You can thank me later.