New Pokemon Scarlet and Violet details on raids, travel, and Tera Types released

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet details have been released, including raids, legendaries, and new game gimmick Terastallization.

The Pokemon Company and Game Freak released a trove of new information on their upcoming games, Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet. New features include legendary travel Pokemon, new regional forms for older Pokemon, and a new mechanic named Terastallize.

In the latest Pokemon Presents, developer Game Freak released several minutes of new footage for the upcoming main line Pokemon games Scarlet and Violet. Starting off with footage showcasing the new region, Paldea, the footage covered several new features in detail.

First up, long gone are the old ways of travelling by bike, or Hidden Machine Fly. In Scarlet and Violet, players will partner up with a legendary Pokemon based on their game version — Scarlet players will receive Koraidon, while Violet players will receive Miraidon. The legendaries can change forms to adapt to the three modes of travelling in Pokemon: Drive Mode, Aquatic Mode, and Glide Mode.

Forget bikes — you’ll be riding around on Legendary Pokemon like Miraidon. Picture: Game Freak

Next, a brief showcase of new Pokemon appeared, as well as new regional forms of older Pokemon. Wooper, for example, is a Water-type that debuted in Generation 2 (Gold and Silver,) however, in Scarlet and Violet’s Paldean region, Wooper is a Poison-type.

Covering some new features, the presentation included multiplayer information next. Players can locate a “Union Circle” to invite friends to play with them. Activities include racing, battling, and completing Raids together. Raids return from Sword and Shield, but in a unique way — players no longer need to wait for their allies to select a move and can instead attack with impunity.

Raid rewards include the opportunity to catch new Tera Type Pokemon, which is the new gimmick for Scarlet and Violet. Every Pokemon has a Tera Type associated with them, and it can be different from their original type. When players activate Terastallize, the Pokemon inherits the Tera Type and gains new moves — examples given include Pikachu becoming a Flying type, and Eevee becoming either a Water or Grass type.

Water Tera Type Eevee makes a splash in battle. Picture: Game Freak

Players can choose their own adventure in Scarlet and Violet — any player can start off at any Gym or region in Paldea, so there is no set path a player must go down. This allows for customised and personalised experiences, making this the first main line Pokemon game to embrace truly open-world gameplay.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet launch November 18, 2022. Pre-orders are available, and players who pre-order will receive a Pikachu with Flying Tera Type as a bonus.

Written by Junior Miyai on behalf of GLHF.