Paldea Region

Lore & Background

Paldea is defined by its open-world design, merging modern technology with ancient mysteries. The region features diverse landscapes including lakes, wastelands, and mountain ranges surrounding the central Great Crater. Within Area Zero, time-displaced creatures known as Paradox Pokémon exist; these are biological relatives of extant species from either the ancient past in Scarlet or the far future in Violet. The region's unique identity is anchored by the Terastal phenomenon, which allows Pokémon to transform into a crystalline "Tera Type." This mechanic changes their elemental attributes and enables special moves like Tera Blast. While the games introduce 120 new species, including fighting-dragon Koraidon and electric-dragon Miraidon as legendary companions, the lore also features two new regional forms and wild Terastallized Pokémon found in raid battles.

In Their Own Story

The narrative begins at Naranja or Uva Academy with an annual "Treasure Hunt." Players encounter either Koraidon (Scarlet) or Miraidon (Violet), who join them despite initially losing the ability to battle. Three storylines unfold: Victory Road challenges players to defeat eight Gym Leaders in any order before facing the Elite Four and Top Champion Geeta; Path of Legends tasks the player with Arven to hunt down five Titan Pokémon—Klawf, Bombirdier, Orthworm, Great Tusk (Scarlet) or Iron Treads (Violet), and Dondozo—to obtain Herba Mystica for healing a pet; Starfall Street involves dismantling Team Star's five bases to support the shy student Penny. Once all three routes are complete, the final story, "The Way Home," unlocks. Here, the player, Arven, and allies descend into Area Zero via the Zero Lab, confronting Paradox Pokémon and revealing that Koraidon and Miraidon are themselves ancient or future relatives of Cyclizar.

Reader's Guide

Trainers can traverse Paldea using their legendary mount to climb walls, jump high, swim, and glide. A new "Auto Battle" feature allows players to send out Pokémon to defeat wild creatures without entering turn-based battles. The game mechanics include picnics for breeding eggs and making sandwiches that provide various in-game boons; up to four players can join these via online features or explore together in "Union Circles." Progression relies on completing the three story routes to unlock new mount abilities, such as climbing walls or swimming faster. Players must defeat Team Star squad bosses within time limits and battle Titan Pokémon to gain access to deeper areas. The ultimate objective is reaching Area Zero, where players can engage in Tera Raids—four-player battles against Terastallized Pokémon under a time limit—to catch the raid boss once defeated.

Did You Know?

• The games were released on 18 November 2022, becoming Nintendo's biggest launch of all time with over 10 million copies sold in the first three days.
• Great Tusk appears exclusively in Pokémon Scarlet as an ancient Paradox Pokémon, while its future counterpart Iron Treads is found only in Pokémon Violet.
• The "Path of Legends" requires players to defeat five specific Titan Pokémon: Klawf, Bombirdier, Orthworm, Great Tusk/Iron Treads, and Dondozo.
• A free update for the Nintendo Switch 2, featuring improved visuals and performance, was released on 5 June 2025.
• The "Starfall Street" storyline reveals that Team Star was founded to counter bullying rather than cause it, following incidents eighteen months prior.