The first part of Pokémon Scarlet & Violet's DLC is finally here, and players worldwide are exploring The Teal Mask with everything it has to offer. Since Sword & Shield introduced the concept of DLC into the mainline Pokémon games, the promise of extra content for an already-established generation has been too intriguing for many to ignore. Sure enough, The Teal Mask has delivered with a new region in Kitakami, which has come with a compelling new story and a new Pokédex for players to fill out.

The Kitakami Pokédex has 200 entries, but this formidable number is easily whittled down when players take a more focused attitude towards completing it. Players need only pay attention to their surroundings and explore Kitakami while progressing through the story, and they will be well on their way to completing it. There are just some hurdles in the way, that are worth knowing about.

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Completing The Paldea Pokédex Is A Strong Way To Start

Catching all 400 Pokémon in the Paldea Pokédex was most players' idea of fully completing the base Scarlet & Violet games, especially as the Shiny Charm reward opened up new avenues for the ever-popular shiny-collecting side of the games. Those who put in that extra graft are now being rewarded as they arrive in the Kitakami region, as 100 of the 200 entries for the new Pokédex are species found in Palda.

In fact, some eagle-eyed and clued-in players will start the Kitakami Pokédex at 101, thanks to a specific trade that is available in the base game. Players can get a Johto Wooper by trading a Paldean Wooper with an NPC in Cascarrafa, which then evolves into Quagsire at level 20. While players could get Quagsire in Paldea through this method, it was never included in the Pokédex—until now.

Catch Everything On Sight While Progressing Through The Story

When first setting foot in the exciting new Kitakami region, players should first enjoy this new experience, soaking it and proceeding at a leisurely pace, catching Pokémon as they progress through the story. Familiar faces from past generations immediately greet the player, from Yanma and Poochyena to Poliwag, Sewaddle, and many more. Catching everything without going too far off the story's path is a perfect way to start filling up the Pokédex, allowing for some early-game enjoyment over intense graft.

Players should invest in plenty of Quick and Ultra Balls to speed up this process, perhaps even prioritizing a high-leveled Pokémon from the main game. This is a solid plan to get started in The Teal Mask DLC, except for those wanting to start a Nuzlocke challenge with only new Pokémon from the Kitakami Pokédex.

Be Aware Of The New Additions

Of the 100 new entries introduced in Kitakami, eight of these are new Pokémon. Players get to meet Dipplin, Poltchageist, and Sinistcha through battling Kieran and Carmine respectively in the main story. Dipplin is a brand-new evolved form of Applin, while Poltchageist and Sinistcha are convergent species of Sinistea and Polteageist. Both Applin and Poltchageist are evolved by using specialized items on them, but these aren't too hard to locate. The Unremarkable Teacup can be found in Paradise Barrens and Oni Mountain, and evolves the Counterfeit Form Poltchageist into Sinistcha. The Masterpiece Teacup, on the other hand, is found in a cave guarded by a Snorlax, in the north-most part of the Timeless Woods—and this evolves the Artisan Form of Poltchageist.

Applin's evolution is easier to realize, as players need only buy a Syrupy Apple from a stand in the south-eastern corner of Kitakami, and use that to evolve Applin into Dipplin. The other new arrivals include Ogerpon, Fezandipiti, Okidogi, and Munkidori from the main story. Players can capture Ogerpon during the main story's final moments, while they must later revisit Wistful Fields, Paradise Barrens, and Oni Mountain, respectively, to catch Munkidori, Okidogi, and Fezandipiti. The final new addition is Bloodmoon Ursaluna. Ursaluna was introduced in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, but this horrifying new variant ties in and references the Hisui region perfectly. Players can catch this Pokémon through a side mission when they meet Perrin in Mossui Town.

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From There, Focus On Evolutions

One of the main advantages of The Teal Mask DLC is that wild Pokémon are all high-level. This starts from 55 and scales, but being as high as 55 means that most of these wild encounters only require a single level-up before they can evolve.

This is easily done by having them in the party to get passive EXP, or by partaking in Tera Raids and then using the EXP Candies on them. While this works on many of the new species in the Kitakami Pokédex, there are still some evolution forms that can only be achieved through other means, which has always been the case in every single Pokémon game.

Stone Evolutions

As with every other Pokémon game, evolutions aren't always just limited to leveling up, so naturally there are some familiar stone evolutions that have returned in The Teal Mask. A Leaf Stone can evolve Weepinbell into Victreebel and Nuzleaf into Shiftry, while the Water Stone works its magic on evolving Poliwhirl into Poliwrath and Lombre into Ludicolo. Clefairy evolves into Clefable via Moon Stone, and players can get a Chandelure by using a Dusk Stone on a Lampent.

The two Thunder Stone evolutions are newer changes from recent generations. While evolving Charjabug into Vikavolt is nothing too new or surprising, since it was an evolution change that was introduced in Sword & Shield, fans may be less familiar with the final Thunder Stone evolution. Since Legends: Arceus, Nosepass now evolves into Probopass via Thunder Stone. Despite the Compass Pokémon being a Rock/Steel type, its association with magnetic fields helps this transition make sense.

Trade Evolutions

Just as stone evolutions are always present in Pokémon games, so are trade evolutions. Trade evolutions always used to be awkward when they required in-person trading with link cables, but thanks to advanced technology and the internet in general, players can link up and trade with anyone, from friends to strangers. Popular YouTuber Austin John Plays has helped establish a healthy Pokémon community over the years and has managed to implement a Link Code system that most players honor and abide by, helping everybody complete their Pokédex with minimal fuss. This has also been used to safely trade over version exclusives from one game to another.

These codes are straightforward enough as they use the Pokémon's overall Pokédex numbers to avoid any unnecessary confusion. Graveler, Haunter, Gurdurr, and Phantump all evolve just by being traded, while Poliwhirl, Feebas, and Dusclops need to be holding items in order to evolve into Politoed, Milotic, and Dusknoir respectively. The other trades don't have anything to do with evolutions but are version exclusives that need to be traded to the other game. Cramorant, Gligar, and its evolved form Gliscor are Scarlet-exclusives, while Violet players get Aipom, Ambipom, and Morpeko.

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Other Evolutions

Pokémon games have been getting fancier with their evolution requirements in recent generations, and there are some popular ones that have returned in The Teal Mask. Evolving through happiness can range from taking care of a Pokémon to just using an extortionate amount of EXP Candies, and now there are new species that evolve through these methods: Cleffa, Munchlax, Swadloon, and Chingling. Next up is the move evolutions, with Aipom needing Double Hit to evolve into Ambipom, while Piloswine and Yanma require Ancient Power to evolve into Mamoswine and Yanmega respectively.

Item evolutions are not to be confused with stone or trade item evolutions, as the previously-mentioned Applin and Poltchageist fall into this category. There is another, however, as Gligar evolves into Gliscor via a Razor Fang while leveling up at night. Ursaluna isn't the only exciting return from a Legends: Arceus Pokémon, as both Basculin and Basculegion are now a part of the Kitakami Pokédex. Players need to get a White-Striped Basculin from the Timeless Woods, have them inflict just under 300 damage from self-affliction with being knocked out, and then they can evolve it into a Basculegion.

Alternatively...

While catching all of these new additions manually is the most honorable way of completing the Kitakami Pokédex, there are ways to bypass the effort and get the same rewards at the end of it all. Trading doesn't have to be limited to necessary evolutions, as trading with friends is a low-effort way of "catching 'em all" even if it is boring monotony at the end of the day.

The other alternative is getting the returning Pokémon from the player's own previous save files from older generations. This obviously will not help with The Teal Mask's new Pokémon, but transferring the likes of Basculegion, Snorlax, and Dusknoir to name a few, would save a great deal of time.

The Rewards For Completing The Kitakami Pokédex

As with the Paldean Pokédex, the Kitakami Pokédex also has an incentive program, with players receiving rewards for reaching certain milestones along their Pokédex-filling journey. Some may fade into obscurity and stay in the player's bag forever, but other important items like the Prism Scale and Reaper Cloth, are actively helpful in furthering Pokédex progress.

Upon completing the Kitakami Pokédex, players will not only have received a healthy amount of gifts overall, but Homeroom Teacher Jacq gives them an extra special reward on top of it all. In addition to a diploma for completing the Pokédex, players get a Glimmering Charm, which increases the number of Tera Shards they receive from Tera Raids. While the Glimmering Charm is not quite as impactful as the Shiny Charm, it is another effective incentive to complete the Pokédex all the same.

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Completing a Pokédex is normally an arduous task that may take hours of dedication—and in some cases, even a sly search on the internet for assistance. However, the Kitakami Pokédex is much smaller when compared to other iterations of the classic Pokémon encyclopedia, and is perfectly achievable by simply playing The Teal Mask. Advancing the story lays the groundwork, and then various evolution methods help to complete the process with minimal fuss, allowing players to complete the Kitakami Pokédex pretty quickly.