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OncePokemon ScarletandPokemon Violetplayers have completed all three mainline quests, they’ll be contacted by Arven about Area Zero. Since the beginning, players have been cautioned of Area Zero, and for good reason, too. The Pokemon that live there are dangerous, and unprepared trainers will struggle to complete the storyline: “The Way Home.” As the last quest ofPokemon Scarlet & Violet’s main story, players will be guided by Professor Sada or Turo. Here’s everything there is to know about “The Way Home” and how to complete it.
Players should bring a team of Pokemon that arelevel 65 and higherto make “The Way Home” a little easier. Anything below level 60 can easily be one-shot by the Pokemon living in Area Zero.
Major spoilers for Pokemon Scarlet/Violet.
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Quickest Way To Area Zero
OnceScarlet/Violetplayersget the call from Arven, they’ll need to head to Area Zero. The quickest way to get there is by taking a flying taxi toMedali. From there, climb the mountainside to reach the Zero Gate. After players meet up with Arven, “The Way Home” will officially commence, and players will have to sit through a series of cutscenes. For this mission, the main character will be accompanied by Nemona, Arven, and Penny.
Unfortunately, Koraidon/Miraidon is frightened by Area Zero. This means players won’t be able to ride on its back, climb, or glide. Professor Sada/Turo will reach out and ask players to meet with them in the Zero Lab, which is at the very bottom of Area Zero. To get there, they first need to undofour locksatfour Research Stations.
Research Station 1 Battle: Glimmora
Upon reaching theFirst Research Station, players will be ambushed by a wildGlimmora. Even though there’s only one, the main character will team up with Nemona to take it down. SinceScarlet/Violetplayers have already become champion at this point, knowing Glimmora’s Type weaknesses should be fairly easy. However, trainers should not let this Pokemon fool them. The remaining battles in Area Zero won’t be as easy.
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Once Glimmora is defeated, head inside the Research Station and undo the first lock. The nearby bed can be used to fully heal a Pokemon. There are also open books lying around, but reading them isn’t required for unlocking the Zero Lab. However, they provide information regarding Professor Sada/Turo for those that are interested.
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Research Station 2 Battle: Scream Tail or Iron Bundle
Upon arriving at theSecond Research Station, another cutscene will play out. This time, the team will be approached by a primordial-looking Jigglypuff (Scarlet) or a robotic Delibird (Violet). This is the first spotting of a Paradox Pokemon in Area Zero, and players will start seeing more Paradox Pokemon for the remainder of “The Way Home.”
Penny will team-upwith the player character this time. She’ll use her Umbreon, which is a great wall in battle, but two against one shouldn’t be much of a challenge. If players are at the recommended level and know how to counter Scream Tail/Iron Bundle, this fight will be in the bag.
*EveryParadox Pokemon will have the AbilityProtosynthesis(Scarlet) orQuark Drive(Violet).
ForPokemon: Scarletplayers,Scream Tailis afastPokemon withhigh HPandgood Special DefenseandDefense. It isn’t much of a fighter (Attack and Special Attack being its lowest stats), but unsuspecting players can lose if they’re not careful. A good counter against Scream Tail arePoison-typemoves, orPoison-type Pokemon such as Grafaia.Be warnedthat this Scream Tail knows Psychic Fangs, which is super-effective against Poison-type Pokemon.
ForPokemon: Violetplayers,Iron Bundlehas greatSpeed, Special Attack,andDefense. The best way to counter it is by using Pokemon that target its Type weakness,preferably with Special moves, such as Thunderbolt. In addition to this,Grass-type Pokemon like Meowscaradashould be quick enough tomove before Iron Bundlein battle. However, most Grass-type will have to be careful of Iron Bundle’sIce Beamattack.
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Research Station 3 Battle: Great Tusk or Iron Treads
Upon reaching theThird Research Station, players will be pitted against a Great Tusk (Scarlet) or an Iron Treads (Violet). Players shouldrecognize this Pokemon from Arven’s storyline, so at this point, they should know how to counter it. They’ll also be fighting alongside Arven and his Mabosstiff.
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Fortunately,both Great Tusk and Iron Treadshave about the same Stat Spread: They’ve got solidAttack, Defense,andSpeed, but havepoor Special AttackandSpecial Defense. Like Iron Bundle, players will want to use Special Moves to attack Great Tusk/Iron Treads weak Special Defense. While they’re not as speedy as the last Paradox Pokemon, players will still want to bring along a fast-Pokemon, preferably one that targets these Pokemon’s Type weaknesses.
Research Station 4 Battle: Paradox Pokemon
OnceScarlet/Violetplayers have finally reached the last lock, they’ll bepitted against threeParadox Pokemonone after another.
Below is all the information players will need for countering them:
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By now, players should be familiar with Great Tusk/Iron Treads.Use the same strategywhen fighting the Great Tusk/Iron Treads at theThird Research Station.
ForPokemon: Scarletplayers, the best counter forBrute Bonnetare Bug-type moves. While Brute Bonnetlookslike Amoonguss, it swaps Amoonguss' Poison-typing for Dark-typing, making itinvulnerable to Psychic-type moves. It haspoor Speed, meaning it won’t take much to move first before it in battle. However, it’s gotdecent Defense/Special Defenseandgood HPto boot. Meaning players will not only want a Pokemonthat targets its weaknessesbut one that can hit hard and fast, too.
ForPokemon: Violetplayers,Iron Handshasgreat AttackandDefense, butweak Special DefenseandSpeed. Thanks to its Electric-typing, Iron Hands willnottake super-effective damage from Flying-type moves, despite being part Fighting-type. Instead, use a fast Pokemon that excels in Special moves.A recommended counter for Iron Hands isEspeon, a Psychic-type pokemon that has amazing Speed and Special Attack.
ForPokemon: Scarletplayers, players will want toavoid using Dragon-type movesonFlutter Mane. This Pokemon’s Fairy-typing makes it immune to Dragon-type moves, and gets rid of what-would-be it’s weakness toDark-typemoves. Flutter Mane is also afastPokemon withhigh Special AttackandSpecial Defense, so players will want to be careful of this one. However, its regularDefenseis very poor. Use Pokemon with Physical moves (such as Poison Jab). WhileSteel-typeis one of Flutter Mane’s weaknesses, Flutter Mane has the move Mystical Fire, which, as its name entails, is a Fire-type move that is super effective against Steel-type.
ForPokemon: Violetplayers, Iron Jugulis may look like Hydreigon, but it lacks the regular Hydreigon’s Dragon-typing. It’s a Pokemon withhigh SpeedandSpecial Attack, butpoor DefenseandSpecial Defense. As a Flying-type, it is completely immune to Ground-type attacks, and its Dark-typing means it can counter Ghost and Psychic-types with ease. Bring a fast and powerful Ice or Electric-type to blast it out of the skies. Alternatively, a Pokemon with high Defense that targets Iron Jugulis' Rock-type weakness (such as Garganacl) is also a great counter.
Once players have pushed through this wave, head on into the Zero Lab for two more battles.
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How to Beat AI Sada/Turo
It turns out the Professor Sada/Turo that’s been contacting the players since the start of the game is an AI. After a few scenes, players will have the option tosave their gamebefore placing the Scarlet/Violet book in the machine. It is highly recommended to use this time toheal upand make asavefile. Once players are ready, approach the mechanism to start the next boss fight of “The Way Home.”
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Fortunately,half of Sada’s teamare Pokemon thatScarletplayers have fought so far. This means they should know by now what works as a counter, and what Pokemon to avoid bringing out. The difference here are the levels and some of their Moves. For example, Sada’sScream Tailhas a Fighting-type move to counter one of its weaknesses: Steel-type. The other new Paradox Pokemon (Slither Wing and Sandy Shocks) can be defeated rather easily if playersremember their type match-ups.
The Pokemon that players will want to look out for is Roaring Moon. This Pokemon, while having ax4 weakness to Fairy-type moves, hasamazing Attack,Special Defense, andSpeed. Fortunately, Roaring Moon doesn’t have moves that can counter its Fairy-type weakness. But those using Ice-type will want to be careful of its Stone Edge move. Roaring Moon is also holding aBooster Energy. This activates Roaring Moon’s Ability, thusenhancing itsAttack by 30%, so avoid bringing Pokemon withpoor Defense.
Much like AI Sada, AI Turo has some familiar Paradox Pokemon on his team. In fact,twoof his Pokemon are weak against Ground-type moves: Iron Thorns and Iron Hands.Despite Iron Thorns not being Turo’s “last” Pokemon, it’s still one that players should not take lightly if they don’t have the right counters. While Iron Thorns has a glaring x4 weakness to Ground-type moves, itshigh DefenseandAttackcan cause some trouble for Pokemon that only have Physical moves… which is unfortunately a lot of Ground-type moves. To counter Iron Thorns, players may want to target this Pokemon’sother Type weaknessesinstead, such as its Grass-type weakness. Also, while Water-type is effective against Iron Thorns, it’s Thunder Punch move can take care of any Water-type with poor Defense.
Iron Valiantis a cross between Gardevoir and Gallade, and it hasincredible Speed, Attack,andSpecial Attack. If players aren’t careful, this Pokemon can easily sweep their team. Their Booster Energy item will also greatly enhance their highest stat, which happens to be Attack. Deal with Iron Valiant by having a fast or bulky Pokemon that can withstand its moves. If players are going in witha Steel-type such as Orthworm, be careful of Iron Valiant’s Brick Break move.
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How to Beat Koraidon/Miraidon
The very last fight in “The Way Home” is againstSada/Turo’s Koraidon (Scarlet) or Miraidon (Violet). This time, the AI Sada/Turo has activated a defense mechanism thatlocks the player character’s Poke Balls, making them unable to fight back with their team. Trying to switch out Pokemon, hitting the Attack/Battle command, or using an Item won’t work.However, if players go to switch out Pokemon, they will notice that Koraidon/Miraidon’s icon is glowing. Finally, players will be able to battle with the Legendary Pokemon that’s accompanied them this entire journey.
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The player’s Koraidon/Miradon islevel 68and has thesame Abilitiesas Sada/Turo’s Koraidon/Miraidon. They will have the following moves:
Obviously,the player’s Koraidon/Miraidon is two levels lower, but that doesn’t mean it will lose… as long as players battle smart. The goal here is toEndurethe enemy Koraidon/Miraidon’s attacks whilechipping away at its healthwith moves thatwon’thavenot very effectiveresults. This means toavoid using Flamethrower(Koraidon) orElectro Drift(Miraidon), as this won’t deal much damage to the enemy Pokemon.
As the player character’s friends cheer them on, Koraidon/Miradon will eventually gain enough energy toTerastallize. In addition, it will also have its Attack/Special Attack sharply raised. Terastallize Koraidon/Miradonas soon as possible. This will turn Koraidon/Miraidon into aDragon-typePokemon. Thanks to the moveTera Blast, Koraidon/Miradon now have a move that issuper-effectiveagainst Sada/Toru’s Koraidon/Miraidon. Use it, and the opponent should go down in one hit.
After all of this,Scarlet/Violet’s main story will come to an end, and players can then start on any postgame content. Additionally, Koraidon/Miraidoncan now be used in-battleby selecting it from thepause menu (X-button). As a little bonus, Koraidon/Miraidon will havemaxed out Friendship, something that doesn’t happen when catching Legendary Pokemon in previous mainlinePokemongames.
