Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Introduces Major New Mechanics

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet will have a number of interesting new mechanics. One of them allows players to send out Pokémon to automatically battle wild Pokémon and find items in the vast landscape of Paldean. In the past week, The Pokemon Company revealed that the game would have a “Let’s Go” feature that allows players to send out one of their Pokémon to explore their surroundings.

Players choose a Pokémon and specify a direction for them to explore. The Pokémon will then collect any items they find while exploring and engage in auto-battles against wild Pokémon. This will allow Pokemon to collect more XP while avoiding some of the grind of repetitive battles.

Another mechanic is that they will also use Auto Battles during one of the new battle modes. While challenging Team Star at their bases, players can use their Pokémon to automatically battle some of Team Star’s Pokémon, helping to whittle down their numbers as they make their way to the team boss. Team Star battles sound similar to wave battles, so having an extra Pokémon to help sounds like it’s critical to a game’s success.

It also seems to be bringing back some form of boss battles, a feature of the game previously seen in Pokemon Legends: Arceus. Screenshots of Titan battles and Team Star boss fights show a large HP bar similar to the boss fights seen in Pokemon Legends: Arceus. It’s unclear how these fights will differ from standard Pokemon battles, but it’s something players will need to keep an eye on.