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Pokemon Scarlet & Violet let you 'Terastallize' your critters as a new battle gimmick

Terastal Pokemon are a new gimmick to Pokemon Scarlet and Violet that allow them to crystallize, become stronger, and even change types.

TJ Denzer

August 3, 2022 7:37 AM

Image via The Pokemon Company

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Every recent generation of Pokemon usually has some kind of interesting gimmick or twist when it comes to various features of the core game. Whether it was Mega Evolutions in Pokemon X and Y or Gigantamax Pokemon in Pokemon Sword and Shield, these twists provide interesting new variations on Pokemon we’ve seen before. In Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, Terastal Pokemon are going to be the new gimmick for battle. It allows players to “Terastallize” their Pokemon into a crystallized state and power their type up, or even change it completely.

The Terastal feature in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet was shown in the Pokemon Presents digital showcase on August 3, 2022. All Pokemon in the Paldea region in which Scarlet and Violet are set can Terastallize. By doing so, they take on a crystal form and become stronger for a limited time. They can also change types because each Pokemon has a new stat called their Tera Type that determine what happens when they Terastallize. For instance, an Electric-Type Pikachu may change to a Flying type, as shown in today’s presentation.

There’s even more to the Terastal gimmick. Tracking down Pokemon with rare Tera Types will be part of the overall grind of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, but it will also be a key component of new co-op raids. Players will be able to take part in Raids with up to two other players via Pokemon Scarlet and Violet’s co-op features (a total of three trainers in a Raid in all). At the end of Pokemon Raids, players will have a better chance of running into Pokemon with rare Tera Types. By defeating these perpetually Terastallized Pokemon, you’ll be given the opportunity to catch them and bring special Tera Types into your overall collection.

It sounds as though finding and catching special Tera Type Pokemon will be a big part of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet’s events and activities. It seems we might be getting the Legendaries early in the game, too. With a November release date set for the game, stay tuned for more details and updates here at Shacknews.

TJ Denzer

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.