5 things fans have yet to learn about Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

Pokemon's newest titles, Scarlet and Violet, will arrive on November 18, 2022, and Game Freak has released plenty of information in the lead-up. However, each trailer has conjured plenty of questions.

The developers have taken strident efforts to showcase the two games, but not everything has been revealed outright. This is certainly to be expected, as game creators rarely (if ever) showcase their entire offering. Doing so can lead to reduced engagement from fans, and it spoils many exciting aspects of the title before its release.

Be that as it may, it can't hurt to wonder what more there is to the fast-arriving Switch titles. The community has asked a few questions, though Game Freak and The Pokemon Company have been mum on the answer.

Note: This article reflects the opinions of the writer

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How PvP will be balanced and other things players still don't know about Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

1) What will the Starters' Evolutions be?

The Starters for Scarlet and Violet: Sprigatito, Quaxly, and Fuecoco (Image via Game Freak)

Every new in-game region has its starting monsters that trainers can choose from, and the Paldea region of Scarlet and Violet is no different. However, aside from being unveiled in the two games' initial announcement trailer, little has been divulged about the three creatures, including their eventual appearances after evolution.

In addition to their appearances, fans are left wondering what elemental typings these evolved starters would have. While all starter monsters always present a Water, Grass, and Fire type, they often evolve and pick up additional elements. The answer may not be revealed yet in order to keep fans excited, but it's a point of curiosity throughout the community.

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2) Which Pokemon will be included in the Pokedex?

Not every creature from previous games will appear in the Paldea region (Image via The Pokemon Company)

The Pokemon franchise has over 900 different creatures across all of its games, and recent titles haven't included every monster to catch and train.

We know that the Pokedex encyclopedia will have a regional iteration to document creatures found in Paldea. However, will a "national" version be included like in previous games? If so, which species will be added to the game to fill it?

Certain leaks have pointed to a tentative list of returning creatures from previous generations, but these should always be taken with a grain of salt.

Since not every creature will be included, fans are obviously wondering if their favorite species has made the cut in Generation IX.

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3) How will PvP be balanced?

Lucario faces off against Hisuian Lycanroc in a trainer battle (Image via Game Freak)

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet will be utilizing a battle system similar to Legends: Arceus.

Legends: Arceus had a low number of trainer battles and was completely bereft of player-vs-player battles. However, since Scarlet and Violet will have this PvP component, how will it work, and will it be well-balanced?

Competitive battling in the franchise always tends to lean into certain Pokemon due to their excellent skills and stats. There are also transformations like Mega Evolution and the new Terastallized forms to take into account. Will Game Freak still include these measures, or will it aim for a more balanced metagame than in previous outings?

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4) What will return from Legends: Arceus?

Legends: Arceus reinvented traditional Pokemon gameplay in many ways (Image via Game Freak)

When Legends: Arceus arrived earlier this year, it broke the mold of traditional Pokemon gameplay. For the first time, trainers could roam vast open spaces and catch the titular creatures without necessarily having to battle them. There were also new battle mechanics like the Strong and Agile attack styles.

How much of what appeared in Legends: Arceus will be available in Scarlet and Violet? Trailers have shown that the Pokemon-catching mechanics will be quite similar, but will battle styles return as well?

Will the research-based challenges in the Pokedex be available to fully document a Pocket Monster and complete its entry? Will players be able to keep a stable full of species to swap into their team, or will the game return to using the storage PC?

There's been little word on how much will return gameplay-wise from Legends: Arceus, but surely Game Freak won't want the titles to feel too similar.

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5) How will the story unfold?

Trainers are ambushed by Team Star, one of the games' antagonists (Image via Game Freak)

While storytelling has never been the strong suit of the Pokemon games, it's a welcome aspect for many players.

Many members of the community were less than thrilled with how titles such as Shield and Sword unfolded narrative-wise. How will Game Freak meet this dissatisfaction in Scarlet and Violet?

In trailers and site updates released by The Pokemon Company, it is known that trainers will have three different stories to follow and that they'll have to select one early on.

It's unclear if these narratives stay branched apart from one another or if they come together at the end. However, some leakers have suggested that the story will be quality, giving hope to players everywhere for what's to come.