5 things to keep in mind before transferring Pokemon to Pokemon Scarlet and Violet after HOME 3.0 update

With news of the highly-anticipated patch for Pokemon Home allowing the app to connect to Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, players everywhere are getting ready to transfer their collections of creatures from their previous save files for different Pokemon titles. However, this change does not miraculously add more creatures to the newest titles.

For those who are new to the franchise, Pokemon Home is an application that released in the eighth generation of the franchise for mobile devices and the Nintendo Switch. This app allows players to store and transfer their creatures between save files, games, and even entire generations.

Since the newest Pokemon Home update for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet is easily one of the biggest moments in the game's life so far, many players want to read up on everything there is to know about this service. So what should players remember when transferring their monsters to the newest games?

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5 Things to know about Transfering Pokemon from Home to Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

No National Pokedex

A Pokedex as seen in the anime (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Just because players will be able to transfer specific creatures from titles before their save data in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet does not mean that the National Pokedex nor the expansion update that will be done for the game's DLC is out yet. There is a very specific list of the transfer-only creatures that players can add to their account.

Players must take creatures from the list posted here, transfer them to Pokemon Home through the Nintendo Switch application, then send them to the newest titles via the same application.

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Unusable Attacks

Jellicent inflicting Cursed Body in the anime (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Much like many of the creatures, some of the moves in games prior cannot be used in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. Thus, creatures with these moves in their sets must have them deleted or replaced before participating in online matches. These can also not be used in overworld wild battles.

A list of the moves that cannot be used in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet is shared here.

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Hisuian Pokemon

Hisuian Zoroark as seen in official screenshots for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet (Image via The Pokemon Company)

The reason why most players have been waiting for this update, the new patch for Pokemon Home marks the first instance where exclusive Hisuian variants from Pokemon Legends: Arceus will be available for players to use in a mainline title.

Though it is unclear if these creatures will be allowed in ranked battles when the update drops, the online scene will finally break the stagnant metagame when the limitations are lifted.

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Maintenance Disclaimer

Workers as seen in the anime (Image via The Pokemon Company)

For many places, the new Pokemon Home update is already out. However, before the patch is released, the app's servers are going into maintenance, presumably to transfer these servers to the new version of the application.

As such, if players try to open Pokemon Home and are met with an error, there is a good chance that the server for that player's time zone is still under maintenance. Check back again in an hour or so; if the app is still experiencing errors, it may be a problem on the player's end.

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Free Gift Pokemon

An official screenshot showcasing the Starter Pokemon from Pokemon Scarlet and Violet (Image via The Pokemon Company)

It is not uncommon for giveaways for special creatures to be hosted through Pokemon Home. In celebration of the new compatibility with the newest titles in the franchise, players who transfer a creature from Pokemon Scarlet and Violet into Pokemon Home will be gifted a special Sprigatito, Fuecoco, and Quaxly with their hidden abilities.

These gifts can make a huge difference for players invested in the online metagame, as Starter Pokemon typically have better hidden abilities than their standard ones.