How to get all starters in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet: The Indigo Disk

How to get all starters in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet: The Indigo Disk

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Pokémon Scarlet and Violet’s DLC, The Indigo Disk, allows you to do something unthinkable: catch starters in the wild. For the first time, you can shiny hunt these rare Pokémon without using eggs and breeding. Incredible.

For those not hip to Pokémon lingo, starter Pokémon, or “starters,” refers to the three Pokémon you able to choose from at the start of each game. This includes original Pokémon like Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Charmander from Kanto to relative newcomers like Grookey, Sobble, and Scorbunny from Galar. Note, however, that the Paldean starters (Sprigatito, Quaxley, and Fuecoco) are not available to find in the wild.

To unlock the wild starter Pokémon in Scarlet and Violet, you’ll need to grind out quite a few Blueberry quests (BBQs) and once you do, it can be hard to find them around the map. Below, we list out the requirements for unlocking the wild starters in The Indigo Disk and where to find them.


How to unlock starters in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet: The Indigo Disk

You won’t be able to catch the starters in the wild right off the bat. You’ll need to at least make it to the BB League club room in The Indigo Disk’s story before you can. Once you do, Drayton will talk to you about using the computer to donate BP to other clubs. He’ll force you to donate to the baseball club to learn some new throwing styles, but after this tutorial bit, you’ll be free to donate to whatever clubs you want.

For 3,000 BP each, you can opt to add Pokémon to each of the four Terarium biomes. The Pokémon in question are the starters. They correlate to biomes as follows:

  • Savanna Biome: Charmander, Totodile, Snivy, Fennekin, Rowlet, Sobble
  • Coastal Biome: Bulbasaur, Chikorita, Mudkip, Froakie, Popplio, Grookie
  • Polar Biome: Cyndaquil, Torchic, Chimchar, Piplup, Oshawott, Chespin, Scorbunny
  • Canyon Biome: Squirtle, Treecko, Turtwig, Tepig, Chespin, Litten
    (Yes, Chespin is found in both biomes, since it actually inhabits a cave that connects the two areas.)

You’ll need to do BBQs in order to get BP. You can amass tons by using the Union Circle mode with other players. We managed to get enough BP for all four upgrades from a little under two hours of rigorous multiplayer grinding with three others. While you amass BP from doing BBQs, you’ll also get access to the Snackworth Legendaries (though you’ll need to beat the DLC before you can actually claim them).


Where to find wild starters in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

If you’re having a hard time finding the Pokémon in their respective areas, consider using a sandwich that boosts encounter rate by type. We used the following:

  • Fire encounters: Pickle sandwich (1 pickle and 1 olive oil)
  • Grass encounters: Klawf claw sandwich (1 Klawf stick, 1 tomato, 1 lettuce, 1 salt, and 1 olive oil)
  • Water encounters: Zesty sandwich (1 jalapeño, 1 onion, 1 herbed sausage, and 1 chili sauce)

Note that using a water-boosting sandwich in the water or a grass-boosting sandwich in areas filled with grass-type Pokémon may not yield the best results. We recommend heading to land for the water-types (when you can) and trying to go to more isolated areas for grass-types. Be patient, you will find them!

Below we list the in-game locations of all the starter Pokémon you can catch at Blueberry Academy, organized by Pokédex number.

Bulbasaur location

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You can find Bulbasaur roaming around the grassy parts of the mountain in the southern part of the Coastal Biome.

Charmander location

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Charmander is running around the southern and central part of the Savanna Biome.

Squirtle location

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Squirtle can be found in and out of the water in the southern area of the Canyon Biome.

Chikorita location

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Chikorita can be found around many different areas of the Coastal Biome.

Cyndaquil location

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Cyndaquil is found in a specific cave in the Polar Biome. You can find the specific entrance to this cave here:

A Pokémon trainer stands outside of a cave with Cyndaquil inside in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.

Graphic: Julia Lee/Polygon | Source images: Game Freak/Nintendo, The Pokémon Company

You know you’ll be in the right spot, since there’ll be a Tera Duraludon inside.

Totodile location

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Totodile can be found in some of the swampy pools in the Savannah Biome.

Treecko location

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Treecko is wandering around the grassy mountain tops in the Canyon Biome.

Torchic location

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Torchic is found in a specific cave, which you can find by going south from the Polar Plaza and up the mountain. You can see the entrance to the cave below:

A Pokémon trainer stands outside of a cave with Torchic inside in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.

Graphic: Julia Lee/Polygon | Source images: Game Freak/Nintendo, The Pokémon Company

You’ll know you’re in the right cave because a Tera Metang will be inside.

Mudkip location

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Mudkip is in the Torchlit Labyrinth in the Coastal Biome. You can find one of the many entrances to said cave here:

A Pokémon trainer stands outside of the entrance to the Torchlit Labyrinth in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.

Graphic: Julia Lee/Polygon | Source images: Game Freak/Nintendo, The Pokémon Company

Turtwig location

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Turtwig can be found all over the place in the Canyon Biome.

Chimchar location

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Chimchar is found on top of the snowy cliffs in the Polar Biome.

Piplup location

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Piplup is roaming around the waters in the Polar Biome.

Snivy location

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Snivy wanders around the northeastern part of the Savanna Biome.

Tepig location

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Tepig is in the southern parts of the Canyon Biome, but can also be found along the edges.

Oshawott location

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Oshawott is in the northern part of the Polar Biome.

Chespin location

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Chespin is in the Chargestone Cavern that connects the Polar and Canyon Biomes. You can find one of many entrances at the location below:

A Pokémon trainer stands outside of an entrance to Chargestone Cavern in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.

Graphic: Julia Lee/Polygon | Source images: Game Freak/Nintendo, The Pokémon Company

Fennekin location

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Fennekin is wandering around the eastern part of the Savanna Biome.

Froakie location

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Froakie is around the waters in the northern parts of the Coastal Biome.

Rowlet location

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Rowlet is all around the Savanna Biome. You’ll have a hard time not running into them.

Litten location

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Litten is found all along the northern half of the Canyon Biome.

Popplio location

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Popplio is found along the waters in the Coastal Biome.

Grookey location

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Grookey is running around the southeast part of the Coastal Biome.

Scorbunny location

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Scorbunny, much like Chimchar, is on the snowy mountain tops in the Polar Biome.

Sobble location

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Sobble is in and around the pools of muddy water in the Savanna Biome.

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