Scarlet and Violet are bringing some significant changes to the ninth generation of Pokémon. The Paldea region has lots of new Pokémon to catch, trainers to battle, and sights to see, but it’s the way that Scarlet and Violet arrange those things that’s different from the games that came before.
Gym Leaders and story progression offer much more freedom, allowing you to follow three different storylines at your leisure. They’ll all need to be completed to finish the game, of course, but you can progress through them one at a time or bounce between them as you see fit.
The three storylines in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, detailed
Here are the three storylines in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.
Path of Legends
Path of Legends is the most different from anything we’ve seen in past Pokémon games. It sees you working with Arven, a cook seeking rare ingredients known as Herba Mystica. While helping him acquire these, you’ll face Titan Pokémon. These are super-sized versions of the creatures that serve as bosses, not unlike Totem Pokémon from Sun and Moon. To finish this storyline, you’ll need to collect every ingredient and defeat every Titan.
Starfall Street
Pokémon games always see the player going up against an evil team, and Scarlet and Violet have Team Star. Taking them down is the primary goal of Starfall Street, the games’ second storyline. Like Path of Legends, Starfall Street also has its own gameplay mechanics. You’ll be raiding bases and engaging in Team Star battles in the overworld, not unlike a raid in an MMO. Once you clear the base, you’ll cap things off with a battle against a Team Star leader. The job isn’t done until you’ve defeated every one of Team Star’s top trainers.
Victory Road
Finally, there’s Victory Road, the most traditional storyline in Scarlet and Violet. This is the usual quest of beating each Gym Leader, taking on the Elite Four, and becoming Pokémon champion. Just as you have the freedom to complete the storylines at your own pace, you can also take on each gym whenever you want — there’s no set order this time. Brassius, the Grass-type Gym Leader, Grusha, the Ice-type Gym Leader, and the rest will wait for you to come to them.
