Pokemon Scarlet & Violet: How to Catch Bagon and Evolve It

Quick Links

• Where to Find Bagon

  • Bagon Location in Pokemon Violet

• How to Get Bagon in Pokemon Scarlet

  • How to Trade and Transfer Pokemon

• How to Evolve Bagon into Shelgon and Salamence

  • What Level Does Bagon Evolve

• Is Salamence Good?

  • Salamence Strengths & Weaknesses
  • Recommended Moves

Bagon, a Dragon-type Pokemon that evolves into the formidable Salamence, can be a valuable addition to your team in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet. However, if you're playing Pokemon Scarlet, you'll quickly notice that Bagon and its evolutions are exclusive to Pokemon Violet. To complete your Paldea Pokedex, you'll need to obtain Bagon, Shelgon, and Salamence from Violet.

Updated on January 13, 2025 by Renri Seong: Bagon, a Dragon-type Pokemon, evolves into the powerful Salamence, making it a great asset for your team in Pokemon Violet. There are multiple ways to catch Bagon and its evolved form, Shelgon. However, if you're playing Pokemon Scarlet and aiming to complete the Pokedex, you'll need to transfer one from Violet. Like Dragonite, Salamence is a Dragon/Flying-type pseudo-legendary with a base stat total of 600. Is Salamence worth the effort? This guide has been updated to provide detailed information on Salamence's stats, type effectiveness, and recommended moves.

Where to Find Bagon

Bagon Location in Pokemon Violet

In Pokemon Violet, you can find Bagon in several locations. A recommended starting point is East Province (Area Three), known for its expansive size and numerous caves.

If you're still in the starting area, you can catch a fixed spawn Bagon on a mountain in South Province (Area Five). Head to the mountain southwest of the bridge connecting the grassy and rocky regions.

Another prime location is Dalizapa Passage, situated north of The Great Crater of Paldea and south of Glaseado Mountain. Here, there's a deep hole near a Pokemon Center. You can either ride Koraidon or Miraidon to jump down the hole or walk down from one of the many cavern entrances. This cave is home to several rare Pokemon, including Bagon and Frigibax.

For those who enjoy Tera Raids, Bagon can be caught in 3-star Tera Raids, which unlock after obtaining three gym badges. Note that Bagon from raids may have a different Tera Type than its regular type, but they could also possess a Hidden Ability, which is worth considering.

How to Get Bagon in Pokemon Scarlet

How to Trade and Transfer Pokemon

Since Bagon and its evolutions are not available in Pokemon Scarlet, you'll need to trade with a Pokemon Violet player or transfer Bagon using Pokemon HOME. To trade, you'll need to either create or join a Group via the Union Circle. A Nintendo Switch Online Membership is required for online features, making transferring Bagon from another game a more convenient option.

If you have Pokemon HOME on your Switch, you can transfer Bagon from games like Pokemon Sword/Shield (Expansion Pass), Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl, or directly from Pokemon HOME.

1. Open HOME and select the game from which you'll be transferring Bagon.
2. Move Bagon to your Basic Box (the box on the left side of the screen), then save and exit.
3. Open your Pokemon Scarlet file and move Bagon from the Basic Box to one of your Scarlet PC Boxes.
4. Save and exit.

Once you reopen Pokemon Scarlet, Bagon should be in the designated PC Box, and its Dex Entry will be complete.

How to Evolve Bagon into Shelgon and Salamence

What Level Does Bagon Evolve

To evolve Bagon, you must raise its level to 30, at which point it will evolve into Shelgon. Then, get Shelgon to level 50 to evolve it into Salamence. The fastest way to level up is by using auto-battle against Pokemon around its level.

If you're not focused on EV training, have Bagon auto-battle against high-experience Pokemon like Chansey, found in East Province (Area Two), North Province (Area One-Three), Casseroya Lake, and West Province (Area Two-Three).

Alternatively, use Exp. Candy to accelerate the process. One piece of Exp. Candy L or Exp. Candy XL will boost their level significantly, while Exp. Candy M may require multiple uses, especially when evolving Shelgon into Salamence.

You can also obtain Shelgon and Salamence from 4-star and 5/6-star Tera Raids, respectively.

Is Salamence Good?

Salamence Strengths & Weaknesses

Salamence, alongside Metagross, is a pseudo-legendary Pokemon from Generation 3. Pseudo-legendary Pokemon are non-legendary with a base stat total of 600, making them highly sought after in competitive play.

| HP: | 95 | | Attack: | 135 | | Special Attack:| 110 | | Defense: | 80 | | Special Defense:| 80 | | Speed: | 100 | | Total: | 600 |

A recommended Nature for Salamence is Adamant (+Attk, -Sp.Attk) or Lonely (+Attk, -Def).

Salamence is a Dragon/Flying-type Pokemon, which means it can learn both Dragon and Flying-type moves, making it super effective against a variety of opponents. However, this dual-typing also exposes it to a significant weakness.

| Super-effective against: | Dragon, | | Weaknesses: | Ice (x4), Fairy, Dragon, Rock,| | Resistances: | Grass (x1/4), Water, Fire, Fighting, Bug | | Immunities: | Ground |

Recommended Moves

Salamence's learnset predominantly features physical moves, aligning well with its higher Attack stat. Opt for physical moves like Dragon Claw over special moves like Dragon Breath. To cover its Fairy and Rock weaknesses, you can teach it Iron Head via TM099.

Despite its higher Attack, Salamence's base Special Attack is still quite strong, allowing it to function as a special attacker if preferred. In this case, a Timid (+Spd, -Attk) Nature might be more suitable than Adamant or Lonely. A specially-trained Salamence would benefit from moves like Draco Meteor and Flamethrower.