"How to Catch and Evolve Bagon in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet"

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 powerful Salamence, is obtainable in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet. However, if you're playing Pokemon Scarlet, you won't find Bagon and its evolutions in the wild, as they are exclusive to Pokemon Violet. To complete your Paldea Pokedex, you'll need to catch Bagon, Shelgon, and Salamence.

Updated on January 13, 2025 by Renri Seong: Bagon, the Dragon-type Pokemon, evolves into the formidable Salamence, which you can add to your team in Pokemon Violet. There are various locations where you can catch Bagon and its evolved form, Shelgon. However, if you're playing Pokemon Scarlet and want to complete your Pokedex, you'll need to transfer one from Violet. Salamence, like Dragonite, is a Dragon/Flying-type pseudo-legendary with a base stat total of 600. Is Salamence worth the effort to catch? This guide has been updated to include detailed information on Salamence's stats, type effectiveness, and recommended moves.

Where to Find Bagon

Bagon Location in Pokemon Violet

To catch Bagon in Pokemon Violet, start your search in East Province (Area Three), known for its expansive size and numerous caves. If you're still in the early stages, you can find a fixed spawn Bagon on a mountain in South Province (Area Five). Climb the mountain located southwest of the bridge connecting the grassy and rocky regions of South Province (Area Five).

Another prime location is Dalizapa Passage, situated north of The Great Crater of Paldea and south of Glaseado Mountain. Here, you'll find a deep hole with a Pokemon Center. You can either jump down with Koraidon or Miraidon or navigate through one of the cavern entrances. This area is less open than East Province but is rich with rare Pokemon, including Bagon and Frigibax.

For those who enjoy Tera Raids, Bagon can be caught from 3-star Tera Raids, which unlock after obtaining three gym badges. Note that Bagon's Tera Type might differ from its regular type when caught from a raid, and these Pokemon may have their Hidden Ability, which is an important consideration for serious trainers.

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 use Pokemon HOME to transfer Bagon. To trade, you can create or join a Group via the Union Circle, but remember, you'll need a Nintendo Switch Online Membership for online features. Transferring from other games might be a more straightforward 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're transferring Bagon.
2. Move Bagon to the Basic Box on the left side of the screen, then save and exit.
3. Open your Pokemon Scarlet file and transfer 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 completed.

How to Evolve Bagon into Shelgon and Salamence

What Level Does Bagon Evolve

To evolve Bagon into Shelgon, you need to raise its level to 30. Then, to evolve Shelgon into Salamence, level it up to 50. The fastest way to do this is by having Bagon or Shelgon auto-battle Pokemon around their level.

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

Alternatively, you can use Exp. Candy. A single piece of Exp. Candy L or Exp. Candy XL will boost their level significantly, while Exp. Candy M may require multiple uses, especially for evolving Shelgon into Salamence.

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

Is Salamence Good?

Salamence Strengths & Weaknesses

Salamence, introduced in Gen 3 alongside Metagross, is a pseudo-legendary Pokemon with a base stat total of 600. This makes it highly sought after for competitive play when properly trained.

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

Salamence is a Dragon/Flying-type Pokemon, which allows it to utilize both Dragon and Flying-type moves effectively. However, its dual-typing comes with a significant weakness to Ice-type moves.

Recommended Moves

Salamence's move set leans heavily towards physical attacks, which aligns well with its higher Attack stat. Opt for moves like Dragon Claw over Dragon Breath. To counter its weaknesses to Fairy and Rock, consider teaching it Iron Head via TM099.

Despite its higher Attack, Salamence's base Special Attack is still quite respectable, allowing it to function as a special attacker if desired. For a special attacking Salamence, choose a Timid (+Spd, -Attk) Nature. This will optimize its use of moves like Draco Meteor and Flamethrower.