Scarlet/Violet DLC

[Daren]

You...do know you don't have to fight/catch every pokemon you see, right?

Trainers are (finally) literally completely optional too

If you're afraid of over-leveling a pokemon, box it and bring it out before you enter a battle you want to use it in

The fact you have to either skip most of the content or jump through hoops to avoid wrecking the game means the game is poorly designed.

 

[Norzan]

You...do know you don't have to fight/catch every pokemon you see, right?

Trainers are (finally) literally completely optional too

If you're afraid of over-leveling a pokemon, box it and bring it out before you enter a battle you want to use it in

If i have to avoid so much to not get overleveled, maybe that's an hint that the level curve is bad and needs to be fixed.

I know having to grind to beat certain battles is frowned upon by most people, but the complete opposite isn't any better.

 

[Silktree]

I wasn't overleveled against some of the wild Pokemon and the later Kieran battles. But I had dropped the game in December right after finishing Area Zero. Also, I wanted to train three "new" Pokemon.

I'll try my luck against the ogre clan, but I don't want to go out of my way for them. I guess they're similar to N in B2W2's post-game.

I'm guessing that Kieran will have Pokemon in the late 80s for his real climax.

 

[Nitro Indigo]

I've noticed that Game Freak shifted the focus of the games to catching as many Pokémon as possible, even species you already own, not long after Go.

 

[Kallyle]

I've noticed that Game Freak shifted the focus of the games to catching as many Pokémon as possible, even species you already own, not long after Go.

Yeah, Pokémon GO influenced them a bit too much if you ask me. People who want to play PoGo will play PoGo. The main series doesn’t need to become a clone of said mobile game, especially not since said shift has arguably negatively impacted the rest of the gameplay experience that people liked.

 

[Bolt Strike]

Ehh, I do see some merit in emphasizing the catching a little bit more, even in the main series which is totally different from Go. The catching is far more important to the gameplay loop because that helps you improve your team the most in the most fun way possible. After finding the Pokemon you want it's just grinding at that point.

That being said, I don't think they should be leaving the main game battles in such dire straits to the point where you can just steamroll everything. I definitely think they need to figure out a good level scaling system, Genshin Impact's World Level system in particular is a good place to find some inspiration for how such a thing should work for Pokemon. Beyond that, maybe add some more trainers to the overworld but keep them optional, the change towards making trainer battles optional is a good thing since it adds more flexibility to the gameplay (I always found the overworld trainers repetitive and too easy, so it always felt like a tedious slog having to trudge through them), but having more of them and better rewards for bothering to fight them might make them more worthwhile. And you know, have some trainers with more than 2 or 3 Pokemon again.

 

[Alola]

You...do know you don't have to fight/catch every pokemon you see, right?

If you want to complete the Kitakami Dex and access the otherwise unobtainable Blood Moon Ursaluna, yes - you need to catch a majority of them.

Trainers are (finally) literally completely optional too

If you're afraid of over-leveling a pokemon, box it and bring it out before you enter a battle you want to use it in

I literally mentioned that earlier. But I guess I need to repeat myself - actively skipping Trainers in an effort to not be overleveled is actively skipping game content. And as Daren & Norzan mentioned, if a player has to go out of their way to do so, there's an issue with game design. That can warrant valid criticism.

Instead of condescendingly suggesting band-aid measures for players to do that can inhibit their personal play preference or experience (ex. make multiple teams, force feed your Pokémon bitter herbs, routinely Box and un-Box party members, don't catch anything, etc.), acknowledge that the game has level curve issues that should be improved upon in this day and age. Stop putting the onus on players to rectify poor game design.

 

[skynerel]

If only they actually replaced things, instead more and more they remove old features and put nothing in its place.

I’m disappointed that the battle tower or any post game battle facility seems to be gone for good (at least on this gen).

 

[Dr. Gro 3001]

I’m disappointed that the battle tower or any post game battle facility seems to be gone for good (at least on this gen).

Given the more battle-focused Indigo Disk, there is a chance that we may get something akin to a battle tower in the next wave of dlc. However, there is currently no guarantee that we get a battle facility in next dlc. And even if we do, it is a bit asinine that we have to pay another $35 to get something we had in every major game since Crystal.

 

[Silktree]

You'll get rematches with the BB Elite Four, Kieran, Carmine and various Paldea characters, and you'll be thankful for them.

That's what SwSh did (Galarian Star Tournament), in addition to a pretty lame Battle Tower. Personally, I just want a Battle Factory, but for the 30th anniversary they really ought to bring back the PWT.

 

[skynerel]

You'll get rematches with the BB Elite Four, Kieran, Carmine and various Paldea characters, and you'll be thankful for them.

Has this info been confirmed?

That's what SwSh did (Galarian Star Tournament), in addition to a pretty lame Battle Tower.

I enjoyed the battle tower for what it was. Now I’m curious. Why do you think it was lame compared to other battle towers?

 

[Silktree]

Rematches with Paldea characters have been confirmed. The rest seems like a given as part of the League Club feature.

The League Club — Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet | Official Website

Interact with other clubs and visit with familiar faces at Blueberry Academy’s League Club in The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero Part 2: The Indigo Disk.

scarletviolet.pokemon.com

As for the Galar Battle Tower... I skipped SwSh, but having to win 33 consecutive battles is relatively easy (especially with Dynamax and the box mascot, which was allowed for the first time). And by no means should the Champion be reused for the Battle Tower boss. For more details:

Reddit - Dive into anything

www.reddit.com

 

[FinnishPokéFan92]

A user on YouTube noticed an interesting detail regarding the resurrection of the Loyal Three.

 

[Norzan]

(at least on this gen)

It's gone for good given the trend. Gamefreak removes the more in-depth content because it obviously takes more work to do and then takes out the simpler variant of that content because even that by this point it's too much work for the little budget and time these games are clearly given.

And i personally don't want to pay 35 bucks more for a feature that used to come in the base game since Crystal. Gouging out content that was pretty much taken for granted for almost two decades and then sell it in an expansion is one of the most digusting practices in the gaming industry. DLC should introduce new content, not old content.

 

[Arylett Charnoa]

This DLC has really burnt me out on Scarlet/Violet, if I'm honest. It was so meager, and the asking price was far too expensive for the amount of content. The story was basically nothing but a tiny bit of setup for Indigo Disk. I'm also so sick of having to handicap myself to avoid overleveling because of the permanent EXP share and catching Pokemon EXP that they obviously didn't balance the game for. It's not fun to micromanage levels all the time just so the game isn't braindead. I don't need a hyper-competitive experience - I just want a chance to bond with my Pokemon by getting though some moderately challenging battles. I miss Gen 6/7 where you could shut it off at your leisure.

I'm also quite irritated at them cutting Pokemon and then re-adding them into the DLC like this, as Norzen rightfully points out. I skipped LGPE, Sw/Sh, and BDSP and was ready to leave the modern franchise behind until Legends Arceus impressed me in spite of its many, many problems. But after having played through S/V three times and having to deal with all the lack of QoL and lagginess repeatedly, I don't think I can handle another Gen of this. [And I've played other Pokemon games multiple times in succession and never got burnt out by them]

Especially since the Pokemon designs, the main reason I play these games to begin with, are subpar to me. They are barely adding any new ones and are piggybacking off of old ones even harder. I highly suspect that convergent Pokemon are just an excuse to have regional variants take up extra Pokedex slots so that they can put in even less effort. Same with Paradox Pokemon. Just look at how lazy the future ones are. This DLC barely added any totally new designs either - just relying on people wanting to buy back the old ones they arbitrarily cut out to save time/money.

I'll of course try out Indigo Disk as I want to know more about Area Zero, but if the designs in the next Gen aren't to my tastes and the games continue with the level of quality and blatant greediness, I don't think I'll continue with modern Pokemon until they decide to shape up. [IF they shape up - at this point, I'm immensely cynical. There is so little incentive for them to shape up.] I will also still play the old classics and spin-offs though. [And Legends Arceus.]

 

[Norzan]

No DLC is worth 35 bucks in this world, and if it's reaching the actual content that warrants that price tag then it might as well be its own separate game. Many 20 to 40 bucks game out there that have far more content than whatever this DLC has. And genuinely don't care who's pricing things, this stuff still needs to be called out.

I remember when expansions used to cost 15 to 20 bucks and they were loaded with content. Stuff like Barbarian Invasion for Rome Total War 1, Broken World for Dungeon Siege 2, freaking Titans for Age of Mythology, Immortal Throne for Titan Quest. And for more recent examples Grim Dawn had two really good expansions that were around 15 to 20 bucks each.

 

[Silktree]

Teal Mask is worth $10 at best. The same probably goes for Indigo Disk. In the absence of a new feature (there really aren't any), we should be judging DLC by the areas and gameplay loop. Returning Pokemon (just use Home) and a handful of new critters are merely extras.

 

[AngryBinacle]

Teal Mask is worth $10 at best. The same probably goes for Indigo Disk. In the absence of a new feature (there really aren't any), we should be judging DLC by the areas and gameplay loop. Returning Pokemon (just use Home) and a handful of new critters are merely extras.

The gameplay-loop is lacking, though.

 

[Jolty94]

I agree with a lot of the comments above on The Teal Mask especially, although I do have a soft spot for Kieran and really enjoyed his storyline, the whole time I was just like "Aw no dude you can be my friend, screw your sister" lol.

But aside from that, I do have to agree with a lot of what has been said by other people here... there's an air of something weird still and for the first half of this DLC to feel like a step back from the Isle of Armor (content wise), it was a bit odd to me, like I enjoyed the story focus but the whole time I was thinking "ok, andddd?", and the "and" ended up just being a narrative build up to the Indigo Disk, and it's so far from my brain already after a week that I can't even remember that characters name with the box art logos on her, but she SEEMED interesting until she was an afterthought in waiting for the rest of the DLC when it comes out.

I do love Dipplin and the Sinistcha line, I think they are great strong designs, even if coming off of older Pokemon. The loyal three I am still not so fond of, Ogerpon I slowly grew to love.

As for performance, the entire internet probably knows how I feel now as I have complained about it SO much leading up to the DLC lol, I even advised others that it's probably best to not expect any kind of performance patch in the slightest for the DLC when the rumours starting floating about updated textures and performance etc, that is definitely the kind of thing we can no longer hold out for as longterm fans. I still scratch my head wondering who it was that put out that tweet from the official account saying they take feedback from fans "seriously" and that they are essentially (not quote for quote), working to fix that, but still here we are about a year later, the first DLC has come out and the game probably runs worse. I have better experiences in handheld, but man oh man, c'mon Gamefreak, or whoever keeps putting so much pressure on them, I'm not too sure how the inside of the industry works but I can say that usually when people struggle to finish something (anything) in real life, you ask for help, and it's clear they aren't receiving any, they are just being rushed for timelines to meet demands or merchandise and anime. I pray that what they said a few months back about slowing down releases to improve the quality is true, literally everyone would benefit from that, we'd just have to wait a little longer and if the games continue to be like SV, I'm happy to wait longer. It is just sad given I really enjoyed SVs story a lot, the performance is just bad though and that's really it.

 

[Norzan]

I pray that what they said a few months back about slowing down releases to improve the quality is true

The Pokemon Company's COO Addresses Possibility of Slowing Down Game Releases

The Pokemon Company's Chief Operating Officer hints at a possible slowdown of future game releases.

comicbook.com

I honestly hope it's true and they slow down the release schedule. I would legit wait for as long as possible if it meant getting a fantastic game instead of these clearly unfinished, rushed releases with hardly any content, and feature removals that aggravate some people like not being able to turn off the Exp. Share.