Catch Empoleon in 7-star Black Crystal Tera Raid Battles in Pokémon Scarlet & Violet from February 2nd

The next past generation first partner evolution to appear in special Tera Raids in Pokémon Scarlet & Violet will be the Emperor Pokémon Empoleon, who will be making its first appearance in 7-star Black Crystal Tera Raid Battles between February 2nd at Midnight (UTC), and February 4th at 11:59pm (UTC), with a follow-up appearance one week later from February 9th at Midnight (UTC), and February 11th at 11:59pm (UTC).

This event's Empoleon has the Ice Tera Type, and will have the same mark, Ability, and moves during both appearances. This Empoleon can only be caught once per save data, and players who catch it during the initial run will not be able to catch it again during the second run. Empoleon cannot normally be encountered in Paldea, though its pre-evolution Piplup can be found in Chargestone Cavern and the Polar Biome in the Blueberry Academy Terarium after boosting biodiversity in the Polar Biome. This Mighty Empoleon may appear again in other events, or be encountered in different ways in the future.

Black Crystal Tera Raid Battles contain much stronger Pokémon than those appearing in ordinary Tera Raid Battles, and give out better rewards. To encounter this Pokémon in Black Crystal Tera Raid Battles, players will need to download the latest Poké Portal News. If players have connected their Nintendo Switch system to the internet while playing Pokémon Scarlet or Violet, this will happen automatically. Players can also manually download the Poké Portal News by selecting Poké Portal from the X menu, and then selecting Mystery Gift, and then Check Poké Portal News. After that, players who have completed certain post-game events will be able to start the Black Crystal Tera Raid Battle simply by walking up to and interacting with the Black Tera Crystal in-game. In the overworld, the Black Tera Crystals associated with these raids can be differentiated from other Tera Raid crystals by their aura and black sheen. Both are also clearly visible when looking at crystals on the map. Players who haven't yet completed the required post-game events can still participate in these Black Tera Raid Battles, but only by joining with other Trainers in multiplayer, such as by using a Link Code. A paid Nintendo Switch Online membership is required to participate in Tera Raid Battles with other Trainers online.