If you saw the trailer for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet that was released on October 2022, Game Freak (together with The Pokemon Company) showed off more of the upcoming activities you can participate in during your journey through the Paldea region. One of the features is more controversial than the rest—yep, I’m talking about the ability to auto-battle. With the mechanic called “Let’s Go!” you can give your Pokemon specific orders during in-game events and exploration, allowing them to battle without needing your assistance. That means you don’t have to wait for the same animations and select the same moves repeatedly anymore. This is a guide to leveling up fast in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet.
Taking Inspiration From Pokemon Legends: Arceus
One of the things that many (including me) appreciated in Pokemon Legends: Arceus was how expedient it lets you be when accomplishing side quests and exploring the maps. This included changing years-old mechanics, such as throwing a Poke Ball to capture a wild Pokemon without engaging in battle. There were a lot of features that made things unintrusive and a breeze to get through.
You might argue that Pokemon Scarlet and Violet don’t seem to have the quality-of-life changes that Pokemon Legends had this year. Still, given that their development overlapped timing-wise, it’s not surprising. Scarlet and Violet couldn’t holistically integrate the systems that Pokemon Legends had, but it looks like they’ve taken inspiration from some pieces of it, such as the “Let’s Go” system.
How Will Auto-Battles Affect Grinding in Pokemon Scarlet/Violet?
It’s understandable to feel worried about the addition of auto-battling; there’s a possibility that it could over-simplify the already simple game and further disconnect you from your partner Pokemon. I get it. But while this is a possible outcome for the new “Let’s Go” feature, writing the mechanic off entirely wouldn’t improve things. There are also arguments to be made about the serious positives that come from auto-battling.
For starters, grinding is often part of an RPG’s gameplay that’s lamented by many. Still, if you have an auto-battle feature, the mechanic will streamline the process of leveling up your Pokemon considerably. In the past Pokemon games, you’d have to encounter a wild Pokemon in the tall grass, watch the opening battle animation for the nth time, pick your move of choice, then watch the end animations upon defeating the opposing Pokemon. With auto-battling, there’s no need to go through that process—you can just skip the cutscenes. Moreover, strategic elements are involved when doing auto-battles, such as choosing an ideal location where there are Pokemon you can easily beat but still yield a lot of XP.
Grinding levels for hours or even days have never been a well-loved aspect of the franchise (and for other games as well). But with “Let’s Go,” you can mitigate that boring part of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet while still retaining adrenaline-inducing trainer/boss/high-level Pokemon battles. Plus, the overworld auto-battles will further connect you to your partners, especially when you feel like your Pokemon has become so strong that they can easily wipe out enemies without assistance.
Hardcore Players Are in for A Treat
You can also treat the reasoning for auto-battles being such a lifesaver from the perspective of hardcore veterans the same. If you’re part of this niche player base that dabbles into the competitive and VGC side of Pokemon, auto-battling will make grinding Pokemon effort values (EVs) less hassle.
Creating a competitive-worthy Pokemon team is an arduous task. You must breed hundreds of Pokemon to get at least one with the perfect ability, nature, and IVs. And don’t get me started on the soft resets you have to do thousands of times just to have a chance to catch perfect IV legendaries. The EV grinding process requires you to fight many wild Pokemon; streamlining this with auto-battles will lower the entry barrier into the competitive scene. As a result, more fans will be introduced to the most exciting facet of the franchise.
What If I Prefer the Original Grinding for My Pokemon Games?
That’s completely fine! Auto-battling is merely something that will help you quickly grind EXP and use your Pokemon like in Pokemon Legends: Arceus did. If you’re the type of person that loves putting in the effort to take care of your Pokemon, then, by all means, you can do so. But say you want a bit of both. In that case, you can choose to manually battle high-level Pokemon while still being able to do auto-battles with weaker Pokemon. As long as the two styles are balanced from an XP-gain perspective, you’ll have a grand time with Pokemon Scarlet and Violet.
