How To Evolve Inkay Into Malamar In Pokemon Scarlet And Violet DLC

Among Pokemon’s most unconventional evolutionary methods, Inkay makes its return in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet’s Indigo Disk expansion with refined mechanics. This peculiar dark/psychic squid Pokemon first debuted on Nintendo 3DS with a revolutionary evolution requirement that challenged traditional gameplay conventions.

Originally introduced in Pokemon X and Y, Inkay’s evolution method required players to physically invert their 3DS handheld console during the level-up process. This groundbreaking approach represented one of the franchise’s first integrations of real-world physical interaction with in-game progression systems. The modern implementation in Scarlet and Violet preserves this core concept while adapting it for the Nintendo Switch’s hardware capabilities and controller configurations.

The evolution from Inkay to Malamar maintains its signature upside-down requirement, though developers have introduced additional technical specifications to ensure consistent functionality across different play styles and hardware setups.

Inkay establishes its territory exclusively within the Coastal Biome section of the Terarium, occupying the northeastern quadrant of the Indigo Disk’s new explorable region. These cephalopod Pokemon demonstrate strong habitat preferences that guide efficient hunting strategies.

While Inkay spawns throughout the entire Coastal Biome zone, concentration analysis reveals significantly higher encounter rates along shoreline areas and within aquatic environments. The beaches provide optimal visibility for spotting these dark/psychic types, while water-based encounters offer consistent spawn points for focused farming sessions.

Coastal terrain analysis: Inkay favors both sandy shorelines and shallow water habitats for optimal spawning conditions.

Advanced hunting tactics include monitoring weather patterns and time-of-day cycles, as certain conditions may influence spawn density. Early morning and dusk periods often yield increased activity, while overcast conditions sometimes boost encounter rates for this unique dark-type Pokemon.

Transforming Inkay into Malamar demands precise execution of multiple conditional requirements. The Pokemon must reach at minimum level 30, though wild-caught specimens in the Terarium typically exceed level 50, reducing the immediate leveling burden.

The critical distinction between battle-earned experience and candy-distributed EXP represents the most common evolution failure point. While experience candy can accelerate progression to near-level thresholds, the actual evolution-triggering experience must originate from combat against either wild Pokemon or trainer battles. Inkay itself doesn’t need to participate directly in the fighting, but must be in your active party during the encounter.

Controller configuration proves equally crucial: your Nintendo Switch must operate in handheld mode with attached Joy-Cons, and no external controllers can remain active during the evolution sequence. The system detects controller status and orientation through multiple sensor inputs, requiring genuine physical inversion of the entire console unit.

Evolution success visualization: Proper controller orientation and timing synchronization are essential for triggering Malamar transformation.

Experience distribution occurs rapidly in Scarlet and Violet, creating a narrow window for successful orientation detection. Optimal technique involves initiating the flip maneuver the moment enemy HP reaches zero, maintaining inverted positioning throughout the experience gain animation and subsequent evolution sequence initiation.

Seasoned trainers recommend preparing Inkay approximately 100-200 EXP points below the next level threshold using candy, then engaging low-level wild Pokemon for controlled evolution triggering. This approach minimizes risk and resource expenditure during potentially multiple attempt scenarios.

Common failure analysis identifies three primary issues: external controller interference, insufficient battle-earned EXP, and mistimed orientation changes. The system’s sensitivity to controller state means any active Pro Controller or detached Joy-Con will invalidate the evolution attempt regardless of proper physical positioning.

If an evolution attempt fails, the only recourse involves leveling Inkay again through battle EXP while repeating the complete upside-down methodology. There are no shortcuts or alternative activation methods—the physical console manipulation remains mandatory for evolutionary success.

Successful evolution yields Malamar, a powerful dark/psychic dual-type with enhanced stats and movepool capabilities. The evolved form gains access to superior dark-type attacks and improved bulk, making the effort investment worthwhile for competitive team building and completionist collections.

No reproduction without permission：SeeYouSoon Game Club » How To Evolve Inkay Into Malamar In Pokemon Scarlet And Violet DLC Complete guide to finding Inkay locations and mastering its unique upside-down evolution mechanics