TL;DR
- Complete gym leader rematches to unlock the replayable Academy Ace Tournament with level 65+ opponents
- Progress through 5-star raids to unlock elite 6-star black crystal raids for exclusive rewards
- Capture a duplicate box legendary in Area Zero for full battle functionality
- Hunt four dark-type legendaries by collecting eight stakes per shrine
- Farm Herba Mystica from high-level raids for shiny hunting and side quests
Once you’ve conquered the main storyline in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, a wealth of challenging content awaits to test your trainer skills. The Paldea region transforms into your personal proving ground with activities that push your strategic thinking to new heights.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet revolutionized the series with their truly open-world design, but the post-game experience maintains the franchise’s tradition of providing substantial endgame content. Beyond the three main story paths, you’ll discover opportunities that extend your adventure significantly, including Pokedex completion and specialized battle challenges that demand advanced team building.
The premier post-game activity is undoubtedly the Academy Ace tournament, where students and faculty members compete in an elimination-style championship. To qualify for this prestigious event, you must first complete gym inspections across all eight Paldea gyms. These aren’t simple revisits—you’ll face dramatically upgraded teams with Pokemon exceeding level 65, and each leader now fields at least five powerful creatures. Pro tip: Prepare type-counter teams in advance rather than relying on a single overpowered Pokemon.
Successfully clearing all eight gym rematches grants you tournament access. The competition spans four consecutive rounds against opponents wielding level 65+ Pokemon with either five or six team members. While your Pokemon receive automatic healing between matches, the consecutive nature means you cannot switch team members mid-tournament. This tournament offers unlimited replayability, making it perfect for testing different team compositions and earning valuable rewards.
After your initial Academy Ace tournament victory, the game unlocks five-star Tera Raids, presenting significantly tougher battles with superior rewards. The map interface frustratingly doesn’t display raid star levels, forcing you to physically investigate each crystal to identify high-level encounters. A common mistake is underestimating the difficulty spike—these raids require coordinated type advantages and understanding of Tera mechanics.
Completing ten five-star raids unlocks the pinnacle of PvE content: six-star raids. These appear as distinctive black crystals scattered throughout Paldea and offer exclusive items unavailable elsewhere, including Ability Patches and the coveted Herba Mystica. Both five-star and six-star raids represent the game’s most demanding battles, necessitating level 100 Pokemon and sophisticated battle strategies. For optimal team building, consult our Class Guide to understand role specialization principles.
Herba Mystica drops from both raid tiers but appears significantly more frequently in six-star encounters. This precious resource enables creation of Shiny sandwiches, dramatically increasing shiny Pokemon encounter rates—essential for dedicated shiny hunters. The Sweet Herba Mystica variant also serves as a quest item for Mr. Saguaro, the Home Economics teacher, but only after completing his coursework and advancing his academy storyline. Expert players recommend farming specific raid dens known for higher Herba Mystica drop rates.
Upon completing the main narrative, your Koraidon/Moraidon gains full battle capability alongside its mount functions. Due to their unique nature, these legendaries cannot be boxed in PC storage nor used simultaneously as mounts and battle partners. To resolve this limitation, return to Area Zero’s climax location to capture the second Koraidon/Moraidon, providing a fully functional duplicate box legendary that operates like any standard Pokemon. This acquisition typically takes 30-45 minutes with proper preparation.
Paldea hosts four additional legendary Pokemon—Wo-Chien, Chien-Pao, Ting-Lu, and Chi-Yu—collectively known as the Treasures of Ruin. These dark-type entities remain sealed within regional shrines, each secured by eight corresponding stakes. You must locate all eight stakes for each legendary to unlock their respective shrines and challenge them. For comprehensive stake locations and shrine unlocking strategies, reference dedicated guide resources. These legendaries present unique capture challenges requiring specialized battle approaches, similar to mastering Weapons Unlock systems in other games.
Beyond these primary activities, dedicated trainers can pursue complete Pokedex completion, competitive team building, and shiny hunting. The post-game offers approximately 20-30 hours of additional content for completionists. Strategic planning for legendary hunts can save hours of backtracking—consider mapping stake locations systematically rather than random exploration. For a holistic approach to post-game mastery, our Complete Guide provides foundational principles applicable across gaming genres.
Action Checklist
- Complete all eight gym leader rematches (level 65+) to qualify for Academy Ace Tournament
- Win the Academy Ace Tournament to unlock 5-star Tera Raids
- Complete 10 five-star raids to access elite six-star black crystal raids
- Capture duplicate box legendary in Area Zero for full battle functionality
- Collect all stakes for each dark legendary shrine (32 total)
- Farm Herba Mystica from high-level raids for shiny hunting
No reproduction without permission:SeeYouSoon Game Club » Pokemon Scarlet And Violet Endgame – What To Do After You Beat The Story Master Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's post-game with expert strategies for tournaments, raids, and legendary captures
