Pokemon Scarlet & Violet: How to Catch Bagon and Evolve It

Quick Links

• Where to Find Bagon

  • Bagon Location in Pokemon Violet

• How to Get Bagon in Pokemon Scarlet

  • How to Trade and Transfer Pokemon

• How to Evolve Bagon into Shelgon and Salamence

  • What Level Does Bagon Evolve

• Is Salamence Good?

  • Salamence Strengths & Weaknesses
  • Recommended Moves

Bagon, a Dragon-type Pokémon, evolves into the formidable Salamence, and you can add one to your team in Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. However, if you're playing Pokémon Scarlet, you'll find that Bagon and its evolutions are exclusive to Pokémon Violet. To complete your Paldea Pokédex, you'll need to catch Bagon, Shelgon, and Salamence.

Updated on January 13, 2025 by Renri Seong: Bagon, a Dragon-type Pokémon, evolves into the powerful Salamence, and you can include one in your team in Pokémon Violet. There are several ways to catch Bagon and even its evolved form, Shelgon. However, if you're aiming to complete the Pokédex in Pokémon Scarlet, you'll need to transfer one from Violet. Like Dragonite, Salamence is a Dragon/Flying-type pseudo-legendary with a base stat total of 600. But how does Salamence compare to the first pseudo-legendary of the Pokémon world? Is it worth catching? This guide has been updated to provide detailed information on Salamence's stats, type effectiveness, and recommended moves.

Where to Find Bagon

Bagon Location in Pokemon Violet

You can find Bagon in various locations in Pokémon Violet, but starting your search in East Province (Area Three) is recommended due to its expansive size and numerous caves to explore.

If you're still in the starting area, you can catch a fixed spawn Bagon on a mountain in South Province (Area Five). Climb the mountain located southwest of the bridge that connects the grassy and rocky regions of South Province (Area Five).

Another recommended spot is Dalizapa Passage, situated north of The Great Crater of Paldea and south of Glaseado Mountain. Upon arrival, you'll find a deep hole in the ground with a Pokémon Center. You can ride Koraidon or Miraidon to jump down the hole or walk down it from one of the many cavern entrances leading to it. This location, though less open than East Province, is a cave where you can encounter several rare Pokémon, including Bagon and Frigibax.

If you enjoy participating in raids, you can catch Bagon from 3-star Tera Raids, which unlock after obtaining three gym badges. Note that Bagon's Tera Type may differ from its regular type when caught from a raid. However, Pokémon from 3-star Raids may have their Hidden Ability, which is something to consider when seeking Bagon.

How to Get Bagon in Pokemon Scarlet

How to Trade and Transfer Pokemon

Since you can't catch Bagon or its evolutions in Pokémon Scarlet, you'll need to trade with a Pokémon Violet player or transfer Bagon using Pokémon HOME. To trade, you can either create or join a Group via the Union Circle. To use online features, you'll need a Nintendo Switch Online Membership. Transferring Bagon from another game might be a more straightforward option.

If Pokémon HOME is on your Switch, you can use it to move Bagon from other games such as Pokémon Sword/Shield (Expansion Pass), Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl, or Pokémon HOME.

1. Open HOME, then choose the game from which you'll be transferring Bagon.
2. Move Bagon to your Basic Box (the box on the left side of the screen), and save and exit.
3. Now, open your Pokémon Scarlet file and move Bagon from the Basic Box to one of your Scarlet PC Boxes.
4. Save and exit.

When you open Pokémon Scarlet, Bagon should be in the PC Box you placed it in, and you should have its Dex Entry completed.

How to Evolve Bagon into Shelgon and Salamence

What Level Does Bagon Evolve

To evolve Bagon, you need to raise its level to 30, at which point it will evolve into Shelgon. From there, level Shelgon up to 50 to evolve it into Salamence. The quickest way to do this is by having your Bagon/Shelgon auto-battle Pokémon around its level.

If you're not EV training, have your Bagon auto-battle Pokémon like Chansey, which provide more experience than most Pokémon. Chanseys can be found in East Province (Area Two), North Province (Area One-Three), Casseroya Lake, and West Province (Area Two-Three).

Alternatively, you can use Exp. Candy to level up your Bagon or Shelgon. One piece of Exp. Candy L or Exp. Candy XL will elevate their level more than once. Exp. Candy M works too, but you may need to use more of them if you're evolving Shelgon into Salamence.

You can also obtain Shelgon and Salamence from 4-star Tera Raids and 5/6-star Tera Raids, respectively.

Is Salamence Good?

Salamence Strengths & Weaknesses

Salamence, along with Metagross, was introduced as a pseudo-legendary Pokémon in Generation 3. Pseudo-Legendary Pokémon are non-legendary with a base stat total of 600, making them highly sought after by trainers and ideal for PVP when properly raised.

| HP: | 95 | | Attack: | 135 | | Special Attack:| 110 | | Defense: | 80 | | Special Defense:| 80 | | Speed: | 100 | | Total: | 600 |

A recommended Nature for Salamence is Adamant (+Attk, -Sp.Attk) or Lonely (+Attk, -Def).

Salamence is a Dragon/Flying-type Pokémon, which means it can learn both Dragon and Flying-type moves, making it super effective against a variety of Pokémon. However, its Dragon/Flying dual-typing leaves it vulnerable to one significant weakness.

| Super-effective against: | Dragon, | | Weaknesses: | Ice (x4), Fairy, Dragon, Rock, | | Resistances: | Grass (x1/4), Water, Fire, Fighting, Bug | | Immunities: | Ground |

Recommended Moves

Salamence's learnset primarily consists of physical moves, which aligns well with its higher Attack stat compared to its Special Attack. You can opt for moves like Dragon Claw, a physical move, over Dragon Breath, which is a special move. To cover its Fairy and Rock weaknesses, you can teach it Iron Head via TM099.

Despite having a higher Attack, Salamence's base Special Attack is still respectable, and you can train it as a special attacker if you prefer. In this case, a Timid (+Spd, -Attk) Nature might be more suitable than Adamant or Lonely. A Salamence trained as a special attacker will make better use of moves like Draco Meteor and Flamethrower.