Pokemon Scarlet & Violet fans can find Gen 5’s Basculin, along with its Hisui form, across Paldea and Kitakami. However, those who want to evolve it into Basculegion are going to have to put in some work. So, let’s break down where to find Basculin and how to evolve it into Basculegion in Gen 9.
Basculin returns in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, and although its evolved form, Basculegion, cannot be directly caught anywhere in Paldea, it is possible to obtain it.
Basculin is a Water-type Pokemon, while Basculegion is a Water/Ghost-type. Both resemble real-life piranhas with Basculegion also looking like a freshwater pike.
While Basculin made its debut in Gen 5 of the franchise, Basculegion didn’t arrive until Pokemon Legends Arceus. Below, we’ll cover where you can find Basculin in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet and how to get Basculegion in the game.
Basculin has three different forms, all of which are available in Scarlet & Violet. The red and blue-striped ones can be commonly found swimming in the river located in West Province (Area One) in Paldea.
White-striped Basculin only appear in the lake southwest of Timeless Woods in Kitakami. However, obtaining its evolved form is much more complicated.
Basculegion cannot be caught in the wild in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, as the Pokemon is native to the Hisui (ancient Sinnoh) region of the Pokemon universe.
However, there are two ways to obtain a Basculegion in Scarlet & Violet. The first one is to transfer it from Pokemon Home. For this, you’ll need to catch it in Pokemon Legends Arceus or evolve a Hisuian Basculin and then make the transfer.
The other way is to get a White-striped Basculin in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet’s Kitakami region and do the same evolving process as in Legends: Arceus. Here, Basculin must first take 294 damage or more in recoil damage without fainting during battle.
After that, you’ll have to level up your Basculin once (by natural means or with candies) to get Basculegion.
Keep in mind that Basculin learns three different moves that cause recoil: Take Down, Wave Crash and Double-Edge. You can spam any of them during battle until you reach the 294 damage by recoil goal in order to evolve it. If you evolve a female Basculin, your Basculegion will be white, and if it’s male the evolved Pokemon will be red.
So there you have it, how to find Basculin and get Basculegion in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet. Those looking to find out more about the game can check out our other guides below:
All new Pokemon in Scarlet & Violet | Starter Pokemon details | Scarlet & Violet Pokedex | What is Pokemon Scarlet & Violet’s region? | Everything we know about Scarlet & Violet so far | What is Terastallizing? | All Paldean forms | All new characters