Pokémon Scarlet and Violet: The Indigo Disk DLC Doubles the Battles — and the Fun

Last year’s Pokémon Scarlet and Violet didn’t have nearly enough double battles. Outside of Ryme, the ghost-type gym leader, there were hardly any chances to fight two Pokémon at once, which offers some of the more challenging, strategic face-offs in the game series. The new DLC, The Indigo Disk, is here to drastically change that.

The Indigo Disk picks up after the previous DLC, The Teal Mask. After the main story of Scarlet and Violet, you travel to the distant land of Kitakami and enroll as a foreign exchange student at the Blueberry Academy, which specializes exclusively in double battles. Like the previous ninth generation Pokémon games, you explore an open world with different environments, capture wild Pokémon and battle trainers until you become the very best.

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The Indigo Disk takes places in the Blueberry Academy’s secure, underwater campus, which houses four distinct biomes. There are frigid tundras, sunny beaches, grassy plains and rocky mountains that all house dozens upon dozens of different Pokémon. In total, there are more than 200 various Pokémon that you can find in The Indigo Disk.

The most exciting new addition in the DLC is the focus on double battles. Every person you face, from the average trainer out in the open world to the brand new Elite Four, will toss out two Pokémon for you to take on at once. That means double the type match-ups, moves and strategy. Suddenly moves like Stealth Rock, Trick Room, Heal Pulse and Helping Hand are a lot more important.

Make sure your team is well-rounded and leveled up, because the new Elite Four means business. One of their members, Amarys, specializes in steel types and has a few tricks up her sleeves. In a demo played before release, the battle was harder than many of the face-offs in Scarlet and Violet, boding well for fans who want a little extra challenge in their Pokémon games.

The Indigo Disk DLC releases for Nintendo Switch on Dec. 14.

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