The Weirdest Pokemon Evolution Methods in the Scarlet and Violet DLC

Listen, there are some weird Pokemon evolutions out there, and Pokemon Scarlet and Violet have them in spades. Sometimes the cute little guy you first caught will evolve into an absolute monstrosity, or just something a little bit… off. But who doesn’t love a good motley crew?

The Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Teal Mask DLC introduced some new and classic Pokemon to the game, but evolving them isn’t always a straightforward process. Here are some of the most sought-after Pokemon evolution methods in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet The Teal Mask DLC and the Pokemon Indigo Disk DLC.

How to Evolve Nosepass in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

This adorable little Moai (or Easter Island head) of a Pokemon makes a return in the Pokemon Scarlet and Violet DLC, but evolving Nosepass is different this time around.

Once you’ve found Nosepass in the northwestern corner of Kitakami (we recommend looking in Paradise Barrens) you will need to expose Nosepass to a Thunder Stone in order to evolve it into its next strange form, Probopass. Alternatively, if you don’t want to evolve Nosepass, you can sometimes find and defeat Probopass in either a 5-Star or 6-Star Tera Raid.

How to Evolve Aipom in Pokemon Scarlet/Violet

• Teach Aipom the Double Hit move
• Defeat in Tera Raid Battle

It’s always been just a little disconcerting that Aipom evolves from a cute little monkey with a hand on its tail to a cute little monkey with… they kind of look like udders, okay? If you want Aipom’s evolution, Ambipom, however, you can evolve your Aipom using this trick.

First, you will want to teach your Aipom the move Double Hit. Aipom should learn the Double Hit move naturally at Level 32. Once Aipom knows Double Hit, you only need to level it up once more and it evolves into Ambipom!

How to Evolve Lampent in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

Yep, a chandelier Pokemon. Starting out as the precious candle Pokemon, Litwick, you can take its second evolution Lampent another level and get yourself your very own Chandelure.

To evolve Lampent into Chandelure, you will need to expose your Lampent to Dusk Stone. There is a guaranteed drop of Dusk Stone behind the Montenevera Gym, if you’re having trouble finding some. Otherwise, you can skip evolving Lampent altogether and capture a Chandelure after defeating one in a 5-Star or 6-Star Tera Raid Battle.

How to Evolve Weepinbell in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

• Expose to Leaf Stone
• Defeat in high-level Tera Raid Battle

It has to be said. Weepinbell goes from looking very much like a mouth to evolving into a mouth with sharp teeth. If this cursed creature is your cup of tea though, you can catch Weepinbell and evolve it into your very own Victreebel!

To evolve Weepinbell, you’ll need to expose your Weepinbell to a Leaf Stone. We recommend looking for Leaf Stone in Tagtree Thicket, or you can just buy one. You can also just capture a Victreebel by defeating it in a higher-level Tera Raid Battle.

How to Evolve Dusclops in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

• Trade while holding Reaper Cloth
• Defeat in high-level Tera Raid Battle

This strange Ghost-type Pokemon Dusclops can only be evolved into a Dusknoir by trading it at Level 37. However, there’s a catch! The Dusclops must be holding a Reaper Cloth when traded. To find one, head to the Timeless Woods in Kitakami, and look around the ground in the center of it, to the south, for a Poke Ball on the ground containing one. Dusclops is one of several Pokemon in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet that can only evolve when traded.

The only other way to snag yourself the sinister Dusknoir Pokemon is to defeat one in a high-level Tera Raid in Kitakami.

How to Evolve Poliwhirl in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

Okay, so Poliwhirl really isn’t that “weird” for a Pokemon, at least when you compare it to others. What’s strange about Poliwhirl is that it’s one of the few Pokemon that has a “branching” evolution. Not only that, but its Politoed evolution circumvents the usual standard in which an adorable Pokemon evolves into a “tougher” looking Pokemon.

If you want to evolve your Poliwhirl into a cute Politoed instead of Poliwrath, you will need to trade it while it’s holding a King’s Rock at Level 25. You can get King’s Rock from Delibird Presents. The only other way you’ll encounter a Politoed in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet is in a high-level Tera Raid Battle in Kitakami.

How to Evolve Feebas in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

• Trade while holding a Prism Scale
• Defeat Milotic in 5-Star or 6-Star Tera Raid Battles

This very decased-looking fish Pokemon, Feebas, is tough to locate in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. If you need help tracking Feebas down, try using our Where to Find Feebas in The Teal Mask DLC guide.

Originally, Feebas would only evolve into Milotic once it was as beautiful as it could be, but since that old Pokemon Contest mechanic is missing from Scarlet and Violet, you’ll have to follow a different method. Once you’ve caught Feebas, the next step is to give it a Prism Scale and trade it. Once traded, it will evolve into a Milotic! If you’re up for the challenge, alternatively you can defeat Milotic in a 5-Star or 6-Star Tera Raid Battle found in the Kitakami region.

How to Evolve Applin in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

• Expose to a Syrupy Apple
• Defeat Dipplin in 4-Star Tera Raid Battle

Dipplin is a new, strange candied apple Pokemon introduced in The Teal Mask DLC. To get it, you’ll first need to find an Applin. These are easier to find in Kitakami, specifically the Apple Hills. Applin already had two different evolutions depending on the type of apple you expose it to, and Dipplin is now the third. Once you have acquired an Applin, simply expose it to the new Syrupy Apple! You can also find Dipplin in 6-Star Tera Raid Battles in Blueberry Academy’s Terarium.

How to Evolve Dipplin in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

• Teach it Dragon Cheer and level it up once

Hydrapple is really just a collection of six “syrpents” who live in an apple made of syrup. Really. It’s the new second stage evolution of the Applin line introduced in The Indigo Disk DLC, and to get it, you’ll need to evolve the more subdued Dipplin. Dipplin will need to learn Dragon Cheer via TM before it can level up and evolve. To get the Dragon Cheer TM, defeat a certain BB League Elite Four member in the Polar Biome.

How to Evolve Hisuian Qwilfish in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

• Teach it Barb Barrage and level it up
• Defeat Overqwil in 6-Star Tera Raid Battles in Blueberry Academy’s Terarium

Hisuian Qwilfish and Overqwil aren’t too strange, considering they’re kind of inspired by real-life sea creatures, but the method to evolve Hisuian Qwilfish is a fairly unique one. It needs to know Barb Barrage first and then level up to evolve into Overqwil. You can also encounter the angry Overqwil in 6-Star Tera Raid Battles in Blueberry Academy’s Terarium.

How to Evolve Inkay in Pokemon Scarlet/Violet

• Level up Inkay to Lv. 30 or up while the Switch is upside down
• Defeat Malamar in 5- or 6-Star Tera Raid Battles in Blueberry Academy’s Terarium

Inkay is a cute ‘lil squid friend that evolves into Malamar, a curious Dark- and Psychic type Pokemon that can hypnotize its victim. The evolution method for Inkay has been stumping players since its inception, and the method hasn’t changed for its reintroduction in The Indigo Disk DLC. Level Inkay up to at least Level 30 while the console – yes, the entire Nintendo Switch – is upside down.

How to Evolve Milcery in Pokemon Scarlet/Violet

• Give Milcery a Sweet to hold and spin
• Defeat Malamar in 5- or 6-Star Tera Raid Battles in Blueberry Academy’s Terarium

Milcery’s a cute cream Pokemon first introduced in Pokemon Sword and Shield with a completely unique method of evolution that is… quite specific and strange. First, you must let it hold a Sweet. Then, exit the menu and twirl the control stick so your trainer spins–Milcery should evolve into Alcremie! A pile of whipped cream and strawberries. Well, its adornments will change based on the Sweet you gave it! Yum.

All Trade Evolution Pokemon in Scarlet/Violet

There are some Pokemon in Scarlet and Violet that require you to trade them before they’ll evolve. These Pokemon are Trade Evolutions.

Here is the list of all trade evolutions in Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet (and the DLC) as a quick reference:

• How to Evolve Scyther
  • Trade while it’s holding a Metal Coat
• How to Evolve Haunter
• How to Evolve Slowpoke
  • Trade while it’s holding a King’s Rock (for Slowking)
• How to Evolve Graveler
  • Trade at Level 25 or higher
• How to Evolve Gurdurr
  • Trade at Level 25 or higher
• How to Evolve Phantump
• How to Evolve Rhydon
  • Trade while it’s holding a Protector
• How to Evolve Electabuzz
  • Trade while it’s holding an Electirizer
• How to Evolve Magmar
  • Trade while it’s holding a Magmarizer
• How to Evolve Poliwhirl
  • Traide while it’s holding a King’s Rock (for Politoed)
• How to Evolve Gurdurr
• How to Evolve Seadra
  • Trade while it’s holding a Dragon Scale
• How to Evolve Dusclops
  • Trade while it’s holding a Reaper Cloth
• How to Evolve Feebas
  • Trade while it’s holding a Prism Scale
• How to Evolve Porygon
  • Trade while it’s holding an Upgrade
• How to Evolve Porygon 2
  • Trade while it’s holding a Dubious Disk
• How to Evolve Phantump

All of these evolutions can also be caught after defeating them in Tera Raid Battles if you’ve got what it takes, too.

Are there some Pokemon who you are hoping to evolve that weren’t on this list? You can find every Pokemon and their evolution items over on our How to Evolve Every Pokemon guide for Scarlet and Violet! On the flip side, if you are looking for more Teal Mask DLC help, check out our walkthrough or How to Catch the Loyal Three guides!

Shailyn Cotten is a Freelance Writer for IGN. When she’s not writing guides, you can find her gobbling up Legend of Zelda lore, writing cozy fantasy novels, or live-streaming on Twitch. You can find her on Twitter at @ShaiCotten.