With the new open-world design in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet allowing you to choose which gym order to take, here are some tips to make your gym order the best possible. Essentially, with some gyms scaling higher than others, aspects such as your Pokémon team’s types and how you want to challenge yourself will dictate where to start and where to finish.
The gym leader list
If you’re looking simply at the levels of the gym leaders across Paldea, here is the rundown:
- Cortondo Gym – Katy (Bug-Type), with two level 14 Pokémon and one level 15 Pokémon
- Artazon Gym – Brasslus (Grass-Type), with two level 16 Pokémon and one level 17 Pokémon
- Levincia Gym – Iono (Electric-Type), with three level 23 Pokémon and one level 24 Pokémon
- Cascarafa Gym – Kofu (Water-Type), with two level 29 Pokémon and one level 30 Pokémon
- Medali Gym – Larry (Normal-Type), with two level 35 Pokémon and one level 36 Pokémon
- Montenevera Gym – Ryme (Ghost-Type), with three level 41 Pokémon and one level 42 Pokémon
- Alfornada Gym – Tulip (Psychic-Type), with three level 44 Pokémon and one level 45 Pokémon
- Glasedao Gym- Grusha (Ice-Type), with three level 47 Pokémon and one level 48 Pokémon
For Fuecoco starters, the list is a decent path
Going solely off of the gym leaders types and their levels, if you have either the Fire-Type starter Fuecoco or a strong Fire-Type Pokémon, going down that list as written makes sense. However, you might skip the Casarrafa Gym and come back to it later if you only got those Fire-Types as your strongest Pokémon. The benefit for trainers who choose Fuecoco first is that you might be able to beat the toughest gym by level, Glasedao, easier than most.
For Quaxly or Sprigatito starters, go with the easiest and build your way up
If you have either of the other two starters, Quaxly or Sprigatito, the gym order becomes a little more optional. The first two gyms aren’t nearly as easy for those trainers as it is for Fuecoco-focused trainers. In the end, choose one of the first two easiest gyms, Cortondo or Artazon, and try and build a team to beat it. Then, when you’re stronger, go deal with the other. Starting with the Cortondo Gym makes sense for Quaxly owners thanks to their ability to get Wing Attack, but be careful for those Grass-Type moves some Bug Pokémon got.
Then, based on the types and the strength of your party, choose which gyms are best for you. Just know that their levels might not be as scary if you have a strong type that counters theirs. You will have a more challenging time, with Quaxly owners having the worst matchups against most gyms.
Those gyms take time to get to, so consider building your team knowing you need a Fire-Type or a Fairy-Type to deal with the later gym leaders. Take your time, build your team with some of the non-gym quests and then go in. Some of the Team Star bases are easily beaten with Water Pokémon, so go for that first before your gym crusade.
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