PKMBuy - How does the Terastal phenomenon work in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet?

A new Pokémon form for the Terastal phenomenon new game, many Trainers don't yet know how it works in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.

Once you arrive at the Academy, you'll receive your Tera Orb from Nemona, and from then on, you can Terastallize once every time you visit the Pokémon Center. You can also refresh your Tera Orb by pressing A to interact with Tera Raid Crystals, which appear on your map as six-pointed stars with a Pokémon type inside.

Terastallizing swaps your Pokémon's current type for your Tera type. For example, if you have a Poison / Ground cross-type like Paldean Wooper, and its Tera type is Grass, it will only become a Grass type defensively, and take on Grass' weaknesses and strengths, such as resistance to water and fire weak point attack.

Your Tera-type moves also gain 1.5x bonus damage when you Terrastalize. In the example above, your Paldean Wooper would gain bonus damage from any grass attack it performed. However, it does not lose its original same-type attack bonus or STAB, which means it gains the usual poison and ground movement damage bonuses.

It's worth noting that if your Tera type is the same as one of your original types, the bonuses from STAB and Terrastallization will stack. If your Wooper's Tera type is Poison, it will do 2x damage with poison attacks when it is Terrastalized, and 1.5x when it is not.

Also, while discussing how the Terastal phenomenon works in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, it's worth mentioning that you'll get a Tera Blast TM after beating a few Gyms. This is an action that, if used while Terastallized, deals Pokémon Tera-type damage and uses the Pokémon's special attack and stats higher in the attack. If your Pokémon hasn't learned any other Tera-type moves, Tera Blast will always allow you to take advantage of its bonus damage.

All of this means that, sometimes, having the same Tera type as the Pokémon's usual type isn't a bad thing, as it increases your damage. On the other hand, having different Tera types can help your defense by changing your type weaknesses, or allow you to additionally hit Pokémon with move types that wouldn't normally receive STABs.

That's all you need to know about how the Terastal phenomenon works and how to Terastallize Pokémon. For more Pokémon Scarlet and Violet guides, check out at PKMBuy, and of course, you can buy shiny Pokémon Scarlet and Violet and Held Items here.