Pokemon Scarlet & Violet gives players a chance to score some rare items at the Porto Marinada auction house. Players have the chance to potentially get Apricorn Poke Balls, evolution stones, and other items.
Players are introduced to the auction house fairly early in the Pokemon Scarlet & Violet story. Cascarrafa gym leader Kofu skips town on the player, who needs to chase him to Porto Marinada, where he wants to do some shopping. Unfortunately, he left his wallet, and the player needs to chase him down in order to give it to him and set up a gym battle.
This introduces players to the auction house, a new feature added to the game. After beating Kofu, players can take advantage of this to obtain items that have traditionally only been available in limited quantities and others that are just helpful.
How Do Auctions Work in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet?
The auction house has a rotating stock of items players bid on against random NPCs. Each day, three merchants will have items available for auction. The exact item selection is random, and the quantity can change for certain items.
Also at the auction house is another merchant that sells items with unique mechanics for certain Pokemon the player has caught. The example most players will encounter is the Rotom Catalog, used to change a Rotom’s form.
Data miners and players using modified saves have reported that items like Arceus’ plates, Calyrex’s Reins of Unity, and Hoopa’s Prison Bottle will also appear at with this merchant if the player has any of these Pokemon. Those Pokemon are transfer-only and not available without using third-party tools. The items will not appear unless the player owns the Pokemon.
Auction House Items in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet
The Auction House in Porto Marinada lets players buy a number of rare items, including Apricorn Balls, Premier Balls, and more. Alongside this are a variety of healing items, EV-altering items, and evolution items. Here is the complete list of items:
- Potion
- Fresh Water
- Soda Pop
- Super Potion
- Lemonade
- Moomoo Milk
- Hyper Potion
- Poke Ball
- Great Ball
- Ultra Ball
- Heal Ball
- Net Ball
- Nest Ball
- Repeat Ball
- Dive Ball
- Luxury Ball
- Dusk Ball
- Timer Ball
- Premier Ball
- Herbed Sausage
- Horseradish
- Curry Powder
- Klawf Stick
- Health Feather
- Muscle Feather
- Resist Feather
- Genius Feather
- Clever Feather
- Swift Feather
- Pomeg Berry
- Kelpsy Berry
- Hondew Berry
- Grepa Berry
- Tamato Berry
- HP Up
- Protein
- Iron
- Calcium
- Zinc
- Carbos
- PP Up
- PP Max
- Sun Stone
- Moon Stone
- Shiny Stone
- Dawn Stone
- Dusk Stone
- King’s Rock
- Metal Coat
- Razor Claw
- Chipped Pot
- Cracked Pot
- Bottle Cap
- Gold Bottle Cap
- Fast Ball
- Level Ball
- Lure Ball
- Heavy Ball
- Friend Ball
- Dream Ball
- Moon Ball
The most notable aspect of the list is that every type of Poke Ball is available at the auction except for Master Balls. This includes the extremely rare Apricorn Balls. In recent generations, players have only had access to one of each ball per playthrough outside of rare Mystery Gift events. There are also helpful ingredients for sandwich-making.
Competitive players will also be well-served checking the inventory each day for EV-influencing items. Berries for resetting EVs and the feathers for precise EV changes are relatively difficult to come by. Players can also potentially get expensive vitamins at a lower price than they can find at any Chansey Supplies location.
How to Change Auction Items
Pokemon Scarlet & Violet’s auctions change items at the start of each in-game day as determined by the day/night cycle. Players can change their Nintendo Switch’s clock to forcibly reset the Pokemon Scarlet & Violet auction items.
There is an alternative for players who are squeamish about changing their Nintendo Switch clock. As of version 1.1.0, players can save at the auction house, wait for the day to turn over, check the items that are available, and close out of the game if they aren’t satisfactory via the Nintendo Switch’s home menu. A different set of items will appear each time the game is reloaded until the player saves once again.
Is There a Trick to Winning Auctions in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet?
No reliable trick for winning auctions has been discovered in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet. Because of this, players have regularly seen bids driven up well past the regular store price for certain items.
Players have theories regarding the behaviors of certain NPCs who appear at auctions, but data miners or developers have not confirmed these. It’s also possible that different NPCs have a hidden maximum bid that they won’t exceed, and players just need to clear it, which would mean that there isn't really a "trick" to winning auctions, and it's just a matter of spending enough money.
The only option players have for pulling in items at lower prices is to save before joining the auction and reload if they lose or if the price goes too high. Apricorn Balls will inevitably see their prices rise much higher than the initial $100,000 bid, and items like Luxury Balls and vitamins often float higher than the price they can be purchased for at stores. Still, this is the best way to stock up on some items and the only way to get additional Apricorn Balls.
Pokemon Scarlet & Violet are available now for Nintendo Switch.