Evolution is a strange phenomenon within the Pokemon world. Most Pokemon will evolve by leveling up or from an evolutionary stone/evolutionary item. Then there are those that evolve only if they know a certain move. Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet grants never-before-seen evolutions to familiar faces, but getting them to evolve can be time-consuming.

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Most of the Pokemon with this method in Scarlet/Violet will undergo evolution as long as the required move is in their Moveset. However, for some Pokemon, this may not be enough. Certain species will have an additional requirement in order to evolve. The following guide details everything there is to know about these Pokemon and what they need for their evolutions.

Pokemon With Evolution Moves

Most of the Pokemon listed below can be caught around the beginning to the midway point of Scarlet/Violet, especially if players are pursuing the Victory Road storyline. As most trainers know, the best way to catch Pokemon is by weakening them and inflicting status ailments. In Scarlet/Violet, players may want to have a few gym badges to make the catching process easier. A trainer with zero badges will have a harder time catching a Pokemon like Girafarig, compared to a trainer that has four badges.

*Eevee needs to have at least one Fairy-type Move in its Moveset. It has two Fairy-type moves in its Learnset. Alternatively, Eevee can learn a Fairy-type Move via TM.

Once the Pokemon has the required move in its moveset, it should evolve. For example, if Girafarig reaches level 32, it will have the chance to learn Twin Beam. After Twin Beam has replaced an old move, the evolution will commence. If it passes on learning the move, then it will level without evolving.

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In case the Pokemon is well beyond the level it learns the required move, players can make it "remember" by going into the Pokemon's Moves & Stats page (in summary). Have it remember the move, then level it up once, and it should evolve.

Tips For Evolving & Finding Pokemon With Evolution-Inducing Moves

The quickest way to level up Pokemon is by feeding them Exp. Candies or Rare Candies. The Rare Candies can be picked up as "Poke Ball" items around Paldea, and the Exp. Candies will appear as glowing sparkles on the ground. Alternatively, players can take on Tera Raids and get Exp. Candies from there. Successfully completing a 5-6 Star Tera Raids will give Exp. Candy XL and Exp. Candy L compared to lower-star Raids, which may give Exp. Candy XS. Pokemon like Girafarig and Dunsparce can also be caught at higher-leveled regions in the game, if Scarlet/Violet players don't mind waiting to get their own Dudunsparce or Farigiraf.

As stated, Pokemon like Eevee and Primeape require an additional step in order to evolve. Primeape will need to use the move Rage Fist 20 times while Eevee needs high friendship:

The best way to get Primeape to evolve into Annihilape is to have it battle lower-leveled Pokemon that do not have resistance or immunity to Ghost-type Moves (Dark-type and Normal-type respectively). Those familiar with Pokemon Legends: Arceus should already know that evolution-inducing moves like Rage Fist do not need to be used 20 times in one battle. Primeape can use Rage Fist twice in one battle and three times in another, and so forth.

Eevee's friendship needs to have three hearts during picnics. Trainers can increase Eevee's friendship by making sandwiches or washing it at picnics. Outside of the Picnic Feature, Eevee can bond with its trainer by using the Let's Go feature. This is where the Lead Pokemon will walk alongside its trainer. Eevee will pick up any nearby items and can even auto-battle. For players that want to use Eevee in battle, avoid having it faint, and don't give it bitter herbs (ex: Energy Root). If Eevee needs its HP recovered in battle, use a Potion or Berry instead.

• Remember that Eevee also needs a Fairy-type move. If Eevee has high Friendship but does not have (example:) Baby-Doll Eyes or Charm in its Moveset, it will instead evolve into Espeon or Umbreon depending on the in-game time of day.

Trainers that don't want to waste any Exp. Candies or additional time in raising these Pokemon can try their luck with Tera Raids or by searching for them in the wild:

• Pokemon like Annihilape will appear as a 5-Star Raid Pokemon, which unlocks in the postgame.
• Sudowoodo and Tsareena can be found wandering in higher-leveled Provinces.
• Sylveon can be caught in its Terastallized Form outside of Ortega's Base.
• Dudunsparce and Farigiraf can be caught at level 60+ in Area Zero.

Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet are available for Nintendo Switch.