Quick Links
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet gives players three main story paths to follow, and for those that are going down Starfall Street, they'll need to eventually face off against Giacomo, the leader of Team Star's Dark Crew. Of course, players can take on the bases in any order they like, but each boss does have a set level of Pokemon, and some are harder than others.
This guide will go over the Dark Crew base and help trainers beat Giacomo and claim the rewards for taking the base down.
How to Get to the Dark Crew Base
The Dark Crew base can be found on the west side of the Paldea region, just outside Cascarrafa to the south and southeast of the Asado Desert. If players have yet to take down the base, the location will show up on the map, which can be opened by pressing the Y button in the field.
Before heading into the Dark Crew base, players should try and have a Pokemon that has Bug, Fairy, or Fighting-type moves. Giacomo's base has Dark-type Pokemon, so these types will help counter.
Grunt Battle
Once players approach the base, they'll have to fight against a Team Star Grunt that has a level 19 Murkrow. If anyone needs help, Murkrow is weak to Rock, Electric, Fairy, and Ice.
Dark Crew Star Barrage
After the grunt is defeated, Pokemon Scarlet & Violet players have to get through the Dark Crew's Star Barrage. If this is the players' first time taking on a base, they'll need to use the first three Pokemon in their party to defeat 30 of Team Star's Pokemon in less than 10 minutes.
The Pokemon will need to be defeated by using the Let's Go auto-battle mechanic, pressing the R button to send Pokemon out to fight in the wild. If players end up taking tons of damage, seek out a nearby vending machine or go back to the front entrance and speak to Clive --he'll heal players' teams.
Here's a list of some of the Pokemon that will appear during the Dark Crew's Star Barrage:
- Sneasel (Dark/Ice type)
- Sableye (Dark/Ghost type)
- Pawniard (Dark/Steel type)
- Nymble (Bug type)
- Stunky (Poison/Dark type)
- Zorua (Dark type)
How to Beat Giacomo
Thankfully, Giacomo is kind of a pushover when it comes to the five Team Star bosses. He's the weakest one and only has two Pokemon on his team.
He will first send out a Level 21 Pawniard, a Dark/Steel-type Pokemon that is weak to Ground, Fire, and Fighting-type moves. After that, trainers will face off against his level 20 Dark-type Segin Starmobile. It's weak to Bug, Fairy, and Fighting-type moves.
Rewards for Beating Giacomo and the Dark Crew Base
After beating the Dark-type Team Star boss, players will be rewarded with a Star Badge, League Points (LP), TM 62 (Foul Play), new craftable TMs, and materials for making said TMs.
Rematch with Giacomo (Post-Game)
After trainers finish the storyline of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, they'll be able to head back to all five Team Star bases and speak to the bosses to have a rematch against them. Of course, their team will be much stronger than the first time around.
Giacomo will have five Pokemon on his team: Honchkrow, Cacturne, Krookodile, Mabosstiff, and Kingambit. Below, players can see each Pokemon's weaknesses and moveset. Most of the Pokemon on his team are weak to Fighting, Fire, and Fairy-type moves, so keep that in mind before starting the battle. Giacomo will be standing in the middle of the campground near a huge tent.
Pokemon | Type | Weakness | Moves |
---|---|---|---|
Cacturne (Lv 65) | Grass/Dark |
|
|
Kingambit (Lv 66) | Dark/Steel |
|
|
Honchkrow (Lv 65) | Dark/Flying |
|
|
Krookodile (Lv 65) | Ground/Dark |
|
|
Mabosstiff (Lv 65) | Dark |
|
|
After beating Giacomo, players will get some prize money. Like the other Team Star bosses, Giacomo can be challenged to a rematch daily; however, he will have the same team of Pokemon.
Pokemon Scarlet & Violet are available for the Nintendo Switch.