Rotom is a dual Electric-Ghost-type that debuted in Pokemon Diamond/Pearl. With the enhanced version of Diamond/Pearl, Pokemon Platinum, Rotom could change its form and Typing with the help of the Rotom Catalog, which could only be obtained through an Event. In Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet, the Rotom Catalog isn't locked behind a special Event, which makes it much easier for players to change their own Rotom whenever they want.
It should be noted that the Rotom Phone that Scarlet & Violet trainers receive at the start is incapable of battling. Those that want to use Rotom in battle will need to catch one. To change its form, they'll need to buy the Rotom Catalog. Once Scarlet/Violet players have made some progress in the Victory Road quest, they'll be able to find Rotom and get the required Key Item (i.e: Rotom Catalog) without worry.
Where to Buy Rotom Catalog
To get the Rotom Catalog in Scarlet/Violet, trainers will need to first earn the Cascarrafa Gym Badge from Kofu. During Kofu's "gym test," the player character will be tasked with bidding at the Porto Marinada's Auction. After the test, fly back to Cascarrafa and defeat Kofu, who specializes in Water-type Pokemon that are around level 30.
Once this is done, return to Porto Marinada and check out the auctions. If the Rotom Catalog isn't being offered, Scarlet/Violet players can reset the auction house. Go into System Settings on the Switch and change the time manually instead of Synchronize Clock.
Before speaking to the auctioneer, save the game. This way, players can reset the game and try again if they lose.
The Rotom Catalog starts off at 500 poke dollars. On the first bid, players can "pass for now" until the prices start climbing a bit higher. Avoid "passing" too much. Doing this will result in the Rotom Catalog going to the highest bidder. The goal is to obviously outbid the others, but the best time for players to put down their own bid is when the price goes into the thousands. After a round or two, offer the largest of the bidding options to guarantee a chance of winning.
The final price for the Rotom Catalog varies on the bidding. Scarlet/Violet players should make sure to have a fair amount of change (ex: 25,000 poke dollars) before they try their luck at the auction house. The Rotom Catalog is a Key Item, so it can't be sold.
Where to Find Rotom & Change Its Form
Rotom appears in the wild in the East Province (Area Two) and West Province (Area Two). However, there are Rotoms (level 25-30) right next to Porto Marinada at the Porto Marinada Lighthouse (refer to flying/wing icon on the above image). Rotom is an Electric/Ghost-type, so if Scarlet/Violet players are having problems finding one, they should look while during the night or with an Encounter Type: Ghost (or Electric) Meal Effect.
Rotom's dual-Typing makes it weak to Ghost and Dark-type moves. Thanks to its Levitate Ability, Rotom cannot take any damage from Ground-type moves. Avoid using a powerful Pokemon when lowering Rotom's HP, since Rotom's Defense and Special Defense aren't too high. Use a Dusk Ball (night) to catch it, or a Poke Ball with a higher catch rate (such as an Ultra Ball).
With Rotom in the party, players can change its form by doing the following:
- Open the menu and go into Bag.
- Go to Key Items (far right icon) and select the Rotom Catalog.
- Choose any of the appliances when prompted.
- To change Rotom back, repeat steps 1-3, but choose Light Bulb instead.
Form | Appliance | Typing | Move Learned |
|---|---|---|---|
Heat Rotom | Microwave Oven | Electric/Fire | Overheat |
Wash Rotom | Washing Machine | Electric/Water | Hydro Pump |
Fan Rotom | Electric Fan | Electric/Flying | Overheat |
Mow Rotom | Lawn Mower | Electric/Grass | Leafstorm |
Frost Rotom | Refrigerator | Electric/Ice | Blizzard |
Rotom's Ghost-typing will be swapped out for another Typing depending on its Form. Each time Rotom changes form, it will want to learn a Move exclusive to that Form. For example, Heat Rotom will want to learn Overheat while Mow Rotom will want to learn Leaf Storm. This move will be deleted if Rotom returns to Light Bulb Rotom.
Rotom cannot learn moves corresponding to its Form's Second-Typing via TM. For example: This means if players are hoping to teach Rotom Water Pulse while it's a Wash Rotom, they'll find that Rotom "can't learn" the desired move.
Base stat-wise, Rotom's forms all share the same spread and have higher Defense and Special Defense than regular Rotom. However, it shares the Levitate Ability across Forms. Here's a Stat Spread comparison for Light Bulb and Rotom's five forms:
Base Stat | Rotom's Light Bulb Rotom (Electric/Ghost | Other Forms (Electric/Fire, Grass, Ice, Water, or Flying) |
|---|---|---|
HP | 50 | 50 |
Attack | 50 | 65 |
Special Attack | 95 | 105 |
Defense | 77 | 107 |
Special Defense | 77 | 107 |
Speed | 91 | 86 |
Total | 440 | 520 |
Comparing the two, Base Rotom (Light Bulb) has lower stats, but is a bit faster than its other Forms. However, where the Other Form Rotoms lack in Speed, they make up for in Defense and Special Defense and higher Special Attack. Between the two, Rotom's Catalog Forms may be the better option, but it ultimately depends on what Scarlet/Violet players are looking for on their team. It should be noted that Rotom loses its immunity to Normal-type and Fighting-type moves when it's not in its Base Form.
A good Nature to take advantage of Rotom's stat spread is Timid (+Spd, -Attk) since most of Rotom's moves are Special moves (calculates damage by Special Attack stat), thus they don't deal Physical damage (calculates damage by Attack stat). Modest (+Sp. Attk, -Attk) is another recommended Nature for Rotom. With Catalog Forms, Rotom can take advantage of Defense-boosting Natures such as Bold (+Def, -Attk) whereas regular Rotom cannot.
Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet are available for Nintendo Switch.