While most Pokemon can evolve, there are some that can only do so if they're the right gender. This started in Generation 4 with Pokemon like Combee and Vespiquen and returned in Generation 7 in Sun/Moon. Pokemon Scarlet & Pokemon Violet welcomes new and familiar Pokemon to Paldea, and among them are a few Pokemon with gender-based evolutions.
Salandit and its evolution, Salazzle, is a Poison/Fire-type Pokemon that debuted in the Alola Region. However, only the female Salandit can evolve. Unsurprisingly, Pokemon Scarlet & Pokemon Violet doesn't make any changes to the Salandit-line. This means trainers looking to add Salazzle to the team or to fill out the Pokedex will need to obtain one of their own.
Where to Find and Evolve Salandit
Salandit prefers cave or dry environments, which means it's not going to be located around the lower-level areas such as South Province (Area One) or near the cities with the first two gyms. Thanks to Scarlet/Violet's open world, curious trainers may stumble upon a Salandit fairly early in their journey. Salandit can be found in several areas and may even feature as a 2 Star Tera Raid Pokemon. Here are its main habitats:
- East Province (Area Two), East Province (Area 3)
- West Province (Area One), West Province (Area Two)
- Dalizapa Passage
- Alfornado Cavern
- Glaseado Mountain
*There may also be a stray Salandit in the tunnels outside Zapapico.
Scarlet/Violet players should visit certain areas depending on how early they want Salandit/Salazzle. Salandit is generally around level 22 in East Province and West Province. Higher-leveled Salandit will be in areas such as Glaseado Mountain or the Alfornado Cavern. If players are really lucky, they may find a Salazzle with a horde of Salandit.
When catching Salandit, players should use a Quick Ball or a Dusk Ball (if Salandit is found at night or in a cavern) if they have one. Salandit's Defense and Special Defense are very poor, so bringing strong Pokemon to whittle away at its health isn't recommended. Have a Pokemon that knows moves that will prevent Salandit from fainting, such as False Swipe.
As a Poison/Fire-type, it can't be Poisoned or Burned, so inflict Paralysis or Sleep instead.
It's also important that Scarlet/Violet trainers have the right amount of gym badges. The stronger Salandit around Glaseado Mountain will require more gym badges, while the ones in East and West Province should need about two or three badges.
To evolve a female Salandit, level it up to level 33. The Salandit gender ratio is the same as the starters' female:male gender ratio (i.e: 1:7), so it may take some time to find a female Salandit. One strategy that Scarlet/Violet players can try is to have a male Pokemon with Cute Charm (such as Sylveon) at the front of the party. Cute Charm will usually attract Pokemon of the opposite gender, which might make it easier to find female Salandits.
Where to Find Wild Salazzle
Those that just want to skip having to hunt down female Salandit and level them up should look for wild Salazzles. Unlike her pre-evolved form, Salazzle will only appear in higher-leveled areas. Trainers should be around level 40 (with five or six gym badges) before tracking down Salazzle. She appears in the following areas:
- North Province (Area One), North Province (Area Two), North Province (Area Three)
- Dalizapa Passage
- Alfornada Cavern
- South Province (Area Four)
True to her dex entry, Salazzle will normally be found with a group of Salandit. Unlike Salandit, however, Salazzle has very high Speed (base total: 117) and Special Attack (base total: 111), meaning she can easily knock out the Pokemon of unsuspecting trainers. Despite this, her Defense and Special Defense aren't much of an improvement from her time as a Salandit. Trainers should bring a Pokemon that'll withstand her attacks (high Defense/Special Defense) if they plan on weakening her in battle.
As a Poison/Fire-type, Salazzle (and Salandit) have the following type effectiveness:
Strong Against (inflicts x2+ damage to these Types) | Grass, Fairy, Ice, Steel, Bug, |
|---|---|
Weak Against (takes x2+ damage from moves of these Types) | Ground (x4), Psychic, Rock, Water |
Resistances (i.e: takes 1/2 damage from any move of the following Types) | Poison, Fairy, Fire, Ice, Steel, Fighting, Bug, Grass |
Most of the moves Salazzle learns upon leveling up are all Special moves. This means the damage output takes her Special Attack stat instead of her regular Attack. Salazzle learns great Fire and Poison-type attacks with 100% accuracy, and she even learns a Dragon-type move (Dragon Pulse) at level 44. Even though her Attack is lower than her Special Attack, Salazzle can learn the Grass-type move Trailblaze to give her Type Coverage against Water-type Pokemon.
As a Special Attacker with mostly Special moves, Salazzle's most ideal Nature is Modest (+Sp. Attack, -Attk). Players should avoid Natures like Adamant (+Attk, -Sp. Attack) or Jolly (+Spd, -Sp.Attk), as these damage her Special Attack growth at the cost of another. However, once trainers have seven gym badges, they can simply purchase a Nature-changing Mint from Chansey Supply and give it to a Salazzle with the "wrong" Nature.
Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet are available now on Nintendo Switch.