In Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, players will have a large amount of items available to them to utilize in battle. Among these many items are the Orb items, which will convey a negative effect to the Pokemon that is holding them.
On paper, these items look like they would be bad choices to give to Pokemon to use. However, under the right circumstances, these items can actually prove to be extremely powerful if the Pokemon that hold these items are set up to use them effectively. One of these held items is the Toxic Orb, and players can learn where to get one for themselves here.
Toxic Orb
The Toxic Orb is an item that, on its own, seems difficult to use. When held by a Pokemon, the Toxic Orb will badly poison the holder at the end of every turn. This means that players will have an effect similar to the move Toxic inflicted upon themselves, which inflicts an increasing amount of damage at the end of every turn. This item allows for players to use a few different strategies due to this effect.
With its ability to poison the Pokemon that hold it, it can be effective as an item to use with the move Switcharoo, which will swap the held items of the Pokemon on the field, letting players potentially poison an enemy trainers Pokemon in multiplayer while gaining a useful item in return, or serve to punish any trainer that uses a move such as Thief. Poison Type Pokemon will not be poisoned by the Toxic Orb, so they make good candidates to hold it if players want to place it on an enemy.
Its best use, however, might be with a Zangoose with its hidden ability, Toxic Boost. When a Zangoose with Toxic Boost is inflicted with the poisoned condition, such as with the move Toxic, it will gain a 1.5 times attack boost to all of its physical moves.
Normally, it can be difficult to receive this boost as it is not possible to guarantee that an enemy Pokemon will be able or willing to poison the player’s Zangoose. This item allows players to guarantee that their Zangoose will be poisoned at the end of the first turn of the battle, ensuring that Zangoose receives its boost in damage.
Acquiring a Toxic Orb
For players looking to take advantage of any strategy that a Toxic Orb would be helpful for, the first thing players will need to make sure they accomplish is to complete all of the main story modes of the game, including the final story after players complete all of the Gyms, Team Star Bases, and the Titan Pokemon.
After players have done this, they will be rewarded in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet by unlocking additional Items that they will be able to purchase in the various stores that dot the Paldea Region.
One of these items is the Toxic Orb, which can be found in the Delibird Presents located in the town of Levincia, home of the Electric Type Gym Leader Iono. Players that enter this branch of Delibird Presents will see the Toxic Orb available for purchase for the price of 15,000 Pokedollars. Though it is a bit expensive, its potential utility could make it a worthwhile option for players to consider and enjoy in their Pokemon battles.
Pokemon Scarlet & Violet are available now for the Nintendo Switch.