Is there level scaling in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet?

Level scaling is a feature used in certain games to allow players more freedom in how they approach things such as allowing for broader exploration or, in multiplayer instances, so players can easily play together without caring about numbers.

Unfortunately, not every game that could use this mechanic to its fullest implements it—Pokémon Scarlet and Violet being a prime example of that.

Despite fully embracing an open-world format with the Paldea region, Game Freak did not do the same for making it a truly optimized experience—something you could probably tell by looking at the performance side of things too. 

Just because it doesn’t look like it on the surface because true level scaling is dynamic, the developers did at least try to make things curve in a way that will let players experience Paldea with a freedom no Pokémon game has attempted prior to now. 

Is there level scaling and how does it work in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet?

Since day one in Kanto, Pokémon has always assigned set level values to each Gym Leader and scaled upwards in some fashion. The same can be said for the Pokémon found across each region too, which even applied to the Wild Area in Pokémon Sword and Shield. 

Players could even go out of order and challenge some Gyms before others in the past, most notably in Gen I and Gen II. There have been small instances of actual level-scaling implemented in Pokémon in the past, with the most obvious example being Sword and Shield’s Island of Armor expansion. But, it has never been used to the scale that fans may have been expecting for Gen IX. 

In an open-world setting, level scaling in its true form for Pokémon would mean players having a few modifiers to act as “gateways” to tell the game what numerical values it needs to implement for wild Pokémon, Gym Leaders, trainers, and more.

No matter what opinion you have of the development efforts for the franchise, that is a lot to take into account and program for dynamic scaling at any level of development—especially when you take into account that Scarlet and Violet have three story paths going on at once. 

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So while no, true level scaling at its base isn’t included in Gen IX, there is a very gradual level curve that ebbs and flows more than it would have in previous games.

Rather than seeing a constant increase, multiple Gym Leaders, bosses, and entire areas of wild Pokémon are grouped together into much more general and gracious lines. This allows players to get an easy feel for where they can go and how much they can get done in each zone with their current levels. 

Once you reach a new area you can look at your map and see what key story quests are surrounding it. If they are close together, that likely means you can handle them all in one big group.

Just remember, the wild Pokémon of an area will be your best friend when it comes to planning your next move. If you aren’t able to handle them with your Scarlet and Violet team, you should probably find another way to progress for a little bit.