How to catch Pokémon in trees in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

Pineco, Tarountula, and other Pokémon love to hang from trees in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. If you want to catch them and other Pokémon in trees, you have to force them out. There are two quick and easy options: aim at them from the ground, or make your Koraidon or Miraidon headbutt the tree.

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to fight and capture Pokémon hanging from trees.

How to knock Pokémon out of trees in Scarlet and Violet

You can force a Pokémon out of a tree by bumping into it with Miraidon or Koraidon while sprinting. To do this, get a little distance, mount your Pokémon, and press the L stick on your controller while moving toward the tree until you bump into it. If you did it right, you will feel the controller shake. The Pokémon will fall to the ground, as you can see in the video below, and you’ll be able to walk toward it or throw a Pokéball to start combat and catch it.

When I recorded the video in Tagtree Thicket, I didn’t know Grafaiai was there. That’s the benefit of bumping into trees: if there’s a Pokémon hiding and you can’t see it, it will fall down anyway. But this trick still works with Pokémon you can see hanging.

If you can’t sprint with Koraidon or Miraidon yet, you must unlock it by defeating Titan Klawf in South Province Area Three during Path of Legends. It’s one of the earliest challenges you’ll face in the game, so having a few Pokémon around level 15 should be enough to beat it.

How to directly catch Pokémon hanging from trees

You can catch Pokémon in trees by looking at them with the right stick, pressing ZL to lock your camera onto them, then pressing ZR to send a Pokémon to battle it. The wild Pokémon will fall out of the tree and start fighting yours on the ground, giving you a chance to defeat or catch it.

The video below shows how I did this to start a fight against a Tarountula in South Province Area Two.

You can’t throw Poké Balls at Pokémon like in Legends: Arceus, so if there are any Pokémon in trees that you want to catch, you must do so while in battle.

Where to find trees with Pokémon

You can find Pokémon in any tree in Scarlet and Violet, though it’s easier to find Pokémon hanging from smaller trees more often than big ones. When in doubt, just bump into trees with Miraidon or Koraidon until you see something fall.

It’s also worth noting that different Pokémon spawn in different areas, even tree spawns. For example, you can find Grafaiai in trees in the Tagtree Thicket, but not in any tree in South Province. To confirm the location of the Pokémon you want to catch, open your Pokédex look at the areas marked in yellow.