Why can’t I Terastalize my Pokémon in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet?

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet follow the trend that recent entries in the Pokémon series have implemented of being centered around a new gimmick—in this case, it is the Terastal phenomenon.

By undergoing Terastaliziation, which can be done by nearly any Pokémon, the creature takes on a crystallized appearance with a strange crown growing atop its head. The appearance of the crown matches the Pokémon’s innate Tera Type, which is a type added to its initial typings activated by undergoing Terastalization.

Players can view the Tera Types of their Pokémon via their individual summary menus. But unless they were caught via a Tera Raid Battle or obtained in a special way, their Tera Types will match their base typings. Though this may seem counter-intuitive, Pokémon that have the same original typing as their Tera Types get an even stronger boost to attacks of that same type.

But some players may find that they lack access to this feature, or that the option to Terastalize cannot be selected at various points in their journey. Here is some information as to why that may be.

Why can’t I Terastalize my Pokémon in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet?

There are a few reasons why players may not have access to Terastalizing their Pokémon, thus taking away the access they would have to a feature that tremendously increases the strength of any Pokémon.

The most common issue players have been encountering is that they are forgetting to recharge their Tera Orb after every usage. Players can only Terastalize their Pokémon once before needing to recharge, which can be done by healing their Pokémon at any Pokémon Center.

Players may also notice that they aren’t able to immediately Terastalize their Pokémon upon joining a Tera Raid Battle, which pits a group of four players against a powerful Terastalized Pokémon. This feature becomes available after the player has attacked a minimum of three times, then being available until the end of the battle. All players on the field are capable of Terastalizing after three turns have passed for them.

There is also the possibility that players have not yet unlocked the Terasilization feature. This can be obtained immediately before the player climbs the staircase to either the Uva Academy or Naranja Academy as a gift from Nemona. From there, players will be able to freely use the feature in almost any battle for the remainder of the game—as long as their Tera Orb is charged.