Unlike other Pokemongames, Scarlet & Violet do not have a linear story and the player can choose exactly what they want to do. However, it’s important to make sure to have the correct leveled Pokemon, as some areas are more difficult than others. Here are the hardest areas to traverse in Paldea, in order of their difficulty.

10 East Province Area Three

East Province Area Three is a rocky and barren wasteland with many wild Pokemon running amok. They are around level 20-30, but there are also harder fixed spawns around level 30.

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This area is home to a tera-type Espeon at level 50, so make sure to be high leveled before taking this one on. Also making this area its domain is the Lurking Steel Titan, Orthworm, which is level 30. This one isn’t too difficult, but it is still a challenge if a visit to this place comes before the gamer is ready. Bring some Fighting or Fire types to battle the Steel Titan.

9 South Province Area Six

Next up is South Province Area Six which has a lot of fixed spawn Pokemon, around level 40, including Gabite, Hariyama and Bellibolt. There are 11 trainers to take on also, each with stacked squads of around level 40 Pokemon.

Two tera Pokemon rule this area, an electric version of Dragonair and the luchador Pokemon Hawlucha, who is bug-type when tera formed. Make sure to bring strong ‘mon down to South Province Area Six to take on what it has in store. The consistency of the levels makes this a tricky test.

8 Glasaedo Mountain

An area of mountainous, chilling slopes, Ice-type Pokemon fill this area, and they appear in vast numbers. There are seven wild tera battles to take on, ranging from level 40 to 55. The highest-leveled tera Pokemon here are Revaroom and Pincurchin.

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Also in this area are 13 trainer battles with Pokemon levels in the high 30s to low 40s. Make sure to prepare Fire and Fighting-type Pokemon to take on Grusha, the Glasaedo Mountain gym leader, who has Pokemon in the high 40s. His ace, an Ice Tera-Type Altaria who is at level 48.

7 West Province Area Two

This area has some really strong trainer battles to take on. Some have some Pokemon at up to level 53 with a range of different types. The strongest of the bunch here is Student Ricardo, who has two level 53 Pokemon, Tsareena and Florges.

Wild Pokemon here are moderately leveled, but make sure to prepare as a level 65 Garchomp roams West Province Area Two with a Tera Type of Water. This area is tricky to complete, but with the right Pokemon and training, it shouldn’t too hard for any experienced Pokemon fan.

6 Dalizapa Passage

Dalizapa Passage is home to many wild Pokemon, including Lycanroc, Houndstone, and Spiritomb. Wild Tera Pokemon are common in this area. There three that are around level 40, but there is also a level 75 Lucario with an Ice Tera-Type.

There are a whopping 25 trainers to take on in this area, all with a wide range of Pokemon to take on. Gamers will need to bring a variety of Pokemon in this area if they want to fully complete Dalizapa Passage.

5 North Province Area Three

North Province Area Three is home to Chansey. Battling this Pokemon is a great way to gain XP: eat a ham sandwich on a picnic and plenty will spawn in. Not only that, but there are also six trainers to take on with high levels, and two Tera-Type Pokemon that are around level 50.

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Also in this area is a Team Star base, Ortega is the boss of this base, which is Fairy-type. He has a solid squad of four Fairy-types which are around level 50. Steel-types are a must against this one, but do not bring any Dragon-types as they will get decimated by this boss.

4 North Province Area One

This area in Northern Paldea has two Tera-Type Pokemon which are a staggering level 60 and 65, Wugtrio and Eelektross respectively. This makes this area a very challenging one indeed.

Not only that, but North Province Area One is also home to some high-level fixed spawns. There’s a level 60 Braviary, for example, and 10 trainers who have around level 50-56 Pokemon at their disposal. Wiglett are common here along the coast, the strange cousin of Diglett, but if gamers want its evolved form, then battle the strong Ground-type Tera Wugtrio found here.​​​​​​​

3 North Province Area Two

The Northern regions are the most difficult in Scarlet & Violet as the player travels to these areas later on in the game and this area is the most challenging. North Province Area Two is a dark forest with a lot of high leveled Pokemon, including, Slaking, Vaporeon and Bisharp.

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A level 75 Steel Tera-Type Dragonite is located here, which will take some intense training to catch or defeat. Six trainers are also present with Pokemon above level 50. Team Star boss Eri also makes her base here. She has a team of high leveled fighting Pokemon, easily the hardest in Operation Starfall.

2 Casseroya Lake

Casseroya Lake is home to the False Dragon Titan Pokemon Dodonzo, which is a level 55 powerful Pokemon, but it is also partnered with a Tatsugiri. It may look small and weak, but it is a really strong Dragon-type Pokemon.

If that isn’t enough, this area is also littered with high leveled Tera-Type Pokemon, strong wild Pokemon, and 9 trainers to take on, each with Pokemon with level 50 or higher Pokemon. There really is a lot to find in this area, and it is a great place to train up. It is definitely the hardest area in the main portion of the game.

1 Area Zero

Unlocked after completing all three missions in the main game, Area Zero is not only home to many strong wild Pokemon, but also it is the only place to capture the elusive Paradox Pokemon. In Pokemon Scarlet, they are Ancient Pokemon, and in Pokemon Violet, they are Future Pokemon.

Found in the wild in this area, they are around level 60 and are some of the highest-leveled wild Pokemon in all of Paldea. Gamers will need to take on six of those in the final battle of the game as the player faces Professor Sada (Scarlet) or Professor Turo (Violet) which will have a team of Pokemon around level 67. But that is not all. Koraidon or Miraidon are up next, which will put battle skills to the test. Without a doubt, this is the hardest area in the game.

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