Bagon Catching and Evolution Guide in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet

Bagon, a Dragon-type Pokémon, evolves into the formidable Salamence, and you can add one to your team in Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. However, if you're playing Pokémon Scarlet, you'll find that Bagon and its evolutions are exclusive to Pokémon Violet. To complete your Paldea Pokédex, you'll need to catch Bagon, Shelgon, and Salamence.

Updated on January 13, 2025 by Renri Seong: Bagon, a Dragon-type Pokémon, evolves into the powerful Salamence, and you can catch one in Pokémon Violet. There are multiple ways to obtain Bagon and its evolved form, Shelgon. However, if you're playing Pokémon Scarlet and want to complete your Pokédex, you'll need to transfer one from Violet. Like Dragonite, Salamence is a Dragon/Flying-type pseudo-legendary with a base stat total of 600. But how does Salamence compare to the first pseudo-legendary of the Pokémon world? Is it worth catching? This guide has been updated to include detailed information on Salamence's stats, type effectiveness, and recommended moves.

Where to Find Bagon

Bagon Location in Pokémon Violet

In Pokémon Violet, you can find Bagon in several locations, but starting your search in East Province (Area Three) is recommended due to its expansive size and numerous caves. If you're still in the starting area, you can catch a fixed spawn Bagon on a mountain in South Province (Area Five). Climb the mountain southwest of the bridge between the grassy and rocky regions of South Province (Area Five).

Another prime location is Dalizapa Passage, north of The Great Crater of Paldea and south of Glaseado Mountain. Here, you'll find a deep hole with a Pokémon Center. You can ride Koraidon or Miraidon to jump down the hole or enter through one of the many cavern entrances. This location, though less open than East Province, is a cave where you can encounter rare Pokémon like Bagon and Frigibax.

For those interested in Tera Raids, Bagon can be caught in 3-star Tera Raids, which unlock after obtaining three gym badges. Note that Bagon's Tera Type may differ from its regular type when caught in a raid. Additionally, Pokémon from 3-star Raids may have their Hidden Ability, which is worth considering when hunting for Bagon.

How to Get Bagon in Pokémon Scarlet

How to Trade and Transfer Pokémon

Since you can't catch Bagon or its evolutions in Pokémon Scarlet, you'll need to trade with a Pokémon Violet player or transfer Bagon using Pokémon HOME. To trade, you can either create or join a Group via the Union Circle. For online features, a Nintendo Switch Online Membership is required. Transferring Bagon from another game might be more convenient.

If Pokémon HOME is on your Switch, you can transfer Bagon from games like Pokémon Sword/Shield (Expansion Pass), Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl, or Pokémon HOME itself.

1. Open HOME, then select the game from which you'll be transferring Bagon.
2. Move Bagon to your Basic Box (the box on the left side of the screen), and save and exit.
3. Open your Pokémon Scarlet file and move Bagon from the Basic Box to one of your Scarlet PC Boxes.
4. Save and exit.

When you open Pokémon Scarlet, Bagon should be in the PC Box you selected, and its Dex Entry will be completed.

How to Evolve Bagon into Shelgon and Salamence

What Level Does Bagon Evolve

To evolve Bagon, you need to raise its level to 30, at which point it will evolve into Shelgon. Then, level Shelgon up to 50 to evolve it into Salamence. The quickest way to do this is by having Bagon or Shelgon auto-battle Pokémon around their level.

If you're not EV training, have Bagon auto-battle Pokémon like Chansey, which provide more experience than most. Chanseys can be found in East Province (Area Two), North Province (Area One-Three), Casseroya Lake, and West Province (Area Two-Three).

Alternatively, you can use Exp. Candy. One piece of Exp. Candy L or Exp. Candy XL will elevate their level more than once. Exp. Candy M works too, but you may need more of them to evolve Shelgon into Salamence.

You can also obtain Shelgon and Salamence from 4-star and 5/6-star Tera Raids, respectively.

Is Salamence Good?

Salamence Strengths & Weaknesses

Salamence, along with Metagross, was introduced as a pseudo-legendary Pokémon in Gen 3. Pseudo-Legendary Pokémon are non-legendary with a base stat total of 600, making them highly sought after for PVP when properly trained.

A recommended Nature for Salamence is Adamant (+Attk, -Sp.Attk) or Lonely (+Attk, -Def).

Salamence is a Dragon/Flying-type Pokémon, which means it can learn both Dragon and Flying-type moves, making it super effective against a variety of Pokémon. However, its dual-typing gives it a significant weakness to Ice-type moves.

Recommended Moves

Salamence's learnset is primarily composed of physical moves, which aligns well with its higher Attack stat compared to its Special Attack. You can opt for moves like Dragon Claw, a physical move, over Dragon Breath, which is a special move. To cover its Fairy and Rock weaknesses, you can teach it Iron Head via TM099.

Despite its higher Attack, Salamence's base Special Attack is still respectable, and you can train it as a special attacker if you prefer. In this case, a Timid (+Spd, -Attk) Nature might be more suitable than Adamant or Lonely. A Salamence trained as a special attacker will benefit more from moves like Draco Meteor and Flamethrower.