Which path should I do first in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet? – Best path to start first

Which path should I do first in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet? In a new addition to the series, the main story of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet is split into three paths, all converging at the end of the game. Each one requires you to overcome different challenges, and depending on your team and how you prefer to play, some might be easier to complete than others.

Some of the challenges in these paths can be tough, so make sure you’re ready for them by checking out our Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Elite Four guide, as well as our Pokemon Scarlet and Violet how to defeat Arven guide. With that, let’s take a look at all of the available paths to help you decide which one to take in your Pokemon Scarlet and Violet playthrough.

The different story paths in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

Before you decide which story path is best suited for your first time, you should check out the various paths that Pokemon Scarlet and Violet have to offer. Each of these stories can be completed alongside each other and will take you all across the Paldea region. A good understanding of all three paths would ultimately lead to a better decision regarding where you want to start.

Victory Road

The ultimate goal of the player as a Pokemon Trainer is to become the best the region has to offer. The story path of Victory Road is your gateway to exactly that. On this path, you’ll take on the eight Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Gym Leaders, collecting badges along the way. While these can be done in any order, some are stronger than others, and there is a recommended order to take them on. For instance, you might now want to take on the Levincia Gym before the Cortondo Gym.

Path of Legends

The second story path is a pretty interesting one as it requires players to seek out the mysterious Herba Mystica. You will aid your senior, Arven, in his quest to look for these special items which are guarded by strong Titan Pokémon. Therefore, expect to fight some legendary Pokemon on your way like the Stony Cliff Titan Klawf, and the Open Sky Titan Bombirdier.

Starfall Street

In this final storyline, you face Pokemon Scarlet and Violet’s version of the legendary Team Rocket, this time called Team Star. They are a gang of unruly and rebellious students who enjoy spreading chaos in Paldea. You will be tasked to raid Team Star’s bases and take out their squads. Each squad mission ends with defeating the Squad Leader in the form of a boss battle.

Which path should you do first?

When it comes to completing story paths, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet give players ample room for flexibility. While it is possible to complete one single-story path at a time, we don’t recommend doing that. The best experience of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet is enjoyed by doing all three story paths simultaneously.

There are several reasons why doing all the storylines at the same time might be the most beneficial and fun. For starters, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet don’t scale enemies and areas with your level. So, often times you may find yourself either too over-leveled or too under-level for a certain quest or battle. Therefore, a mix and match of different quests is crucial for balancing the game’s difficulty.

Similarly, completing one story path first diminishes your motivation and excitement to start the subsequent paths. For example, if you complete all eight Gym challenges for the Victory Path, you will be far too over-leveled for everything else in the game. That means you will breeze through the Path of Legends and Starfall Street storylines without any notion of challenge.

You’ll progress naturally through each path just by playing through the game, so you most likely won’t have any need to focus on one over the others until near the end of the game where you start to complete them.

The best route for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

Playing all 3 paths available to you in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet will ultimately give you the most enjoyable experience with the game, but simply hoping you get lucky with the order in which you challenge each section isn’t ideal. There is, in fact, an order to the paths you should take through these storylines that will ensure you have the optimal experience.

Below is our recommended way to go after The First Day of School to have the most balanced and fun experience playing Pokemon Scarlet and Violet:

• Go to Cortondo and defeat the Bug-type Gym Leader Katy 
• Defeat your first Titan Pokemon Klawf, the Stony Cliff Titan
• Go to Artazon and defeat the Grass-type Gym Leader Brassius
• Defeat Giacomo, the leader of the Team Star Dark Crew
• Defeat your second Titan Pokemon Bombirdier, the Open Sky Titan
• Defeat Mela, the leader of the Team Star Fire Crew
• Have your first battle against Nemona since The First Day of School

• Go to Levincia and defeat the Electric-type Gym Leader Iono
• Defeat your third Titan Pokemon Orthworm, the Lurking Steel Titan
• Go to Cascarrafa and defeat the Water Gym Leader Kofu
• Defeat Atticus, the leader of the Team Star Poison Crew
• Go to Medali and defeat the Normal-type Gym Leader Larry
• Have your second battle against Nemona since The First Day of School
• Go to Montenevera and defeat the Ghost-type Gym Leader Ryme

• Have your third battle against Nemona since The First Day of School
• Go to Alfornada and defeat the Psychic-type Gym Leader Tulip
• Defeat your fourth Titan Pokemon: Great Tusk, the Quaking Earth Titan in Scarlet or Iron Treads, the Quaking Earth Titan in Violet
• Defeat Ortega, the leader of the Team Star Fairy Crew
• Go to Glaseado and defeat the Ice-type Gym Leader Grusha
• Defeat Eri, the leader of Team Star’s Fighting Crew

• Defeat your fifth and final Titan Pokemon Dondozo, the False Dragon Titan
• Defeat Arven (Path of Legends storyline: Complete)
• Finish the Battle Outside The School and Defeat the Big Boss of Team Star (Starfall Street storyline: Complete)
• Defeat the Elite Four
• Defeat the Top Champion (Victory Road storyline: Complete)
• Have your Concluding Battle against Nemona
• Defeat your Final Opponent in ‘The Way Home’ storyline.

That’s it for which path you should do first in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. Once you’ve completed all of these, you’ll want to know how to get to Area Zero in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet to finish off the main story. And if the Herba Mystica you found with Arven isn’t enough, our how to get Herba Mystica in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet guide will help you get more.