A huge update is coming for Pokémon Scarlet & Violet this month

“Scheduled for the end of February 2023”

Shortly after launch, Game Freak and the powers that be ominously mentioned an update would come eventually to address some of Pokemon Scarlet & Violet‘s lingering issues, and that day has come. Well, it’s coming, “by the end of February,” according to the official post on the Nintendo support page. Let’s dig into the big stuff.

Pokemon Boxes are getting some quality of life upgrades

Changing up things like held items and re-ordering moves is going to be easier, and you’ll also be able to use an “all boxes” selection command once the update hits. Icons for battle teams will be a little more pronounced now as well.

It’s a chunk of small refinements to be sure, and I hope they do something to address the lag when browsing boxes.

Bug fixes are coming

Okay, so here’s the real meat of the patch, and there’s multiple facets to unpack:

• Tera Raid battles are getting a bug overhaul of sorts, including the super annoying “HP gauge not properly displaying” glitch, the bug that prevents you from acting in a Tera Raid, communication error problems, and matchmaking glitches.
• Double battle targeting issues are also being looked at outside of Tera Raids, as well as individual creature bugs that deal with Zoroark and Dondozo.
• The “other” column in the big fix section is the biggest of all, and will address forced game closures, objects not showing up in the game world, and aesthetic changes like not showing glitched passerby NPCs during certain battles.

At first glance, it doesn’t seem like enough

There are still things that need to be addressed, and this patch is just the start. Ideally, more updates will smooth over a lot of the game’s lingering problems, and will help cement the legacy of this generation, which has already sold gangbusters. There’s confirmation of more fixes on the way at least, as this passage is found at the end of the support page: “We are planning further features and bug fixes not listed in these patch notes.”

The full patch notes for Pokemon Scarlet & Violet Ver. 1.2.0 (Scheduled for end of February 2023)

Thank you for playing the Pokémon series.

Below are some details regarding the version 1.2.0 update planned for release in late February 2023 for the Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet games.

With this update, we are planning to add features to Pokémon Boxes and fix bugs that affect game progress, among other updates. We will continue to take your feedback very seriously and take measures to improve your gameplay experience.

Feature Adjustments

• Additional functionality will be added for Pokémon Boxes:
  • From a Pokémon’s summary, players will be able to change Pokémon’s nicknames, markings, held items, and mark- or Ribbon-related titles, as well as being able to reorder moves, have Pokémon remember moves, have Pokémon forget moves, and use TMs.
  • Players will be able to swap out held items by pressing the Y Button when in the Held Items view.
  • Players will be able to select All Boxes while moving Pokémon or items in the Party and Boxes view and Held Items view.
  • When in the Battle Team view, Pokémon in your Boxes that are assigned to a Battle Team will now have their icons displayed in a darker hue if those Pokémon are members of the Battle Team that is currently being displayed.
• The News screen will be displayed when you connect to the internet from the main menu, just as it is when connecting to the internet from the Poké Portal.

Bug Fixes

Tera Raid Battles

• A bug that can prevent an opposing Tera Pokémon’s HP gauge from properly reflecting damage done by certain moves (such as Play Rough) or certain status conditions may occur in Tera Raid Battles, resulting in the Tera Pokémon’s HP gauge fluctuating in an unusual manner. This will be fixed.
• A bug that causes all Pokémon on your side to faint at once despite their HP gauges indicating that they still have HP may occur in black crystal Tera Raid Battles against Pokémon with the Mightiest Mark. This will be fixed.
• A bug that can temporarily prevent a player from entering any input into the game may occur if a Tera Pokémon takes certain actions while the player is choosing the target of their move. This will be fixed.
• A bug that causes a communication error may occur when someone connecting to a Tera Raid Battle sees a different Pokémon displayed on their screen than what the host sees. This will be fixed.
• A bug may occur that causes players joining a Tera Raid Battle from the Tera Raid Battles search screen to be brought to a Tera Raid Battle against a Pokémon different from the one they saw displayed. This will be fixed.
• A bug that causes Tera Raid Battle crystals to not appear for a set amount of time may occur under certain circumstances. This will be fixed.

Battles

• Type matchups against Pokémon that have fainted will no longer appear when selecting a move or target during Double Battles.
• A Zoroark that has Terastallized and is disguised as another Pokémon via its Illusion Ability can be identified as a Zoroark by using the Check Target option. This is a bug and will be fixed.
• When a Zoroark has Terastallized and is disguised as another Pokémon via its Illusion Ability, the type matchups of moves are displayed based on the type of the Pokémon that Zoroark is disguised as, rather than Zoroark’s Tera Type. This is a bug and will be fixed.
• The stats of a Dondozo with a Tatsugiri in its mouth will increase when Dondozo uses Order Up, even when the move should have been negated (for example, by an opponent using Protect). This is a bug and will be fixed.
• If a Pokémon Terastallizes after using Destiny Bond and then faints, the effects of Destiny Bond will fail to activate. This is a bug and will be fixed.

Other

• We will address an issue that can cause the game to forcibly close at certain locations. As a result of this fix, there may be a reduction of Pokémon and people displayed in certain towns or in the wild.
• When a Pokémon that is not a part of the Paldea Pokédex is obtained through a Link Trade, it is displayed as being registered to the Paldea Pokédex. This is a bug and will be fixed.
• Certain actions can cause the main character’s expressions to not change until the game is closed and reopened. This will be fixed.
• A bug occurred for some players after Ranked Battles Season 1, wherein visiting the Ranked Battles screen immediately after the season’s results had been calculated caused a communication error right after these players received their rewards. Following this error, players were unable to participate in any further Ranked Battles. This will be fixed.
• If a player has created several Battle Teams but does not use the Battle Team in the first slot for their Ranked Battles, they may not receive the Master Rank Ribbon after winning Ranked Battles in the Master Ball Tier. This will be fixed.
• When a Pokémon you caught comes back to you from another player through Link Trade, it may not listen to your commands in accordance with what is written in the profile app (“Pokémon caught at Lv. XX or below will listen to your commands”). This will be fixed.
• A bug is preventing the Pokédex from displaying additional entries (such as entries for Shiny Pokémon or Pokémon that were received through Surprise Trade from players that play in a different language) for Pokémon species that were already registered in the Pokédex. This will be fixed.
• Objects such as Poké Balls may be displayed in certain locations of the field unintentionally. This will be fixed.
• Passersby will no longer be displayed during certain battles that take place in towns during the main story.
• Other select bug fixes will be implemented.

Notes:

• We are planning further features and bug fixes not listed in these patch notes. Please check back here for full details when the update data is distributed.
• Update contents and details are subject to change.