Credit: The Pokemon Company/Nintendo

In every mainline Pokemon game, the Gym Leader battles are the major highlights of your journey, checkpoints that determine your worthiness in your pursuit of becoming a Champion. Pokemon Scarlet and Violet is no exception to this formula, of course, but the way it’s handled in these games is distinctly different from their predecessors. Here’s how to take on the Gyms in order in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Gyms in Order

While Pokemon Scarlet and Violet do have the customary eight Gym Leaders for you to defeat before you can take on the Elite Four at the Pokemon League, due to the game’s open-ended nature, there is no hard and fast order that you have to take them on. Anywhere your legs or your mount can carry you, you are absolutely permitted to challenge the local Gym Leader to a battle (provided you can clear their Gym Test, which may or may not involve battling).

However, there is an important thing to know in this process: while the order you fight the Gym Leaders isn’t static, the number and levels of their Pokemon do not scale to your progress. So while you can take on any Gym you want, you will more than likely get curb-stomped if you challenge one that you’re significantly under-leveled for.

Best Gym Leader Order

Credit: The Pokemon Company/Nintendo

To ensure the safety of you and your Pokemon, as well as a reasonably escalating difficulty curve throughout the game, there is an ideal order to challenge the Gyms based on the average level of the Leader’s Pokemon and how many Pokemon they have in their party. The best order to challenge the Gyms, as well as the Pokemon the Leaders use, is as follows:

1. Cortondo’s Bug-type Gym Leader, Katy (Level 14-15)
   • Nymble
   • Tarountula
   • Teddiursa (Terastalized)
2. Artazon’s Grass-type Gym Leader, Brassius (Level 16-18)
   • Petilil
   • Smoliv
   • Sudowoodo (Terastalized)
3. Levincia’s Electric-type Gym Leader, Iono (Level 23-24)
   • Wattrel
   • Bellibolt
   • Luxio
   • Mismagius (Terastalized)
4. Cascarrafa’s Water-type Gym Leader, Kofu (Level 29-30)
   • Veluza
   • Wugtrio
   • Crabominable (Terastalized)
5. Medali’s Normal-type Gym Leader, Larry (Level 35-36)
   • Komala
   • Dundunsparce
   • Starraptor (Terastalized)
6. Montenevera’s Ghost-type Gym Leader, Ryme (Level 41-42, Double Battles)
   • Mimikyu
   • Banette
   • Houndstone
   • Toxtricity (Terastalized)
7. Alfornada’s Psychic-type Gym Leader, Tulip (Level 44-45)
   • Farigiraf
   • Espathra
   • Gardevoir
   • Florges (Terastalized)
8. Glaseado’s Ice-type Gym Leader, Grusha (Level 47-48)
   • Frosmoth
   • Beartic
   • Cetitan
   • Altaria (Terastalized)

Stick to this order, remembering to level up your Pokemon in Trainer battles and take on the major battles of the other story threads, and you should maintain a pretty steady progression curve that’ll keep you from challenging anyone you’re too under-leveled for. Or you could just start from Glaseado and work your way backward if you wanna try some kind of wacky gimmick run. You do you!