Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are officially just one month away from release, and there have been dozens of leaks and rumors about Gen 9 games over the course of the past few months, both for upcoming new critters or features. Recurring claims say Pokemon Scarlet and Violet will have DLC or expansions much as Gen 8 did, and for the first time in the franchise's history, the third Legendary Pokemon that accompanies the box Legendaries will seemingly drop at a later date. This alone is enough to revolutionize the series up to this point, as past mainline Pokemon games have always had the third Legendary as part of the base game, but maybe expand on its story and mechanics in another game.

According to a reliable leaker by the name of Riddler Khu, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's DLC will add a never-before-seen function that is similar to a renowned save editing software for Pokemon games. At this stage, it's yet unclear how this could work and what the impact might be, but an official way to edit one's Pokemon within the games themselves would be huge and have many rippling effects on the future of the series.

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What a Built-In Save Editor Could Do in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

pokemon scarlet violet revealed one month launch 19 critters bellibolt wiglett farigiraf

Being able to edit one's save has never been officially recognized nor allowed, and it's often referred to as "genning" Pokemon, as in generating them rather than catching them in the wild or getting them via eggs. Speaking of Pokemon Eggs, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's picnics will be the only way to get them, according to leakers, as the Day Care and Nursery is no longer available as of Gen 9. This could be why a feature that lets players modify or possibly even generate their critters could be shipped with the rumored DLC, and it would make sense to make the grind less painful and more accessible.

Especially with things like Hidden Abilities and EVs, Pokemon Sword and Shield got a bit messy when it came to the competitive scene, to the point that thirteen teams out of sixteen at the World Championships featured Incineroar with Intimidate. Even though new players could get Incineroar from the Isle of Armor DLC if they chose Scorbunny as their base game starter, it wouldn't have Intimidate, and it could only be obtained by trading with other players. This in turn required a Nintendo Switch Online membership, and it made the process a bit overcomplicated just so one could have the perfect stats on a critter to use in competitive battles.

Having a save or critter editor built into Pokemon Scarlet and Violet would completely negate these downsides of the grind, thus making the competitive scene more ripe and accessible. It could also save players hundreds of hours looking for a specific Pokemon in a Raid with a given Tera type, for example, considering that there will be 18 different Tera types in Gen 9 and plenty of pocket monsters to catch. Likewise, Hidden Abilities could be used much more, and in turn, this could make the meta change suddenly and frequently as new strategies get discovered. An example comes from Farigiraf's Abilities, which could see no usage if they were Hidden Abilities, instead.

On the other hand, Pokemon Sword and Shield already did make the endgame grind for the best team compositions much easier than in the past, and this change could be disappointing to some players or even remove part of the fun. Pokemon games aren't known for comprehensive and engaging endgame content, and entirely removing requirements to make a full competitive team could backfire if not done right. Overall, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's new features, both in the base game and ones coming further down the line, need to tread carefully in order not to create huge imbalances, especially with something like a save editor.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are set to release on November 18, exclusively for Nintendo Switch.

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