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To unlock all 24 returning starter Pokémon in The Indigo Disk, donate 3,000 Blueberry Points (BP) to upgrade the biodiversity of each Terarium biome. The four upgrades cost 12,000 BP total, according to Nintendo Life’s guide. Then search the biome associated with the starter you want.
What you need before you can access The Indigo Disk
Nintendo Support says you must finish the Pokémon Scarlet or Pokémon Violet main story, view the credits, and complete the events of The Teal Mask before you can access The Indigo Disk. The DLC must match your game: Scarlet DLC works with Pokémon Scarlet, and Violet DLC works with Pokémon Violet. Nintendo sells The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero as a package containing both DLC parts; neither part is sold separately, and you need the compatible base game.
Sources: Nintendo Support: The Indigo Disk access requirements; Nintendo: The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero product information.
How to unlock returning starters
- Progress through The Indigo Disk until you can use the League Club and its BP services.
- Earn BP by completing Blueberry Quests and other in-game activities.
- Choose a Terarium biome and spend 3,000 BP on its biodiversity upgrade. Nintendo Life reports that this makes that biome’s returning starters available.
- Search the upgraded biome for the species you want. To unlock every returning starter, repeat the upgrade in all four biomes: 3,000 BP each, or 12,000 BP total.
Nintendo Life’s guide says sandwiches that boost the relevant Pokémon type can help with encounters. It does not give spawn rates or say that a sandwich guarantees a particular starter will appear.
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- If you purchase either the physical or digital double pack, you will receive a 200 Poké Ball bonus via download codes* that can be entered in the Mystery Gift** feature in your game!
- The packaged version of the double pack includes 1 physical Pokémon Scarlet game and 1 physical Pokémon Violet game
- Catch, battle, and train Pokémon in the Paldea Region, a vast land filled with lakes, towering peaks, wastelands, small towns, and sprawling cities
- Choose either Sprigatito, Fuecoco, or Quaxly, to be your first partner Pokémon before setting off on your journey through Paldea
Source: Nintendo Life: All Starter Pokémon Locations In The Indigo Disk.
Which biome has each starter?
Use this list to decide which biome to upgrade first if you are hunting for a particular Pokémon. Each group below is tied to its listed biome.
Rank #2
- New Pokémon to Discover - Learn new details about Sprigatito, Fuecoco, and Quaxly—the three Pokémon from which you’ll choose your first partner—along with other wonderful new Pokémon, including the Legendary Pokémon Koraidon and Miraidon!
- The World of Pokémon Has Evolved - Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet offer an open-world experience that only the Pokémon series can deliver—one welcoming even to newcomers to the series.
- You can experience a new style of adventure, with a world that you’re free to explore at your leisure and not in an order dictated by the story. You will, of course, journey to hone your skills as a Pokémon Trainer, but many more discoveries and stories await you. Meet a variety of people and Pokémon, and adventure in the world of Pokémon the way you want to.
- A Deeper Experience with Multiplayer* Gameplay - Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet allow multiplayer gameplay with up to four players. Along with series staples, such as trading and battling Pokémon, you will be able to explore the various locations of the region in these games with other players. You can discover new Pokémon and explore unfamiliar areas with your friends and family, opening the door to an adventure more precious and fun than ever!
- Meet the characters - As one of the main characters, you’ll set off on your adventure. Your outfit will vary depending on whether you play Pokémon Scarlet or Pokémon Violet. Who knows what kind of story awaits you? For the first time in the series, one of two different professors will appear in your game depending on the version you choose to play.
| Terarium biome | Returning starters | Location notes |
|---|---|---|
| Savanna | Charmander, Totodile, Snivy, Fennekin, Rowlet, Sobble | Charmander and Rowlet are widespread. Look near water for Totodile and Sobble, in dry grass for Fennekin, and near the Coastal boundary for Snivy. |
| Canyon | Squirtle, Treecko, Turtwig, Tepig, Chespin, Litten | Squirtle appears around water; most of the others are on mountain grass. Look for Chespin in Chargestone Cavern. |
| Coastal | Bulbasaur, Chikorita, Mudkip, Froakie, Popplio, Grookey | Bulbasaur, Chikorita, and Grookey are around trees or green areas. Mudkip, Froakie, and Popplio are along beaches. |
| Polar | Cyndaquil, Torchic, Chimchar, Piplup, Oshawott, Scorbunny | Cyndaquil, Torchic, Chimchar, and Scorbunny are on the southwest high mountain. Look near icy water for Piplup and Oshawott. |
Location details and species lists are from Nintendo Life’s guide.
Should you upgrade one biome or all four?
If you only want a particular starter, check the table and upgrade its biome first rather than spending BP across all four at once. If you want the complete returning-starter set, budget 12,000 BP for all four biodiversity upgrades, based on Nintendo Life’s reported 3,000 BP cost per biome.
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Rank #3
![Pokémon Scarlet/Pokémon Violet Expansion Pass: The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero (Retail Version) Standard - Nintendo Switch [Digital Code]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51n-a8y2QXL._SL160_.jpg)
- Only one code for a Hisuian Zoroark can be used in either the Pokémon Scarlet or Pokémon Violet game. Upon purchase of The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero DLC, an email with your code will be sent to the email address registered to your Nintendo Account. From the in-game menu, go to the Poké Portal, then select Mystery Gift, select Get with Code/Password, and then enter your code.
- The Mystery Gift option can be found within the Poké Portal menu option in the X menu after you unlock the feature in the Pokémon Scarlet or Pokémon Violet game. (This occurs after about 1 to 1.5 hours of gameplay, though individual gameplay time may vary.) An internet connection and a Nintendo Account is required to redeem the item in game. A Nintendo Switch Online membership is not required. Each item can only be redeemed once.
Why the upgrades matter
Nintendo describes the expansion as a place to “Find first partner Pokémon and Legendary Pokémon from past games.” The starter encounters are gated by the Terarium’s separate biodiversity upgrades, so completing the story alone does not replace upgrading the biome where your target is found.
Source: Nintendo’s announcement of The Indigo Disk.
Quick Recap
Rank #4
- Action meets RPG in this new take on the Pokémon series
- Study Pokémon behaviors, sneak up on them, and toss a well-aimed Poké Ball to catch them
- Unleash moves in the speedy agile style or the powerful strong style in battles
- Travel to the Hisui region—the Sinnoh of old—and build the region’s first Pokédex
- Learn about the Mythical Pokémon Arceus, the key to this mysterious tale
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