How to Evolve Combee into Vespiquen in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

Once you’ve completed the main story of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet and you start working on completing your Pokedex, or if you’re getting a head start, you may face a few species which seem almost impossible to evolve. Several Pokemon require specific conditions before they even consider evolving, such as a high friendship level with the trainer or a held item that will send you on an adventure around the region to collect. Luckily, Combee isn’t as attention-requiring as other Pokemon in the game, but this species still won’t evolve unless you follow a specific procedure. So read on to find out how you can evolve Combee into Vespiquen.

When Does Combee Evolve in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet?

While Combee is easily pleased and will evolve as soon as it reaches level 21, the catch is your specimen needs to be female. Aside from the small icon next to the Pokemon’s name, which is visible during battle and will display its gender, the best way to tell from a distance whether the Pokemon is female or not is to look for a red triangle on the head of the central bee. If you catch a male Combee, you can level up as much as you like, but the species will never evolve. The red triangle from Combee translates to Vespiquen’s design and can be seen atop her head.

If you catch a female above level 21, you can level up the Pokemon a single time with either Rare Candy or EXP Candy to immediately evolve it into Vespiquen. Of course, you can also use your Combee in Let’s Go battles or trainer battles to boost its EXP equally as quickly. The species is easily found around the fields by Cortondo, where you’ll participate in the Olive Roll. Although you will encounter male species more often than females, the more time you spend in the area, the higher your chance of finding your future Vespiquen.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are available on Nintendo Switch.