How to Evolve Finizen into Palafin in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

There are plenty of new Pokémon and evolutions in Scarlet and Violet. Many of these Pokémon must be evolved if players don’t want to constantly farm Tera Raids just to find them. One creature in particular, Finizen, has a strange method of evolution that some might not be aware of. Even for those who know the requirements to evolve Finizen to Palafin, actually doing so in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet can prove to be very difficult. It’s certainly not impossible, but a bit of creative thinking might be required in the long run.

How Can Players Evolve Finizen into Palafin in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet?

The threshold for Finizen’s evolution is at level 38, but simply getting it to this level isn’t enough. To let it become Palafin, players must level it up during a multiplayer session. Thankfully, you don’t have to purchase an online subscription just to get Palafin, as you can do this in a local session as well. You also don’t need to hit level 38 as soon as the co-op session starts. As long as your Finizen is at or above that level and you have a friend nearby, it’ll evolve once you level up. It doesn’t matter how you level up, be it through battling or candies, so you won’t need to save your friend from a tough battle or defeat a Scorvillain despite Palafin’s “hero” motif.

After the evolution, it might not seem like much has changed from Finizen to Palafin. However, if you switch it out during battle, its special ability — Zero to Hero — will activate. This will cause it to change form, massively increasing its stats. This can be done very easily through the move Flip Turn, giving you the chance to deal Water-type damage while switching out. Palafin is a deceptively powerful Pokémon, so if you don’t have the ability to play online and still want to evolve your Finizen, find someone else with a Switch to help you out!

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are Nintendo Switch exclusives.