What Are Tera Shards Used For in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet? Tera Shards, Explained

The region of Paldea is home to hundreds of items for players to collect during their time with Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, and while the vast majority of these items are helpful, sometimes you’ll pick something up and immediately question what it’s for. Of course, it doesn’t help that a considerable number of items within the game don’t have a particularly informative description in your bag either, so more often than not, you’ll want to immediately sell it but end up storing it away in fear it might be helpful at a later date. Tera Shards are a perfect example since they can be found across the entire region yet are few and far between. So, if you want to understand what they are for, read on.

What Are Tera Shards for in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet?

Tera Shards can be collected as a hidden item when a Terastilized Pokemon is defeated in battle, but they won’t just be scattered around the battlefield, and players will need to search the surrounding area to find if any have dropped. Similarly to TMs, they will be signified by a yellow glow and a Pokeball on the ground. Each Tera Shard you pick up will correspond to a specific Pokemon type, and you’ll need to collect 50 Tera Shards of any type to change the Tera Type of a Pokemon.

How to Change Tera Types in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

To change the Tera Type of your Pokemon, you will need to speak to an NPC in the central restaurant in Medali. This NPC will allow you to exchange 50 various Tera Shards to unlock the ability to change the Tera Type of a single one of your Pokemon unless you have Shards stacked up, of course. Unless you take your party to a competitive level, you may not be too fussed about changing your Pokemon’s Tera Type. If so, you can always sell them at the PokeMart for some extra cash.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are available on Nintendo Switch.