Pokemon Scarlet and Violet is argued by many players to not be as challenging as the original games of the franchise due to the automatic feature of sharing experience points with each pokemon in a player's party. Even with the original titles, players had made their own challenges to create a harder playthrough for themselves by not only limiting the pokemon they could use but also giving themselves harsh punishments if they fainted.
These are by far the hardest challenges players should try for their next run of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, that will not only encourage players to think tactfully but also enjoy the game even more.
8 The Wonder Trade Challenge
Possibly one of the easiest of the most challenging runs players can take part in; The Wonder Trades relies heavily on the generosity of others for what pokemon players will be adventuring with in their team. Players must catch five pokemon once receiving their starter and then trade away all six pokemon using the online feature called Surprise Trade.
The pokemon players obtain from others playing the ninth generation will be the pokemon that will make up their final team they will be using while attempting to defeat every gym leader, titan, and Team Star base.
7 Generational Pokemon Only
As the name may suggest, the generational pokemon challenge forces the player to only use pokemon that have been added with the current generation of the games.
This challenge doesn't only restrict players to using the current gen of pokemon, as they can also limit themselves to using other generations of pokemon as well. For example, a player may decide to complete the game while only using the first generation of pokemon that can be found throughout the Paldea region.
6 Monotype Run
For players that are hoping to take on a challenge that makes them work similarly to the gym leaders across the game, then this is the challenge for them. Firstly, a player must decide what main type they wish all their pokemon to have, after making this decision, a player must make sure that every pokemon in the roster has that type connected to them.
To make this challenge even harder, players may wish to limit themselves to pokemon that only have one type to them and, therefore, may appear weaker in some situations.
5 The Clone Pokemon Challenge
Those that don't mind avoiding variety may be intrigued to learn about the Clone Pokemon challenge. In this run, a player must first generate a number from one to four hundred in the Paldean Pokedex to first decide what creature will be making up the entirety of their team.
This can once again either create an incredibly powerful team of pokemon due to getting a decent pick or a terrible challenge if it is one of the weaker entries. Players just then make the entire party this pokemon which can make certain gyms a fight for survival.
4 One Pokemon Against The Region
Although a trainer can have up to six pokemon in their party at a time, there are some that wish to take on the masses alone with a singular companion. This can be done in a variety of ways as players commonly focus on only using their starter for the entire game; however, the pokemon that is used can also be randomized.
While the starters may not be an issue as they can evolve into far more powerful pokemon, players that are trapped with a Squawkabilly for their entire playthrough may have a different point of view of the challenge.
3 Never Heal Pokemon
In the Never Heal challenge, players may have guessed that this means their pokemon can't use potions or a poke center. This means when a pokemon faints, it is permanently out of the roster. Instead, players must rely on moves or items, such as leftovers, to keep their pokemon alive and kicking.
Some players have also gone as far as to make these items and moves off-limits also. Therefore, a player will need to focus on leveling their creatures and choosing pokemon with a lot of health in order to avoid losing them quickly.
2 Don't Faint
While more forgiving than most, this challenge relies on players not allowing their pokemon to ever drop below zero health. If this is to happen, then the player is forced to restart the game and therefore begin their journey once more from the very beginning.
This can be a very tedious task for those that are not veterans of the Pokemon franchise, especially if they are not fully aware of type matchups that can instantly remove a pokemon from the field. However, once finally making it to the end, many players feel they have conquered quite the challenge.
1 The Infamous Nuzzlocke
The Nuzzlocke challenge is one of the most popular challenges to ever be introduced by fans of the Pokemon franchise. The Nuzzlocke challenge combines elements from a variety of other challenges to create not only one of the hardest but also emotionally binding experiences in Pokemon history.
Players are only allowed to catch the first pokemon they see in each area unless it's a duplicate, and once that pokemon faints, it can never be used again. This makes every pokemon added to the team incredibly valuable as players avoid dangerous situations to keep their team together.