As part of the Blueberry Pokedex in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's The Indigo Disk DLC, you can now catch the Dark and Psychic-type Pokemon, Inkay and Malamar. Ever since Inkay's introduction into the Pokemon world (gen 6), trainers have had issues evolving it into its second form. This is because Inkay's evolution requirement is quite different from others.

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Trainers can catch an Inkay during the Psychic Spectacular Event in Pokemon GO, but what's the trick to evolving the Kalos native?

Where to Find Inkay in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

Blueberry Academy's map has four distinct biomes filled with all kinds of different Pokemon. We managed to catch an Inkay in the Coastal Biome, which is the area in the northeast quadrant of The Indigo Disk's "region." According to the Pokedex, Malamar cannot be caught in the wild and can only be evolved from Inkay. However, there might be a chance to fight one in a Tera Raid battle.

How to Evolve Inkay in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

You can evolve Inkay in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet by getting it to level 30. However, there's another requirement: once Inkay hits level 30, the Nintendo Switch needs to be in portable mode and must be flipped upside down. This means that if a Switch Pro controller is connected or if the Switch is in the dock, your Inkay will never evolve.

It also appears that Inkay will not evolve into Malamar unless it levels up in a battle or by using Rare Candy. We tried to feed Inkay EXP Candy while holding the Switch upside down, but it didn't work. When trying to evolve Inkay, we recommend holding the system upside down before going into the menu (if you plan on using the Rare Candy method). The game might need some time to register that the console is being held in a different position. If you turn it too late, Inkay might not properly evolve.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

Franchise

Pokemon

Platform(s)

Switch

Released

November 18, 2022

Developer(s)

Game Freak

Publisher(s)

Nintendo , The Pokemon Company