Pokémon Scarlet & Violet: The Indigo Disk DLC Release Date Announced!

Hello Trainers!

We have some exciting news that was recently announced regarding the next DLC for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet!

The Indigo Disk Release Date!

The Pokémon Company has officially announced that the next installment of Scarlet and Violet’s DLC, the Indigo Disk, will be launching worldwide on December 14th, 2023!

There was much speculation surrounding the release date for the second DLC expansion. There was a placeholder release date in the Nintendo eShop for Spring of 2024, but surprisingly, the release will be coming much sooner!

The Indigo Disk will allow Trainers to visit the Blueberry Academy that has been mentioned multiple times throughout the storyline. There they will be able to encounter a plethora of new Pokémon and embark on a brand new adventure to discover the Hidden Treasure of Area Zero!

With the official release date being announced, we thought it would be a good time to go over what information we know regarding the Indigo Disk!

The Story So Far

Warning: this section will contain spoilers for the story of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet and the Teal Mask DLC

Throughout the story of Scarlet and Violet, you begin to discover the secrets and mysteries of Area Zero, the massive crater in the center of the Paldea region. Within its depths, you discovered Professor Sada/Turo’s work to bring Pokémon from the past/future to the present by means of a time machine. You also discover the source of the power that fuels the Terastalization Phenomenon that is unique to Paldea, giant Terastal Crystals that can be found in the lower depths of Area Zero.

Professor Sada/Turo’s work is based off of the Scarlet Book or Violet Book, respectively. These guides detail the mysterious Paradox Pokémon discovered by the first researchers to delve into Area Zero. However, the copy of the book encountered in the story disappears with the Professor’s robotic clone into the time machine, and the mysteries within were lost with it.

Following the initial events within Area Zero came new discoveries! Prior to the events of the Teal Mask DLC, you are invited on a joint school trip to the Kitakami region with representatives from the Blueberry Academy, the counterpart to the Naranja/Uva Academy you attend in Paldea. A teacher from Blueberry Academy, Briar, meets you in the lobby of the Academy. Briar reveals that she is the descendent of Heath, one of the original researchers of Area Zero and the author of the Scarlet/Violet Book. Due to the fantastical nature of Heath’s findings, his work has largely been discredited. Briar aims to reclaim her ancestor’s honor by proving his findings true, yet she has so far been unable to receive permission to enter Area Zero.

She possesses an unaltered copy of his original manuscript of the book, which contains details not included in the copy of the book you encountered. One such detail mentions a mysterious Pokémon that Heath claims to have encountered. He named this Pokémon Terapagos!

From here you continue on to your adventures in the Land of Kitakami. There you meet Carmine and Kieran, a pair of brother and sister students from Blueberry Academy that are originally from Mossui Town in the Land of Kitakami. Carmine is a battle-loving, hotheaded Trainer who initially has a strong distaste for you after losing in your first battle. Kieran, on the other hand, is soft-spoken and timid, often deferring to his sister to make the decisions.

During your time in Kitakami, you learn of the story of the Loyal Three and the Ogre. The story states that in ancient times, a terrible Ogre attacked the village. The villagers were defended by the Loyal Three, a trio of Pokémon that gave their lives to drive the Ogre away. The Ogre lives in the Dreaded Den deep within Oni Mountain.

As you progress through the story, you form a close bond with Kieran, who slowly begins to break out of his shell. You learn that Kieran is a big fan of the Ogre in the story, and that he doesn’t believe it to be the villain the story says.

During a festival, you and Carmine are surprised to discover the Ogre on the outskirts of town. It is actually a Pokémon named Ogerpon, which becomes startled when you approach it and flees, but not before dropping its signature Teal Mask.

Carmine asks you to keep your encounter with Ogerpon a secret. The two of you learn that the story of the Loyal Three did not accurately tell the story. The Loyal Three were villains that sought to steal the beloved masks of Ogerpon and its Trainer. They attacked the Trainer and stole three of their masks. Ogerpon donned the final mask and pursued its attackers in anger. However, the villagers only saw Ogerpon’s attack, and thus the false narrative was formed.

Amidst your research, you and Carmine are unknowingly followed by Kieran. Believing you two lied to him in order to tear him down, he lashes out. During a confrontation with Kieran, his anger and negative emotions awaken the Loyal Three from their resting place. The three Pokémon return to the village, where they are welcomed as heroes. The masks they stole are returned to them by the villagers, granting them overwhelming strength. From there, they attack Ogerpon, but you, Carmine, and Kieran successfully ward off the attack.

You and Carmine work together to defeat the Loyal Three and retrieve the stolen masks. At the same time, Kieran successfully convinces the villagers of Ogerpon’s innocence. From there, the masks are returned to Ogerpon. Ogerpon then expresses its interest in joining your team. Before this can happen, however, you are interrupted by Kieran. Throughout the story, Kieran has continually challenged you to Pokémon Battles in the hopes of finally being able to best you. He has gained considerable strength, yet has never been able to overcome you. He challenges you to one final battle for the right to catch Ogerpon. Upon his defeat, you successfully battle and defeat Ogerpon before adding it to your team.

At the conclusion of your adventure, you bid farewell to Briar, Carmine, and Kieran, as they must return to Blueberry Academy. Briar is still committed to reaccrediting her ancestor Heath’s work. Carmine has warmed up to you considerably and sees you a friend and rival. Kieran has returned to being quiet, but he is not the timid boy you met at the start of your adventure. In a post-credits scene, he vows to get stronger to eventually defeat you.

We are sure to see these three characters return in the story of the Indigo Disk DLC. Will Briar find the answers to her questions? Where will your rivalry with Carmine go next? And what does Kieran have planned for you? Only time will tell!

New and Returning Pokémon

There have been a few new Pokémon that have been revealed prior to the release of the DLC, as well as a cast of returning Pokémon. Let’s take a look at what has been revealed so far!

Terapagos

The previously mentioned Pokémon discovered by Heath is the mascot of the Indigo Disk DLC. Not much is known about Terapagos, but it has been revealed to have two different forms. It is speculated that its alternate form will be taken when Terapagos Terastalizes (say that 10 times fast!).

Not even its typing has been revealed yet. We will all have to wait until December 14th to discover the secrets that Terapagos holds!

Archaludon

The next newly revealed Pokémon from the DLC is Archaludon, an evolution of the Generation 8 Pokémon Duraludon!

Archaludon is a dual Steel / Dragon type Pokémon. While its unknown as to how powerful it will actually be, based on the fact that its pre-evolution Duraludon was already a formidable Pokémon, Archaludon is sure to be a beast!

Duraludon will also now be able to make use of the Eviolite item. We have seen how powerful this has made other Pokémon that received a later evolution such as Chansey and Dusclops, so Duraludon may be just as interesting as its new evolution!

Raging Bolt

Raging Bolt appears to be the Ancient Paradox form of Raikou. It is a dual Electric / Dragon type.

Like the other Ancient Paradox Pokémon, Raging Bolt will likely be a Scarlet exclusive. It is unknown as to where we will encounter this Pokémon in the Indigo Disk DLC. Walking Wake, the Ancient Paradox form of Suicune, was only able to be encountered for a limited time in Tera Raids. Hopefully we will see Raging Bolt be more accessible than its counterpart. Other than the Legendary Pokémon Koraidon and Miraidon, every other Pokémon in Scarlet and Violet have been able to be caught by either copy of the game. Let’s hope the same applies to this goofy looking giraffe!

Iron Crown

Iron Crown appears to be a Future Paradox form of Cobalion. It is a dual Steel / Psychic type.

It can safely be assumed that Iron Crown will be a Violet exclusive. It will likely be the counterpart to Raging Bolt, similarly to how Iron Leaves, the Future Paradox form of Virizion, was to Walking Wake. Again, hopefully we will be able to encounter this Paradox Pokémon in either game, but only time will tell.

Returning Pokémon

Just as with every DLC since Sword and Shield, a cast of returning Pokémon will make their debut!

The Blueberry Academy features a Terarium (not misspelled, seemingly another Terastalization pun!) that features multiple artificial habitats. These habitats are home to Pokémon not found natively in Paldea!

Important note: the full list of returning Pokémon in the Indigo Disk has been leaked.

I do my best to avoid spoilers of any kind. I try to stick to officially released information only. Many returning Pokémon have already been revealed in trailers. It should be noted that some of the newly revealed Pokémon have been available in the base game either through limited time Tera Raid events or by transferring them from Pokémon HOME. They are listed below:

While these Pokémon were available in the base game, they will officially be able to be registered to the Pokédex in the DLC, similarly to Ursaluna and Basculegion in the Teal Mask DLC.

Now let’s move on to the Pokémon making their Scarlet and Violet debut! Here are the ones that have been officially confirmed so far:

There are a bunch of exciting Pokémon that have been revealed in trailers, but the most exciting news by far is that every starter Pokémon will be able to be encountered in the DLC!

These Pokémon are all fan favorites (unless you’ve faced Incineroar in VGC), and they are always welcome additions to any game. I along with many others are very excited at the prospect of shiny hunting these Pokémon in the overworld!

Conclusion

There has been plenty more information revealed about the DLC, from new moves to new tournaments and even a new method of traversal with your Legendary Ride Pokémon! More information can be found on the Pokémon Company’s YouTube channel, as well as their official site found here. I know I’ll be looking forward to December 14th. Who knows what else the Indigo Disk DLC has in store for us!