Quick Links

• Where to Find Bagon

  • Bagon Location in Pokemon Violet

• How to Get Bagon in Pokemon Scarlet

  • How to Trade and Transfer Pokemon

• How to Evolve Bagon into Shelgon and Salamence

  • What Level Does Bagon Evolve

• Is Salamence Good?

  • Salamence Strengths & Weaknesses
  • Recommended Moves

Bagon, a Dragon-type Pokémon, evolves into the powerful Salamence and can be found in Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. However, if you're playing Pokémon Scarlet, you'll notice that Bagon and its evolutions are exclusive to Pokémon Violet. To complete your Paldea Pokédex, you'll need to obtain Bagon, Shelgon, and Salamence.

Updated on January 13, 2025 by Renri Seong: Bagon, a Dragon-type Pokémon, evolves into the formidable Salamence, and you can add it to your team in Pokémon Violet. There are various locations where you can catch Bagon and even its evolved form, Shelgon. If you're playing Pokémon Scarlet and aim to complete your Pokédex, you'll need to transfer one from Violet. Like Dragonite, Salamence is a Dragon/Flying-type pseudo-legendary with a base stat total of 600. But how does Salamence compare to the first pseudo-legendary of the Pokémon world? Is it worth catching? This guide has been updated to include detailed information on Salamence's stats, type effectiveness, and recommended moves.

Where to Find Bagon

Bagon Location in Pokemon Violet

In Pokémon Violet, Bagon can be found in several locations, with East Province (Area Three) being a prime spot due to its expansive size and numerous caves to explore.

If you're still in the starting area, you can catch a fixed spawn Bagon on a mountain in South Province (Area Five). Head to the southwest of the bridge between the grassy and rocky areas of South Province (Area Five) and climb the mountain.

Another recommended location is Dalizapa Passage, situated north of The Great Crater of Paldea and south of Glaseado Mountain. Upon arrival, you'll find a deep hole with a Pokémon Center. You can either ride Koraidon or Miraidon to jump down the hole or walk down from one of the many cavern entrances. This location, though less open than East Province, is a cave where you can encounter rare Pokémon like Bagon and Frigibax.

For those interested in Tera Raids, Bagon can be caught in 3-star Tera Raids, which become available after obtaining three gym badges. Note that Bagon's Tera Type may differ from its regular type when caught in a raid. Additionally, Pokémon from 3-star Raids may have their Hidden Ability, a factor to consider when seeking Bagon.

How to Get Bagon in Pokemon Scarlet

How to Trade and Transfer Pokemon

Since Bagon and its evolutions are not available in Pokémon Scarlet, you'll need to trade with a Pokémon Violet player or transfer Bagon using Pokémon HOME. To trade, you can create or join a Group via the Union Circle, but you'll need a Nintendo Switch Online Membership. Transferring Bagon from another game might be more straightforward.

If Pokémon HOME is on your Switch, you can transfer Bagon from games like Pokémon Sword/Shield (Expansion Pass), Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl, or directly from Pokémon HOME.

1. Open HOME and select the game from which you'll be transferring Bagon.
2. Move Bagon to your Basic Box (the left side of the screen), then save and exit.
3. Open your Pokémon Scarlet file and transfer Bagon from the Basic Box to one of your Scarlet PC Boxes.
4. Save and exit.

Upon opening Pokémon Scarlet, Bagon should be in the designated PC Box, and its Dex Entry will be completed.

How to Evolve Bagon into Shelgon and Salamence

What Level Does Bagon Evolve

To evolve Bagon, you need to raise its level to 30, at which point it will evolve into Shelgon. From there, level Shelgon up to 50 to evolve it into Salamence. The quickest way to do this is through auto-battling Pokémon around its level.

If you're not focused on EV training, have Bagon auto-battle Pokémon like Chansey, which provide more experience than most. Chanseys are found in East Province (Area Two), North Province (Area One-Three), Casseroya Lake, and West Province (Area Two-Three).

Alternatively, you can use Exp. Candy. One piece of Exp. Candy L or Exp. Candy XL will elevate their level significantly. Exp. Candy M works too, but you might need more to evolve Shelgon into Salamence.

You can also catch Shelgon and Salamence from 4-star and 5/6-star Tera Raids, respectively.

Is Salamence Good?

Salamence Strengths & Weaknesses

Salamence, along with Metagross, are the pseudo-legendary Pokémon from Generation 3. Pseudo-Legendary Pokémon are non-legendary with a base stat total of 600, making them highly sought after for competitive play when properly trained.

A recommended Nature for Salamence is Adamant (+Attk, -Sp.Attk) or Lonely (+Attk, -Def).

Salamence is a Dragon/Flying-type Pokémon, which means it can learn both Dragon and Flying-type moves, making it super effective against a wide range of Pokémon. However, its dual-typing leaves it vulnerable to a significant weakness.

Recommended Moves

Salamence's move set leans heavily towards physical moves, aligning with its higher Attack stat over Special Attack. You can opt for moves like Dragon Claw, a physical move, over Dragon Breath, a special move. To counter its Fairy and Rock weaknesses, consider teaching it Iron Head via TM099.

Despite its higher Attack, Salamence's base Special Attack is still respectable, allowing it to be used as a special attacker if desired. In this case, a Timid (+Spd, -Attk) Nature might be more suitable than Adamant or Lonely. A specially trained Salamence can effectively use moves like Draco Meteor and Flamethrower.