How to Evolve Basculin in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

The best fish is back!

Katakami is unique for more than one reason. Not only does its Pokemon have the ability to Terastallize, but it’s also the home of some of the only modern-day Hisuian Pokemon. Though getting those Hisui Pokemon, you’ll need to jump through some hoops. Here’s how to evolve Basculin in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet.

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To evolve Basculin in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, you’ll need to do the following:

  • Find a White-Striped Basculin.
  • Have it use Recoil-inducing moves.

How to Find a White-Striped Bascluin in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

To find a White-Striped Basculin in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, you’ll need to head to the Timeless Woods. That makes sense, as it’s the location of another rare Hisuian Pokemon. Once you’re in the woods, look for the small pond that’s fed by the Kitakami River.

Screenshot by Prima Games

Here, you’ll have no problem finding a White-Striped Basculin. You can see the white streak on their body in the overworld, but if you’re struggling, the Pokedex entry for it will also define it as “White-Striped Basculin.”

How to Evolve White-Striped Basculin in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

Once you have your Basculin, put it in the front of your team. You’re going to need Basculin to inflict 294 recoil damage on itself, without fainting, for it to evolve. Moves that will help this process along are Double-Edge and Head Smash.

Tip:

If Basculin faints, your recoil counter will start over!

Head Smash will do the most damage to Basculin, with Double-Edge doing middling damage and Take Down doing the least. Note that the amount of damage that Basculin takes is proportional to how much damage he inflicts. So, try to find Pokemon within at least ten levels of Basculin to make this process faster.

Once Basculin has inflicted 294 damage on itself, you just need to level it like normal for it to evolve.

But that’s not the only Hisui Pokemon you can grab in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. There’s a third, and it might be the cutest one there is.

About the Author

Daphne Fama

A Staff Writer at Prima Games since 2022, Daphne Fama spends an inordinate amount playing games of all stripes but has a soft spot for horror, FPS, and RPGs. When she’s not gaming, she’s an author and member of the Horror Writers Association with a debut novel coming out in 2025. In a previous life, she was an attorney but found she preferred fiction to contracts and forms

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