How to Evolve Gastly in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

If this is your first time playing an installment of the Pokemon series, you’ve likely found yourself wandering around the fields and forests of the Paldea region late into the in-game night. And one of the fantastic things about Pokemon Scarlet and Violet is that its Pokemon remains fairly true to their lore, especially ghost types!

These spirits appear with dusk and linger until the first rays of dawn. And among the most common type of ghost Pokemon is Gastly – an orb wreathed in some sort of dark, spectral energy with big, ridiculous anime eyes.

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If you’ve caught one, you might be wondering what the next stage for this Pokemon is and how to get there.

How to Evolve Gastly in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

Fortunately, Gastly doesn’t have a complicated evolution mechanic. You need merely give him the tender love and care it needs by forcing it to batter other Pokemon with Licks, Paybacks, and Curses galore, until it hits Level 25. At Level 25, Gastly in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet will evolve into Haunter, one of the best ghost Pokemon in the series.

But if you find the whole process of leveling it up to be too tedious, never fear. You can head to Levincia town on the East coast of the Paldea Region (home of the electric Gym trainer, Iono). In the middle of the city, in the Pokeball shaped boardwalk, you’ll see a woman with sunglasses and a questionable blue-top / red-short combo. Her yellow textbox will say she’s looking for a Pincurchin and will happily trade one for a Haunter. Conveniently, you can find these sea urchin Pokemon just south of the city, along the beach on the East coast. They seem to be a bit of a rare spawn, though.

But if you’ve managed to find one, you can skip all the hoopla of leveling your Gastly and jump straight to Haunter (and Gengar). So long as you don’t mind your Pokemon being named Hauntikins…

Good luck, Trainer!

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