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 formidable Salamence, and you can catch one in Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. However, if you're playing Pokémon Scarlet, you won't find Bagon or its evolutions, as they are exclusive to Pokémon Violet. To complete your Paldea Pokédex, you'll need to catch Bagon, Shelgon, and Salamence.

Updated on January 13, 2025 by Renri Seong: Dragon-type Bagon evolves into the mighty Salamence, making it a valuable addition to your team in Pokémon Violet. There are multiple ways to catch Bagon and even its evolved form, Shelgon. However, if you aim to complete the Pokédex in Pokémon Scarlet, 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 stack up against other pseudo-legendaries? 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

You can find Bagon in several locations within Pokémon Violet, but starting your search in East Province (Area Three) is recommended 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 southwest of the bridge between the grassy and rocky regions of South Province (Area Five) to find it.

Another recommended spot is Dalizapa Passage, located north of The Great Crater of Paldea and south of Glaseado Mountain. Upon arrival, you'll see a deep hole with a Pokémon Center. You can ride Koraidon or Miraidon to jump down the hole or enter through one of the many cavern entrances. This location is a cave where you can encounter several rare Pokémon, including Bagon and Frigibax.

If you enjoy participating in raids, you can catch Bagon from 3-star Tera Raids, which unlock after obtaining three gym badges. Note that Bagon's Tera Type may differ from its regular type if caught in a raid. Additionally, Pokémon from 3-star Raids may have their Hidden Ability, which is something to consider when hunting for 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. Online features require a Nintendo Switch Online Membership, so transferring Bagon from another game might be more convenient.

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

1. Open HOME and select the game from which you're 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 move Bagon from the Basic Box to one of your Scarlet PC Boxes.
4. Save and exit.

When you reopen Pokémon Scarlet, Bagon should appear in the selected 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 must 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 fastest way to do this is by having Bagon/Shelgon auto-battle Pokémon around its level.

If you're not EV training, consider having Bagon auto-battle Pokémon like Chansey, which provide more experience than most. Chanseys can be 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 to level up Bagon or Shelgon quickly. One piece of Exp. Candy L or Exp. Candy XL can elevate their level significantly. Exp. Candy M also works, but you might need more to evolve Shelgon into Salamence.

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

Is Salamence Good?

Salamence Strengths & Weaknesses

Salamence, alongside Metagross, was introduced as a pseudo-legendary Pokémon in Generation 3. Pseudo-legendaries have a base stat total of 600, making them highly sought after for PVP when properly trained.

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

As a Dragon/Flying-type Pokémon, Salamence can learn both Dragon and Flying-type moves, making it super effective against a variety of opponents. However, its dual-typing leaves it vulnerable to one significant weakness.

Recommended Moves

Salamence's move set leans heavily towards physical moves, which aligns well with its higher Attack stat. You should opt for moves like Dragon Claw over special moves like Dragon Breath. To counter its Fairy and Rock weaknesses, you can teach it Iron Head using TM099.

Despite its higher Attack, Salamence's base Special Attack is still respectable, allowing you to train it as a special attacker if preferred. In this case, a Timid (+Spd, -Attk) Nature would be more beneficial than Adamant or Lonely. A specially trained Salamence would excel with moves like Draco Meteor and Flamethrower.