How to get Wo-Chien in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

Wo-Chien is one of the powerful new Legendary Pokémon that debuts in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. This Dark/Grass snail can be found at level 60, and has a number of powerful moves, abilities, and stats. Whether you want to add such a powerful Pokémon to your team or simply complete your Pokedex, Wo-Chien is worth the effort. However, finding and catching it is not as straightforward as it may seem. Here’s our guide on how to get Wo-Chien in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.

Where to find Wo-Chien in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

Finding Wo-Chien is quite simple since it is located in one of the first areas you can explore, the South Province (Area One). A Purple Shrine is located at the base of a cliff on the eastern side of Area One. It will be locked, but Wo-Chien is behind that door.

Beating the main story is not a requirement to catch Wo-Chien. But you will encounter it at level 60, meaning your team should be level 50-55 at a minimum. Having all the gym badges will also make catching Wo-Chien significantly easier since all Pokémon will listen to your commands.

Opening the Purple Shrine

When you get to the Purple Shrine, you will find it locked. To open the shrine and access Wo-Chien, you will need to find the eight Purple Ominous Stakes stuck in the ground at various locations across southern Paldea. Here are their locations:

Shrine 1

Immediately south of Los Platos, at the top of a hill overlooking Los Platos.

Shrine 2

In the corner of a plateau just northeast of Los Platos.

Shrine 3

On top of a high, swirling plateau northeast of Los Platos.

Shrine 4

Very close to a bridge, just southeast of Mesagoza.

Shrine 5

Southwest corner of South Province (Area Five), directly on the other side of the cliff face where Wo-Chien is located.

Shrine 6

Directly east of Mesagoza, on top of a hill.

Shrine 7

Immediately south of the Artazon (West) Pokémon Center. Your ride Pokémon will need the climbing ability.

Shrine 8

The northernmost part of South Province (Area Three) on a cliff overlooking East Province (Area One).

Catching Wo-Chien in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

Once you have pulled all the Purple Stakes, you can open the shrine and battle Wo-Chien. I strongly recommend turning off the autosave option and saving manually before initiating the battle. This way, you can simply reload your save if you make Wo-Chien faint accidentally.

As mentioned above, Wo-Chien is Dark/Grass type, and has an ability called Tablets of Ruin. Tablets of Ruin will lower the Attack stat of your Pokémon, so build your team accordingly. Specifically, make sure you have answers to Dark, Grass, and Ground-type moves. Keep in mind that Wo-Chien has a very high Special Defense stat, which can be leveraged to get damage without causing it to faint.

Regarding Balls to use, I would recommend trying a Quick Ball right off the bat. If that doesn’t work, simply battle Wo-Chien until it has low HP and then start chucking Ultra Balls at it. You will have a higher chance of catching Wo-Chien if you can put it to sleep or inflict another status effect. If the battle goes on for a while, start using Timer Balls as well. Finally, Dusk Balls are a great alternative if catching Wo-Chien at night.

When you catch Wo-Chien, you will have one of the four Ruinous Legendary Pokémon under your control!

You can purchase Pokémon Scarlet and Violet at the Nintendo eShop.