One of the more unique critters in the latest Pokémon titles is actually different depending on which game you are playing.
Charcadet is a newcomer to the series, having been added with Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. Not only does this Pokémon have an item evolution, but it's also completely different based on which version of the game you're playing, making it one of the stranger Pokémon Scarlet and Violet version exclusives that we've seen.
Whichever copy of the the game you have, it's easy to catch and evolve this Fire-type, once you know what you need to do. We'll help you out.
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet: How to catch Charcadet
Charcadet can be caught fairly early on in your adventure, regardless of which game you've chosen. While this Pokémon can technically be found across a very wide range, in our testing, the best place to look will be in South Province, Area 3, which is just to the east of Mesagoza.
In order to catch Charcadet, we highly recommend holding a picnic and eating a pickle sandwich. Charcadet naturally has a very low spawn rate in the wild, but with your Encounter Power: Fire boosted, the area will become crawling with Charcadets in no time.
Characadet spawns at a low level in South Province, Area 3, but just in case, it's a good idea to visit a nearby PokéStop and stock up on Poké Balls.
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet: How to evolve Charcadet into Armarouge
Now that you've got Charcadet, how do you evolve it? Charcadet only evolves once, into Armarouge or Ceruledge. Charcadet uses an item evolution, meaning that it won't evolve naturally but instead, the Trainer has to use a specific item to induce the evolution. Compounding the difficulty, you can only get one evolution in each game. In Pokémon Scarlet, Charcadet can be evolved into Armarouge. In Pokémon Violet, it'll evolve into Ceruledge.
So, if you're playing Pokémon Scarlet, follow these steps to get an item for evolving Charcadet into Armarouge:
- Defeat several Bronzor to get Bronzor fragments. Bronzor spawns around ruins such as the ones north of Cortondo.
- Have at least 10 Bronzor fragments in your inventory.
- Head to Zapapico, which is at the western edge of East Province, Area 2, marked on the map above.
- You'll find a man standing near a fountain asking to trade.
- Trade the man 10 Bronzor fragments for a set of Auspicious Armor.
- Go into your inventory and use the Auspicious Armor on Charcadet.
There are no level restrictions. Once you use the Auspicious Armor on Charcadet, it will immediately evolve into Armarouge. It's worth noting that you can repeat this process and trade for more sets of Auspicious Armor as long as you have enough Bronzor Fragments.
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet: How to evolve Charcadet into Ceruledge
If you're playing Pokémon Violet, the process for evolving Charcadet into Ceruledge is very similar to what you'll do in the other game, with some small but key differences:
- Defeat several Sinistea to earn Sinistea Chips. These Pokémon can be found hovering over the grass at Alfornada during the night.
- You'll need to gather 10 Sinistea Chips in your inventory.
- Make your way to Zapapico at the western edge of East Province, Area 2.
- Find a woman near a fountain offering to trade something with a dark past.
- She'll give you Malicious Armor in exchange for the 10 Sinistea Chips.
- Go to your inventory, and use the Malicious Armor on Charcadet to get Ceruledge.
You'll be able to keep on trading for more Malicious Armor so long as you have additional Sinistea Chips. If you want to get Armarouge or Ceruledge but you don't have access to that game, there's a couple of options. You can simply trade Pokémon with a friend and directly gain the one you are missing. Alternatively, you can exchange for the armor by having a friend give that armor to a Pokémon to hold, then trading said Pokémon, allowing you to gain the version-exclusive armor.
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet: How to get both Ceruledge and Armarouge
If you want to have both an Armarouge and a Ceruledge, you'll need to trade with someone who has a different version than you. If you need assistance with this, check out our guide on how to trade in Scarlet and Violet.
Gotta catch them all
Version exclusives have been a part of Pokémon games for a long time and outside of rare exceptions like with Pokémon Legends: Arceus, it doesn't look like that will be changing anytime soon. Charcadet is pretty unique in that it's able to be caught in both games, but with different version exclusive evolutions. If you've got friends to trade with, though, that won't stop you from finishing the Paldea Pokédex.
