How To Get Gengar In Pokémon Scarlet & Violet (No Online Trading)

Traditionally, Gengar can only be obtained via online trade, but in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, there's a way to get the Ghost-type Pokémon without that requirement. As a way of making Gengar more accessible to players who don't have friends online to trade with or aren't near an internet connection, players need only chat with a local NPC to get one.

Unfortunately, the trading mechanic itself is still technically applicable for receiving Gengar, so you will need to find the requested Pokémon and give it to the NPC. While the Gen 1 Pokémon is not only an essential part of completing your Pokédex, it can be a great aggressive team member, especially for those looking for a strong Ghost Pokémon.

Where To Find Gengar In Scarlet & Violet

Find The NPC For Gengar's In-Game Trade

To trade with the correct NPC in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, you first need to head to Levincia's battle court. There, you will find an NPC named Blossom hanging around the edge of the arena, who will offer to trade you a Haunter, which will evolve into a Gengar after you receive it, in exchange for a Pincurchin.

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If you do not have a Pincurchin in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, you can catch one at various beaches in Paldea, as shown in Arekkz Gaming's video above. You can even grab a Pinchurchin just outside of Levincia's city limits, down by the shore. Once your trade with Blossom is completed, the Haunter will immediately evolve into Gengar without you having to do anything else.

Traded Gengar Is Battle-Ready

One Of Scarlet & Violet's Best NPC Trades

Blossom's Haunter trade in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.

Unfortunately, as with a normal trade, you will not be able to rename Blossom's Haunter, leaving you with a Gengar affectionately named Hauntikins. As a Haunter, Hauntikins’ Ability is Levitate, however, after evolving, Gengar will have the Cursed Body ability instead. This gives Gengar a chance to disable any damaging move that hits it.

Blossom’s Pokémon is level 25 at the time of trading and knows the moves Payback, Spite, Curse, and Hex. It also has Ghost as its Tera Type, which compliments its moveset.

There are only a few NPC trades in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, and this is the best Ghost-type Pokémon that can be obtained through NPC trading in Pokémon Scarlet. However, those playing Pokémon Violet might want to take the time to trade some Sinistea Chips with the NPC in Zapapico so they can acquire the item to evolve another great ghost Pokémon, Ceruledge.

The Best Use Of Gengar On Your Team

The Ideal Moveset For This Classic Ghost Pokémon

Gengar with its mouth wide open Pokemon Scarlet and Violet.

Having been around since Gen 1, Gengar is one of the franchise's most popular Pokémon, so it's no surprise that Gengar is always a popular player choice for mainline games. There are lots of reasons to add Gengar to your line-up aside from its popularity though, as it is resistant to Bug and Poison attacks, immune to Normal and Fighting attacks, and has a high Special Attack (130).

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Another big factor that comes into play when establishing your team is what a Pokémon's move pool is. Nothing is a bigger letdown than finding out a strong Pokémon has a horrible move pool to choose from, and thankfully that is not the case with Gengar. Though the specifics are up to player choice, and availability depends on your TM inventory in Pokémon Scarlet & Violet, Gengar does have a generally recognized ideal moveset for this game.

Move	Type	Effect	How To Get
Shadow Ball	Ghost (Special)	Power: 80 Accuracy: 100 PP: 15 (Max at 24) Effect: 20% chance of lowering opponents Special Defense.	Gengar will learn this move naturally at level 48. TM114 Find: Rewarded for beating the Montenerva Gym or you can find one along the wall of the Great Crater of Paldea if you take the path SW of Medali. Craft: Can be crafted at a TM machine, but only after acquiring it at least once in the overworld. Materials: 8000 LP, 5x Gastly Gas, 3x Sandyghast Sand, 3x Sinistea Chip.
Sludge Bomb	Poison (Special)	Power: 90 Accuracy: 100 PP: 10 (Max at 16) Effect: 30% chance of poisoning the opponent	TM148 Find: Found in the overworld, slightly NW of The Leaking Tower of Paldea Fast Travel Point, North of Alfornada. Craft: Can be crafted at a TM machine after beating Team Star's Fighting Crew. Materials: 10000 LP, 3x Grimer Toxin, 5x Croagunk Poison, and 3x Foongus Spores.
Trick	Psychic (Status)	Power: - Accuracy: 100 PP: 10 (Max at 16) Effect: Switches held items with the opponent. The move permanently switches items in wild battles, but items will be returned at the end of trainer battles.	TM109 Find: Near the cliff by the Windmills in West Providence Area One. On a roof on the NW end of Cascaraffa. Craft: Can be crafted after beating Team Star's Fighting Crew. Materials: 5000 LP, 3x Sableye Gem, 3x Shuppet Scrap, & 3x Sinistea Chip.
Focus Blast	Fighting (Special)	Power: 120 Accuracy: 70 PP: 5 (Max at 8) Effect: 10% chance to lower the opponent's Special Defense by one stage.	TM158 Find: On top of one of the circle pillars that are part of the circle building near the Alfornada Gym. Craft: Can be crafted after unlocking this move at least once. Materials: 12000 LP, 3x Meditite Sweat, 3x Impidimp Hair, & 5x Flamigo Down.

The top item recommendation for this build is the Choice Scarf. There are a few small variations players can make to this moveset, such as using Sludge Wave instead of Sludge Bomb, which is better for double battles but lowers your chance of poisoning. Other variants include the Hex + Will-O-Wisp combo or even the use of the Nasty Plot TM.

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Note that Gengar learns different moves depending on the game you're playing, like most Pokémon, so don't rely solely on what you've used in previous games. Whether ing Gengar to your team or to complete your Pokédex, this trade ensures that there is no need to attempt the long and sometimes risky process of the Pokémon games’ Surprise Trades. Pokémon Scarlet and Violet players are guaranteed a safe way to obtain a Gengar.

Source: YouTube/Arekkz Gaming