Money makes the world go round, and that includes Paldea in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet. Whether you want Pokeballs, held items, or vitamins to max your Pokemon’s stats, you’ll need to grind a lot of money. Fortunately, there are ways to make this process much easier.
As you likely know by now, money in Pokemon predominately comes from fighting other trainers. In a casual playthrough, if you fight any trainers on the overworld with a textbox above their head, you should have all the money you need. That said, there are a few ways to boost your earned money easily and passively. Additionally, if you’re grinding for items to make viable Pokemon for Tera Raids and competitive battles, there’s one place where you should focus your farming. Here’s what you should look out for.
Step 1: Get the Amulet Coin
Whether you’re in the early game or well into postgame, this is the most important item to get. If a Pokemon equipped with an Amulet Coin enters a trainer battle at any point, your money afterwards will double. This will massively boost your reserves through a casual playthrough, and it’ll make other farming methods much more efficient.
Check out our guide on obtaining the Amulet Coin here!
Optional Step: Purchase The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero and get Hisuian Zoroark
I won’t include this as a main step, as this does require spending extra real money. However, those who purchase the DLC for Pokemon Scarlet & Violet before October 31, 2023 will receive an extra perk to speed up their money grinding.
When you order The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero for Pokemon Scarlet or Violet (get the one that corresponds to your version!), you’ll see a note about a code to obtain a Hisuian Zoroark. This is already a good Pokemon with an excellent type combination, but more importantly, it knows the move Happy Hour. When used, Happy Hour doubles the prize money you’ll receive after a trainer battle. This stacks with the Amulet Coin, quadrupling your prize money.
Happy Hour isn’t passive like equipping an Amulet Coin, as it still consumes a turn during battle. Still, if you’re deliberately trying to farm money, using Happy Hour will save a lot of time.
Note that, with the launch of Pokemon Home, you can also import event Pokemon that know Happy Hour. If you participated in any promotional events in Generation 6 or Generation 7, check if you have any compatible Pokemon to help out here.
Step 2: Use Gholdengo
As the 1,000th Pokemon, Gholdengo has a lot going on. It’s tied to a lengthy sidequest in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, but this monster is well worth the effort. Not only is Gholdengo a mainstay in the competitive scene, it also gives you bonus cash.
The ticket here is Gholdengo’s signature move Make It Rain. Not only is this a powerful attack, it will also increase your money after battle by five times Gholdengo’s level. This also stacks with the Amulet Coin and Happy Hour, meaning you’ll get 10,000 extra dollars if used five times alongside those perks at level 100. Gholdengo is highly recommended for sweeping trainers after setting up any money-boosting effects.
Keep in mind that Make It Rain will drop your Special Attack per use. To counter this, consider leading with a Gholdengo using Choice Specs during a trainer battle. Swap it out for a Zoroark or any other Pokemon holding an Amulet Coin in the middle of the encounter, and switch Gholdengo back in at your earliest convenience. This will reset Gholdengo’s negative stat changes, allowing it to pick off your enemies more reliably.
Step 3: Run the Academy Ace Tournament.
Here’s the main event. While the above tricks passively increase money, the Academy Ace Tournament is the spot to grind for money. You’ll unlock the Academy Ace Tournament after completing the final core story path in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet and completing the postgame quests that follow.
This tournament pits you against four powerful Pokemon trainers in a row. That said, by the time you reach this point, you should be plenty capable of tackling these opponents. Additionally, you’ll automatically heal between fights, meaning you can use reckless strategies if you’d prefer. By running the Academy Ace Tournament with the above money-boosting tricks, you can earn over 200,000 dollars in one session.
There are other methods to grind for money in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet. You can collect shiny objects in the overworld, and you’ll find sellable materials in Tera Raid encounters. However, if money is your primary chokepoint in your adventure, the Academy Ace Tournament is the best way to farm.
