Pokemon Scarlet and Violet’s New Stellar Tera Type, Explained

In the leadup to The Indigo Disk‘s release, Pokemon teased a mysterious new 19th type. It turned out to be the Stellar type, but it’s not a Pokemon type in the traditional sense. Here’s how the new Stellar Tera type works in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet.

What Is the New Stellar Tera Type in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet?

The Stellar type is a new type introduced in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet: The Indigo Disk DLC. Unlike other types, Stellar doesn’t exist naturally, and it doesn’t have any Pokemon or moves attached to it. It is instead exclusive to Scarlet and Violet’s Terastallization gimmick. So, while no Pokemon can be Stellar type naturally, all Pokemon (except Ogerpon) can gain the Stellar type as their unique Tera type.

Essentially functioning as a mixture of all types, the Stellar type doesn’t have any defensive properties of its own, and when a Pokemon uses it as its Tera type, it will retain the properties of its original typing while gaining the unique effects of the Stellar type while Terastallized, including a weakness to Stellar Tera moves used by an opponent that has also Terastallized into the Stellar type.

While no moves are naturally Stellar type, the Normal-type moves Tera Blast and Tera Starstorm will change to Stellar when used by a Stellar-type Terastallized Pokemon.

How Does the Stellar Tera Type Work in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet?

When Terastallized as the Stellar type in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, a Pokemon will gain a single attack boost for each separate move type when used for the first time. For example, if you were to use the move Flamethrower while Terastallized as the Stellar type, that move would be boosted the first time you use it, but if you were to use another Fire-type move or Flamethrower again, you would not gain a second boost. However, if you decided to use the Dark-type move Bite after using Flamethrower, that Bite would receive a boost so long as it’s the first time you’re using a Dark-type move during that battle.

When the Stellar Tera type boosts an attack, the attack will receive a 20% increase in power unless the move deals STAB (same-type attack bonus) damage. For STAB attacks, which are based on your Pokemon’s original typing, the Stellar-boosted move will receive a 100% increase, doubling the move’s power.

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If you’re battling in a Tera Raid, you can ignore the Stellar type’s limitations. All moves in a Tera Raid will receive a Stellar bonus when Terastallized as the Stellar type no matter how many times you use them. Similarly, the legendary Pokemon Terapagos in its Stellar Form will always receive a Stellar boost to its attacks without limitation.

How to Get Pokemon with the Stellar Tera Type

The Stellar Tera type will become available after returning from Area Zero with Briar at the end of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet’s Indigo Disk DLC. At this point, Briar will use what she learned from Area Zero to make some adjustments to Blueberry Academy’s Terarium, causing wild Stellar Tera-type Pokemon to appear. These Stellar-type Pokemon will only spawn in the Terarium, meaning you won’t be able to find them in Paldea or Kitakami.

While exploring the Terarium’s biomes, keep an eye out for wild Tera Pokemon that have a bright multi-colored sparkle about them. This rainbow sparkle will signify that the wild Pokemon has the Stellar Tera type. If you’re unsure, you can easily confirm the Pokemon’s Tera type by starting an encounter with it. In battle, the Stellar type will give the opponent a crown topped by a circle of gems, similar to Stellar Form Terapagos. You can then catch the Stellar-type Pokemon by engaging it in battle like any other wild Tera-form Pokemon.

You can also change any Pokemon’s Tera type to Stellar by using 50 Stellar Tera Shards. Stellar Tera Shards can be obtained by defeating wild Stellar Tera-type Pokemon or as random prints when using a fully upgraded Item Printer. You can also find 50 Stellar Tera Shards atop the Terarium Core.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are available now.