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Pokémon Scarlet & Violet DLC: How to evolve Inkay into Malamar

Inkay's evolution into Malamar is quite unusual, so here's how to do it in the Indigo Disk DLC on the Switch

Georgina Young

Pokémon Scarlet & Violet DLC: How to evolve Inkay into Malamar
Pokémon Scarlet & Violet DLC: How to evolve Inkay into Malamar /

Inkay originally came out in Pokémon X & Y, which is all the way back in the 3DS era of games. It had one of the more unusual evolution methods, and we haven’t had to evolve Inkay into Malamar since the Nintendo Switch was released. If you’re struggling to get your Inkay to evolve, here’s what you have to do.

Indigo Disk: Where to find Inkay

Inkay about to evolve into Malamar in Indigo Disk DLC :: The Pokémon Company / Nintendo

If you want Malamar you will first need to catch yourself Inkay. These can only be caught in The Blueberry Academy Terrarium, and are quite a common spawn. We found plenty of them all over the Coastal biome, but they can be found in other locations, too. There is no specific spawn location, you can find them pretty much wherever there is water.

Indigo Disk: How to evolve Inkay into Malamar

This uses a similar method to the 3DS, but it is definitely trickier on the Switch. First, you need to make sure that your Switch is in handheld mode, as it will not work if your console is docked. Secondly, make sure that you have unpaired all other Joy-Con and controllers from your console. The only controllers that should be connected are the Joy-Con attached to the console.

Inkay should be upside down before you feed it the Candy, and stay like that until it evolves :: The Pokémon Company / Nintendo

Inkay evolves via level-up, and you can do this with Experience Candy or via level-up. We recommend using Candy, as it is a pretty difficult process. Your Switch needs to be upside down for the entirety of the evolution process. This means you should turn it upside down before you feed your Inkay the Candy, and keep it upside down until it evolves.

Malamar in Pokémon Indigo Disk
Malamar :: The Pokémon Company / Nintendo

If you are using battle experience, your Switch must be upside down before Inkay gains experience and remain upside down for the remainder of the battle until it evolves. If this doesn’t work on your first try, it’s because the gyro in the Switch can be a little finicky. You may have to try again to find the right angle.

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Published
Georgina Young
GEORGINA YOUNG

Georgina Young is a Gaming Writer for GLHF. They have been writing about video games for around 10 years and are seen as one of the leading experts on the PlayStation Vita. They are also a part of the Pokémon community, involved in speedrunning, challenge runs, and the competitive scene. Aside from English, they also speak and translate from Japanese, German and French. Their favorite games are Pokémon Heart Gold, Majora’s Mask, Shovel Knight, Virtue’s Last Reward and Streets of Rage. They often write about 2D platformers, JRPGs, visual novels, and Otome. In writing about the PlayStation Vita, they have contributed articles to books about the console including Vita Means Life, and A Handheld History. They have also written for the online publications IGN, TechRadar, Space.com, GamesRadar+, NME, Rock Paper Shotgun, GAMINGbible, Pocket Tactics, Metro, news.com.au and Gayming Magazine. They have written in print for Switch Player Magazine, and PLAY Magazine. Previously a News Writer at GamesRadar, NME and GAMINGbible, they currently write on behalf of GLHF for The Sun, USA Today FTW, and Sports Illustrated. You can find their previous work by visiting Georgina Young’s MuckRack profile. Email: georgina.young@glhf.gg

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