Scald is a fairly niche move in Pokemon, but it has interesting use cases. On the surface, both Surf and Hydro Pump pack more power and can be taught to a much larger roster of monsters. In fact, if it weren’t for TM 188 in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, the only Pokemon that would naturally this move is Volcanion.
However, while Scald is slightly weaker than Surf, it also has a chance to burn the opponent. This both hurts the enemy and cuts their Attack stat, dramatically weakening physical attackers. Currently, teams using Milotic in Scarlet & Violet‘s competitive scene prefer to use Scald over Hydro Pump or Surf. After all, if the extra power doesn’t faint opponents in fewer turns, then why not go for a chance to weaken them? Also, Scald also works as a coverage move for those using Sinistcha. That’s a bit more niche, but it works!
No matter how you use Scald, you’ll need to grab its TM first (unless you’re using Volcanion, of course). Here’s where to find it.
Scald TM 188 location in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet
To obtain TM 188 Scald in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, you’ll need to own The Teal Mask DLC. In Kitakami, travel to the Crystal Pool fast travel point in the middle of the map. Next, travel to the northeast side of the mountain, as indicated in the screenshot above. You should see a glowing yellow Pokeball right out in the open, atop a very small mound. Pick this up, and you’ll have the Scald TM. It’s that easy!
For those doing the main story, you’ll likely pick this up as you check objectives off your to-do list. If you don’t see it, it’s likely you already picked it up at some point.
How to craft the Scald TM 188 in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet: The Teal Mask
For those who really want to burn your opponents, you can craft Scald TMs as well. To do this, you’ll need the following:
- 8,000 League Points
- 3 Poltchageist Powder
- 3 Slowpoke Claw
For some reason, this is one of the more expensive TMs to craft in terms of League Points. Weird! Fortunately, the other materials aren’t too hard to find. Poltchageist Powder of course comes from Poltchageist, who was introduced in The Teal Mask. If you need help finding this one, check out our guide here. Meanwhile, Slowpoke can only be found in Paldea, so no lingering in Kitakami for this one. It lives by the water, which makes the northwestern part of Paldea a reasonable place to find them.
Remember, evolved Pokemon will still drop these same materials too, so feel free to take down any applicable monsters that you see. Happy farming!
