Pokemon Scarlet and Violet’s next patch barely fixes key issues in The Indigo Disk

That low-level Inkay has hands, apparently.

The Pokémon Inkay floats happily above the sand in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.
Screenshot by Dot Esports

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet Patch 3.0.1 is coming, according to Serebii, and players aren’t happy. The patch is focused on fixing a major glitch with lower-level Inkay. It also fixes an issue with the Metal Sound TM, but it’s not going to be here until late January.

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The patch fixes two issues plaguing The Indigo Disk; the Pokémon Inkay—if leveled up at low levels—can cause the game to soft lock, and the TM223 Metal Sound currently requires the parts from version exclusive Pokémon Shieldon. While the first issue affects everyone with a low-level Inkay, the second issue is only really felt by Scarlet owners, who cannot readily farm the materials from the Violet-exclusive Shieldon to make Metal Sound.

The menu for the TM223 Metal Sound in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.
Sorry, Scarlet players, but that Cranidos version exclusive you have isn’t going to give you many Shieldon Claws. Screenshot by Dot Esports

The patch is planned for late January, with more details coming in the future. Until the patch is released, players can expect a new Mystery Gift option containing TM223 Metal Sound. This Mystery Gift launches on Dec. 26 and should last until the patch launches sometime in January.

The Inkay soft lock and Metal Sound crafting are both large annoyances to players, though each can be successfully navigated around without stopping story completion. You can even evolve Inkay to Malamar without a problem, as long as your Inkay is higher level than the base evolution level of 30.

Players are already storming to confront this news. The fact that this patch is, quite frankly, immensely small—and is going to take more than a month to fix—is disheartening to fans of the DLC. A bug and an oversight should probably not take until the end of January to solve, even if the Pokémon Team plans on taking Christmas and New Year off.

Fans want more, from extra box spaces—players haven’t gotten another box since launch, meaning the cap of 960 Pokémon stored is starting to get a bit cramped—to fixing additional bugs like invisible picnic tables. And, of course, the game’s relatively poor performance continues to be a focal point of replies to Serebii’s tweets.

And it’s not like this disappointing preview is coming from an unproven source. Serebii is a Pokémon Wiki and news site with an emphasis on ongoing games. They are consistently correct about the scale and volume of game updates in the Pokémon franchise. While we wouldn’t be surprised that Scarlet and Violet Patch 3.0.1 might be slightly larger than Serebii’s update says it will be, we’re not holding our breath.

Author
Image of Jason Toro-McCue
Jason Toro-McCue
Contributing writer and member of the RPG beat. Professional writer of five years for sites and apps, including Nerds + Scoundrels and BigBrain. D&D and TTRPG fanatic, perpetual Fighter main in every game he plays.