With the arrival of The Turquoise Mask, the first part of DLC The Treasure of Area Zero, the players of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet they can embark on a new adventure in the new area of Nordivia and add both new Pokémon and others from previous games in the series to their collection.
Ma How to access the DLC? And at what level would it be best to face this new adventure? We will answer these questions below.
How to access the Turquoise Mask DLC and reach Nordivia
To access the new contents of the DLC, before even starting the game, you will need to have downloaded and installed update 2.0.1 of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. To check if the update is already installed, simply go to the Nintendo Switch main menu and press the "+" button on the game icon. In the tab that opens you will see the version of the application immediately under its name. If it's not the "Ver. 2.0.1" select the "Update Software" option.
The next step, if you haven't already done so, is to purchase the "The Treasure of Area Zero" expansion on sale at the recommended price of 34,99 euros on the Nintendo eShop of Switch or through some recommended retailers in the form of a code to be redeemed from the console store. The Turquoise Mask DLC is in fact available exclusively in this package, which also includes "The Indigo Disc", which will be published during winter 2023. There are two versions of the expansion, make sure you buy the right one: the Scarlet version is compatible exclusively with Pokémon Scarlet and the Violet version only with Pokémon Violet. Once these steps have been completed, all you have to do is start the game. The only requirement necessary to start the new adventure of The Turquoise Mask is to having reached the Orange or Grape Academy in Mesalopoli and attended the opening ceremony of the "treasure hunt". If you have only just started Pokémon Scarlet / Violet or have started a new game, know that it takes approximately 1 - 3 hours to reach this point in the story, depending on how fast you are in the initial stages of the game.
Once this condition is met, you will be contacted by telephone from professor Zim, which will inform you that you have been selected for a study trip organized by the Academy in collaboration with another institute which will take us to visit Nordivia, an area located in the Far East.
Now head to the Orange/Grape Academy in Mesalopoli and talk to the Professor Rea, the blonde woman in the lobby. Once the dialogue is done and finished, talk to her again and The Turquoise Mask will begin and you will immediately find yourself in the Nordivia area. Good fun!
Keep in mind that Nordivia is completely separate from the Paldea region. To move from one area to another, simply open the Map App and press L or R to change maps and reach it using one of Volotaxi's fast travel points.
What is the suggested level for expansion?
As we have seen previously, it is possible to start The Turquoise Mask already at the beginning of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. For this reason Game Freak has seen fit to make the expansion partially scalable based on the progress made by the player in the main adventure.
If you have already completed the story of Pokémon Scarlet or Violet, at the beginning of the expansion you will encounter wild Pokémon and trainers with creatures of level 55 - 60 and as you progress you will also encounter level 70 and 80 opponents. In short, you can very well use the same team with which you completed the basic game without encountering major difficulties.
However, if you have only just started Scarlet or Violet you will find much less difficult opponents. We tried starting the expansion with a new save by going to Norvidia right after starting the game and encountered Pokémon on average level 10 - 12, which is more or less the team level at this stage of the adventure. In short, regardless of your progress you should not encounter any type of difficulty in the DLC.
However, according to various testimonies online, there is no real middle ground regarding the average level of opponents in The Turquoise Mask. This means that if you are about halfway through the adventure in the base game with a level 30 team in the DLC you will still find opponents from level 10 and up, which tremendously lowers the level of challenge and consequently the fun. The advice is therefore to venture to Norvidia only after having seen the credits of Pokémon Scarlet or Violet or not immediately after starting the game.
