How to catch Charmander in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet The Indigo Disk

Charmander is locked behind a costly BP upgrade.

A screenshot of Charmander's Blueberry Pokédex entry in Scarlet and Violet The Indigo Disk
Screenshot by Dot Esports

In Pokémon Scarlet and Violet’s The Indigo Disk, you can catch Charmander in the Savanna biome, located in the southeast area of the map. However, this becomes possible only after you get 3,000 Battle Points by completing quests throughout the Terrarium.

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You can actually do this before you finish The Indigo Disk and face Terapagos, which comes after you defeat the BB Elite Four and finish some bonus battles in the area. All you need are enough Battle Points to upgrade this Biome in the Terarrium, which is a one-time upgrade. If you want to catch Charmander first, you should focus on Savanna. This also lets you find and catch starters Sobble, Rowlet, Snivy, and Totodile.

How to upgrade the Savanna biome and unlock Charmander in Pokémon SV The Indigo Disk

The player character in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet standing in front of the PC in the Pokémon Club.
The club PC is the place to go. Screenshot by Dot Esports.

To get Charmander to spawn in The Indigo Disk, you need to upgrade the Savanna biome. This requires 3,000 Battle Points, which you can spend using the PC inside the League Club. Without this upgrade, Charmander won’t appear. To gather Battle Points quickly, focus on completing BB quests, accessible by pressing right on the D-Pad. Gathering 3,000 BP may seem daunting, but it’s a necessary step to catch Charmander.

Charmander’s exact location in the Pokémon SV The Indigo Disk

A screenshot of Charmander's Habitat page in the Blueberry Pokédex of Scarlet and Violet.
You’ll find plenty of Charmander to catch. Screenshot by Dot Esports.

Charmander appears in the central and southern regions of the Savanna biome in The Indigo Disk. This is shown in detail in its Blueberry Pokédex page. It roams like any other Pokémon in the game.

To boost your chances of encountering Charmander, particularly for shiny hunting, using a sandwich with Encounter Power: Fire is highly recommended. This significantly increases Charmander spawn rates in the area, making it easier to find and potentially catch a shiny version.

Correction Dec. 14 10:45am CT: A previous version of this story incorrectly said you needed to have completed the Pokémon Scarlet and Violet The Indigo Disk DLC to be able to upgrade biomes and find Charmander. We regret this error.

Author
Image of Bhernardo Viana
Bhernardo Viana
Bhernardo is senior guides writer and strategist at Dot Esports. He's been working in the gaming industry for over 9 years, with works published on Destructoid, Prima Games, ESPN, and more. A fan of Pokémon since 6 years old and an avid Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch player. Now writing strategy and quests guides for several mobile and PC titles.