Pokémon Scarlet & Violet: How To Evolve Finizen Into Palafin

It's taken over 25 years to get a dolphin Pokémon, and we finally have one that also gets an evolution! Finizen is absolutely adorable, but Pokémon Scarlet & Violet has a bit of a trick up its sleeve with its unusual evolution — Palafin.

We love the pun, but in order to get this muscular dolphin, it's all about playing with friends. Find out how to get Palafin below...

Many thanks to Serebii for tracking these evolution methods!

Pokémon Scarlet & Violet - How To Get Palafin

Where to find Finizen

Now, this is the easy part — Finizen can be found in every ocean in Paldea.

You can battle one off the beach, or you can wait until Koraidon and Miraidon can swim — which they learn after beating your third Titan Pokémon.

We caught ours in the East Paldean Sea just north of Porto Marinada

How to evolve Finizen

Next, you'll need to have some friends handy. To get Palafin, you need pals. Get it?

To play with friends, head to any Pokémon Center and head to the yellow-coloured side. Then either start or join a Union Circle — it can be local or online. Then, all you have to do is level your Finizen up to level 38.

Once it hits 38 and you're in a Union Circle with friends, then you'll get your very own Palafin! They might not look that different now, but wait until it goes from Zero to Hero...

Well, that's a sneaky evolution method. But Palafin is, honestly, terrifying. Let's hope it's friendly... Let us know if you found this walkthrough helpful, and find out where you can find more Pokémon, battles, items, and more, by checking out the rest of our Pokémon Scarlet and Violet walkthrough guides.