How to Duplicate Items and Pokemon in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

I must preface this guide by saying that this trick could be fixed by Gamefreak at any time, and you perform it at your own risk. 

You can use this trick to duplicate any item a Pokemon can hold, including Battle Items and Balls. This same trick can be used to clone Pokemon as well. You will need to have these specific Pokemon in your party to perform the glitch:

• A Level 100 Ditto with the Limber ability holding a Choice Scarf
• A Pokemon with a move that steals items. I use a Gardevoir that knows Trick, but any Pokemon that knows Trick, Thief of Switcharoo, is fine.
• A Pokemon holding the item you want to duplicate. This Pokemon is the one that will be cloned if you want to catch it.

To make things go a little more smoothly, I recommend giving the Pokemon you’re duplicating non-damaging attacks. You’ll see why shortly.

The Duplication Strategy

While this duplication method is straightforward, the location matters. YouTuber Panfro Games has revealed a place that makes the exploit much more consistent. Head to the Indigo Disk (Part of the DLC) and to the location on the map above.

We need a wild Smeargle to make this work, and you want to lead it to the flower I’ve circled in the picture above. This flower serves as a marker, as you must be a specific distance from the nearby tree. This glitch doesn’t have a 100% success rate, but here’s how it works:

Ensure Ditto is leading your party; battle the Smeargle, and use Ditto’s only ability, Transform. If Ditto doesn’t go first, the glitch won’t work, which is why we use a Choice Scarf. 

Smeargle will use Sketch, which copies Ditto’s Transform ability. Once this has happened, swap to the Pokemon with the item you wish to duplicate. Smeargle will use Transform, which is your cue to run away from the encounter. 

If the trick has worked, an exact copy of the Pokemon with your desired item will spawn nearby. You can battle the Pokemon and use Trick to steal its held item, which will be the one you want. You can run away and steal the item repeatedly as it replenishes every time. The Pokemon can also be caught if you want to duplicate it. We adjusted this Pokemon’s moveset so it doesn’t hit us if we can’t steal the item on our first try.

Will I get in trouble for using this glitch?

While nobody has reported any repercussions for using the glitch, we don’t know for sure. Willingly using exploits in any game always carries some risk. I doubt you’ll incur penalties for duplicating items, but Gamefreak may not take kindly to users flooding Pokemon Home with ‘illegal’ Pokemon.

If the Blaziken Tera Raid has you stumped, check out our guide for a moveset and solo strategy to beat it.