Pokemon Scarlet & Violet Move Relearning: How to learn forgotten or skipped moves - without a tutor or relearner NPC

by Alex Donaldson on 24 November, 2022

Lots of series traditions have been tweaked in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet and other recent releases in the world of creature-catchiing - and one change that now appears to be here to stay involves how to learn oold moves, a shift which involves the demise of some beloved old Pokemon NPCs, the Move Relearner and Move Tutor.

One thing that hasn't changed is how the manner of Pokemon's combat abilities is set out. Each Pokemon gets four battle skill slots - and what moves you place into these slots is up to you. Each Pokemon also has a repertoire of moves that they can learn via leveling up, plus a similar list of moves they can learn through the use of TMs, aka Technical Machines.

What's changed is that Pokemon can now relearn moves any time, anywhere. Allow us to explain...

How to relearn Moves in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet

There's no need to track down a Move Tutor or Move Relearner NPC in Scarlet & Violet - instead, you simply just need to know where to go in the menu, and can do so any time.

This feature was actually first added in previous games, but it's back in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, which seems to prove once and for all that it's here to stay. Ultimately, this change means that you no longer need to hunt down a Move Tutor or even a dedicated Move Relearner - instead, you can just open your menu and relearn any move a Pokemon has previously had knowledge of, even if they skipped over it on level up, with just a few clicks.

To change your Pokemon's move set and relearn moves in Scarlet & Violet:

Open the Main Menu by pressing X
Select a Pokemon in your party and select "Check Summary"
Tab across right once to reach the Moves and Stats page
On this page, press A to Change Moves

Once you're into the Move Relearner menu, you can choose from any of the moves that Pokemon should know how to do up to that point.

From this menu you can Forget moves, Remember Moves, or even use TMs to learn moves - which can also be accomplished via your backpack by simply selecting and using TMs in a fashion more in line with traditional games. Don't forget, in Scarlet & Violet you can also create and clone TMs at Pokemon Centers!

This is extremely useful in that it stops you from having to fly back and forth to a Move Tutor or Move Relearner to change a Pokemon's moves - but it's also interesting in terms of the meta, as it does theoretically mean you could relearn a bunch of specific moves for a certain battle or gym, and then swap your moveset back afterwards.

It's the sort of thing we like - it gives another role-playing wrinkle. If you're knee-deep in the world of Paldea, don't forget to check out our other Pokemon Scarlet & Violet guides including our Type Chart, Gym & content order, where to find all Ominous Stakes, and more.