Iron Thorns location in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

Iron Thorns location is one of the most tricky to find in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet.

Iron Thorns  is a Paradox variant of Tyranitar which is a Pokemon exclusive to Pokemon Violet. It’s also exclusive to the Great Crater, so you’ll have to be in the final area of the game in order to find it.

Iron Thorns location is a bit difficult to find if you don’t know where to look, it also doesn’t spawn anywhere near as frequently as the other Pokemon in the Great Crater.

Read on to find out where to find Iron Thorns in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Guides:

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet walkthrough, tips, and Pokemon locations | Roaring Moon location | Iron Valiant location | Shiny sandwich recipes | Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Legendaries | Pokemon type chart

What is Iron Thorns?

Iron Thorns is an end-game Pokémon exclusive to the Violet edition, which is only available after Area Zero – the final location in the game – has been unlocked.

This Rock and Electric-type Pokemon has very high attack and defense stats, which means it’s very effective against Fire and Electric-types, particularly in certain Tera Raid Battles.

Iron Thorns is a ‘Paradox Pokémon’, also known as “Enigmas of Paldea”, which are ancient or futuristic-looking monsters which are unable to evolve or breed.

Iron Thorns location: Where to catch Iron Thorns in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

In order to find this rare Pokemon, players must first unlock Area Zero (and ideally finish their first route through the area).

Area Zero is unlocked after the main story, after which you’ll be called to travel to the end-game location, which is full of difficult-to-catch Pokemon.

Before attempting to find Iron Forns, we recommend consuming a Shiny Sandwich, as doing so will drastically increase your odds of doing so. You can find our recommended recipes at the bottom of this guide.

Once you’ve done that, head to the research station pictured below:

Next, move through the Great Crater until you come to the research station in the image above. Once you leave the station, turn directly to the left.

Next, Head to the patch of rock above.

As seen in the above image, there is a patch of ground that is entirely rocky, sticking out from the grass. This area is also near a large rock slope, very close to the previously mentioned research center.

Finally, Be patient.

Iron Thorns does not frequently spawn, even when you’re in the right area. It will appear after some time if you ride around the area for a while, but if it doesn’t appear at all, you can always leave the area, or fast travel to another base, then back to the one mentioned above, and Iron Thorns should appear.

How to get Iron Thorns in Pokemon Scarlet

Because Iron Thorns is exclusive to Pokemon Violet, owners of the opposite Scarlet version will need to trade in order to obtain it.

As an alternative, Scarlet players can join a game with owners of the opposite version and attempt to catch it themselves.

Read our guide for how to get online in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet for more info.

Shiny Iron Thorns

Iron Thorns Shiny form can be found in the same area, however, like all shiny Pokemon, it’s very rare. This isn’t helped by the fact that Iron Thorns has a very low spawn rate, so if you’re going to get it to appear at all, you’re going to need to use one of the shiny sandwich recipes below in order to boost the spawn rate and the rate at which it will appear in it’s shiny form.

Rock Shiny Sandwich Recipe

• Jalapeno
• Salty Herba Mystica X2

• Bacon X2
• Prosciutto
• Green Pepper
• Red Pepper
• Yellow Pepper
• Any Herba Mystica X2

Electric Shiny Sandwich Recipe

• Yellow Bell Pepper
• Salty Herba Mystica
• Spicy Herba Mystica

• Yellow Pepper X2
• Onion
• Prosciutto
• Green Pepper
• Red Pepper
• Any Herba Mystica X2

Shiny Iron Thorns: Isolated encounter Iron Thorns

One of the most effective ways to hunt shiny Iron Thorns is by using the isolated encounter method.

Using the new isolated encounter method of hunting for a shiny Pokemon is one of the most effective ways to find the rare creatures in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet.  By forcing the game to exclusively spawn Pokemon of a certain type, which in the case of Iron Thorns is electric, you’ll make every single spawn in the area, exclusively that Pokemon for the duration of your sandwich.

With Iron Thorns, make sure you use the electric type shiny sandwich, as the rock type, which would also cover Iron Thorns, will also spawn other Pokemon in the area, diluting the number of spawns and chances you have at getting your shiny Iron Thorns.

You can learn more about the isolated encounter method in our guide.