Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Ominous Black Stake

You may have run into a Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Ominous Black Stake already, or you’ve just seen them mentioned online. Either way, I’m sure many of you are curious as to what these things are, and what they do. Well, that’s exactly what we’ll be covering in this guide. However, before we jump in, I do have to put up a SPOILER WARNING here. We will be discussing end-game content here. If you don’t want that spoiled, stop reading now.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Ominous Black Stake Explained

Regardless of when and where you first run into an Ominous Black Stake or Nail or Stick in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, they all serve the same purpose. They come in four colors, and each has eight Stakes. The colors correspond to the four large, round seals that hold a “Ruinous Vessel” inside. Finding and interacting with all eight Stakes of one color will break the seal and unleash whatever lies within. This doesn’t happen until post-game, meaning that these seals guard the four Legendary Pokemon of the Paldea region. Problem is, some of these Sticks are very difficult to find, which is why we’ve written separate guides for Green, Yellow, Blue and Purple Stakes. We color-coded them because they have a distinct glow, even though they’re all technically black.

So, that’s basically all you need to know about the Ominous Black Stake or Nail or Stick items in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, whatever you want to call them. Well, I can’t even really call them items, since they disintegrate upon contact. What’s really cool is that there’s actually lore around the Stakes and Seals that you can learn if you go to school in the game. Long story short: Long ago, the king of Paldea got four Pokemon that went bad somehow, and started wreaking havoc on the land. Therefore, these Pokemon of ruin were sealed away. The stakes driven into the ground, aka the Black Ominous Stakes, help keep their horrible powers at bay. Good job on removing the only thing standing in the way of the destruction of Paldea!