How to make your Pokemon more powerful!
Each Pokémon has its own set of Effort Levelsor EL, in Pokemon Legends: Arceus.
Along with basic training and leveling up, ELs are one of multiple systems used to boost your Pokemon’s stats. However, EL works differently than previous games and can be quite substantial for bigger challenges like battling Alpha Pokemon.
To upgrade them, you will need to know all about Grain items.
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Pokemon Legends: Arceus Eurogamer Reviewscast
If you want to know more about the game, go to our Pokémon Legends: Arceus walkthrough.
Are EVs (effort values) and IVs (individual values) in Pokémon Legends: Arceus?
Hidden stats work differently in Pokémon Legends Arceus compared to previous games. EVs have been replaced with Effort Tiers and are no longer earned by battling wild Pokémon, as EVs have been in the past. The only way to increase your effort levels is to use the Grit item system.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus also removed the IV system, so IVs no longer impact your Pokémon’s stats. However, some wild Pokemon may already have upgraded ELs when you catch them. This may be a leftover influence of IVs in the game, but ELs can be increased regardless, making IVs functionally non-existent in the game.
How to Find Effort Levels for Pokémon in Pokémon Legends: Arceus
Luckily, your Pokémon’s ELs aren’t as hidden as in previous Pokémon games. Although Pokémon Legends: Arceus doesn’t guide you directly to find out, there are several ways to check your Pokémon’s ELs.
First, if you have a Pokémon in your party, you can view their summary. The option in the summary menu that looks like a partially filled hexagon will give you details of the Pokemon’s current stats. The number in the circle next to the stat name is the Pokemon’s current EL for that stat. If they already have ELs in the stat, the circle will be partially filled.
You can also view the ELs of any Pokemon in the pasture in the same way. Simply hover over Pokemon and their stats will be listed on the right side of the screen, with the same partially filled circles letting you know about EL.
Finally, if you use a Grit item to upgrade your Pokemon’s ELs, the current level of each stat will be displayed in the menu when you select the stat to upgrade.
How to Get Grit Items in Pokémon Legends: Arceus
In order to improve your Pokémon’s ELs, you need to use Grit items. These are Grit Dust, Grit Gravel, Grit Pebbles and Grit Rocks. You’ll need all of these items to max out a Pokemon’s Effort Levels.
Grit items can be obtained in two ways. Defeated Pokemon can drop them, and higher level Pokemon seem to drop items more reliably, as well as higher level Grit items. For example, defeating a level 50 Pokémon is very likely to net you a Grit item, and most likely either Grit Gravel or Grit Pebbles. On the other hand, a lower level Pokemon only has a low chance of dropping Sand Dust when defeated.
Since drop rates after defeating Pokemon are random, the most reliable way to get Grit items is by releasing Pokemon from grazing.
Pastures are an area of Jubilife Village where you can see all of your captured Pokémon. If you’ve caught duplicates or just don’t want a Pokemon anymore, you can release it by talking to Mary. It seems that a released Pokemon always leaves behind a Grit item. Again, higher level Pokemon seem to leave behind higher level Grit items.
It’s also worth noting that you can unlock Bulk Release by filling multiple Grazing Boxes, so it may be more efficient to do this first before releasing individual Pokemon.
You cannot purchase Grit items from any of the Pokémon Legends: Arceus vendors.
How to Increase Effort Levels in Pokémon Legends: Arceus
When you’ve obtained Grit items, you can use them to upgrade your Pokemon’s ELs. You will need to have the Grit items in your bag and the Pokemon in your party. Simply select the Grit item, select the Pokemon, then select the stat you want to increase from the six available: HP, Attack, Defense, Sp. Atk, sp. Def and Speed.
Each Grit item will only increase stats between certain levels:
- Abrasive dust – Level 0 to 3
- Gravel – Level 3 to 6
- Grit Pebbles – Level 6 to 9
- Grit Rocks – Level 9 to 10
Level 10 is the maximum level for all ELs.
So to increase a single stat for a Pokémon will require three Grit Dust, three Grit Gravel, three Grit Pebbles, and one Grit Rock. This will need to be repeated six times to increase all stats to the maximum.
ELs can also no longer be upgraded by battling specific wild Pokemon, like in previous games. The only way to increase these stats is by using Grit items.
Our Pokémon Legends: Arceus Walkthrough will guide you through this new adventure! It starts with selecting your starter Pokemon, before you’re tasked with completing the Hisui Pokédex by completing research tasks and tackling your first boss fight against Kleavor. Don’t forget to increase your star rank and also complete requests, such as the Strange Happenings at Night and Wisp locations. There are also new regional Hisui variants to nab and having save files of Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, Sword and Shield, as well as Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee will unlock additional rewards.
How to get the strongest Pokémon in Pokémon Legends: Arceus
When you put it all together, it means it’s easier to get powerful Pokémon in Pokémon Legends: Arceus than in previous games. It is no longer necessary to exhaustively spawn for particular IVs (and it’s not possible anyway, as there is no in-game spawning.)
Instead, alongside leveling your Pokemon through the usual methods, be sure to watch out for ELs. Defeat Pokemon or release captured Pokemon from grazing to get Grit items, then apply them to stats that are important to you.
You can also watch out for Natures, which return from previous games and can give a stat a 10% boost while lowering another by 10%. You can find out the nature of your Pokémon by going to the rightmost section of its summary, which is marked with a small page icon. But with the encouragement to capture multiple Pokémon of each type to fill the Pokédex, finding a suitable Nature shouldn’t be too difficult.
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