How Evolution Works in Pokémon Legends: Arceus

As a long-standing franchise, Pokémon kept its gameplay formula without major iterations throughout the years. Core mechanics remained the same for the most part while exploration areas grew in size. With the launch of Pokémon Legends: Arceus, developers decided to introduce a more versatile approach to some of the franchise’s trademark features, and Pokémon evolution is one of them.

Before this installment, trainers had to get their Pokémon to a certain level before they could evolve. The evolution would automatically trigger after a battle, and other than canceling the animation to prevent the Pokémon from evolving, players did not have a say in the matter. In Pokémon Legends: Arceus, however, trainers are given complete autonomy and can manually evolve their Pokémon whenever they wish, provided the Pokémon in question has met preset requirements.

By and large, Pokémon Legends: Arceus combines evolution techniques from previous installments with new methods and items. While most Pokémon are ready to evolve as soon as they reach a certain level, some may need a particular item or have unusual evolution requirements that are not necessarily straightforward or evident at first glance. Trainers can keep track of any potential status changes by opening the Satchel and inspecting the color of the Pokéball icon next to the Pokémon’s name. If it is golden yellow and glowing, the Pokémon is ready to evolve.

Although the game has retained evolution items, held items were repurposed into consumables. The new take on consumable items has also impacted Trade Evolutions and contributed to the overall gameplay experience, making it easier to acquire certain evolutions single-handedly and without trading with other players. As such, trainers can now evolve select Pokémon whose evolutions were previously trade-exclusive by applying a Linking Cord instead. This single-use consumable item is available for 1,000 Merits from a merchant in town but can be found as a lost item in the Hisui region as well.

Aside from the autonomy-friendly revisions of the evolution system, Pokémon Legends: Arceus also introduces new evolution requirements for several Pokémon species. For instance, some Pokémon can only evolve if they learn a specific move or use one a set number of times, take a certain amount of damage or consume a particular item. Furthermore, trainers need to pay attention to their location, as select Pokémon will receive an evolution prompt when they are near specific landmarks or passing through certain regions. Friendship levels are also imperative for some Pokémon, and an NPC named Belamy is in charge of their evaluation.

Whether the developers saw an opportunity to incorporate these changes to Pokémon evolution in Pokémon Legends: Arceus because of the game’s unique setting has not been confirmed. However, it can be argued that a change was in order because Arceus is an open-world title that focuses on catching and learning more about Pokémon rather than battling other trainers and collecting gym badges. That said, players will still get to enjoy the benefits of game mechanics that continue to impact certain Pokémon evolutions, such as the gender of Pokémon or day and night cycles.

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