Each Pokémon has its own set of Effort Levels, or ELs, in Pokémon Legends: Arceus.
In addition to basic training and leveling up, ELs are one of the many systems used to increase your Pokémon’s stats. However, EL works differently than previous games and can be very important for taking on bigger challenges, such as battling Alpha Pokémon.
To level up, you’ll need to know everything about Grit items.
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Pokémon Legends: Arceus Eurogamer Reviews
If you want to learn more about the game, visit our Pokémon Legends: Arceus walkthrough.
What are EVs (effort values) and IVs (individual values) in Pokémon Legends: Arceus?
Hidden stats work differently in Pokémon Legends Arceus than in previous games. EVs have been replaced by Effort Levels and are no longer earned by fighting wild Pokémon, as EVs were in the past. The only way to increase your effort levels is through the Grit item system.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus also removed the IV system, so IVs no longer have an impact on your Pokémon’s stats. However, some wild Pokémon may already have some ELs leveled up when you catch them. This may be a remaining influence of IVs in the game, but ELs can be increased anyway, making IVs functionally non-existent in the game.
How to Find Effort Levels for Pokémon in Pokémon Legends: Arceus
Fortunately, your Pokémon’s ELs are not as hidden as in previous Pokémon games. Although Pokémon Legends: Arceus doesn’t directly guide you through this, there are several ways to check your Pokémon’s ELs.
First of all, if you have a Pokémon in your party, you can check its summary. The option in the summary menu that looks like a partially filled hexagon will give you details of the Pokémon’s current stats. The number in the circle next to the stat name is the Pokémon’s current EL for that stat. If they already have some ELs in the stat, the circle will be partially completed.
You can also see the ELs of any Pokémon in the grass in a similar way. Simply hover over the Pokémon and its stats will appear on the right side of the screen, along with the same partially filled circles that tell you about the EL.
Finally, if you use a Grit item to upgrade your Pokémon’s EL, the current level of each stat will be displayed in the menu as you select which stat to upgrade.
How to Get Sand Dust, Sand Gravel, Sand Pebbles, and Sand Rocks in Pokémon Legends: Arceus
To improve your Pokémon’s EL, you must use Grit items. These are Grit Dust, Grit Gravel, Grit Pebbles, and Grit Rocks. You’ll need all of these items to maximize a Pokémon’s effort levels.
Sand items can be obtained in two ways. Defeated Pokémon can drop them, and higher level Pokémon seem to drop items more reliably, as well as dropping higher level items from Grit. For example, defeating a level 50 Pokémon will most likely net you a Grit item, and it will most likely be Grit Gravel or Grit Pebbles. On the other hand, a lower level Pokémon has only a small chance to drop some Grit Dust when defeated.
Because drop rates after defeating Pokémon are random, the most reliable way to obtain Grit items is by releasing Pokémon from pastures.
Pastures are an area of Jubilife Village where you can see all your captured Pokémon. If you’ve caught duplicates or simply don’t want a Pokémon anymore, you can free it by talking to Marie. It seems that a released Pokémon always leaves behind a Grit item. Again, higher level Pokémon seem to leave behind higher level Grit items.
It’s also worth noting that you can unlock mass release by filling multiple grass boxes, so it may be more efficient to do this first before releasing individual Pokémon.
You cannot purchase Grit items from any of the Pokémon Legends: Arceus vendors.
How to increase effort levels in Pokémon Legends: Arceus
Once you have obtained Grit items, you can use them to level up your Pokémon’s ELs. You will need to have the Grit items in your bag and the Pokémon in your party. Simply select the Grit item, select the Pokémon, and then select which stat you want to increase from the six available: HP, Attack, Defense, Sp. Atk, sp. Defense and speed.
Each Grit item will only increase stats between certain levels:
- Sand Dust – Level 0 to 3
- Grain Gravel – Level 3 to 6
- Grain Pebbles – Level 6 to 9
- Sand Rocks – Level 9 to 10
Level 10 is the maximum level for all ELs.
So, to increase a single stat for a Pokémon, it will take three Grit Dust, three Grit Gravel, three Grit Pebbles, and one Grit Rock. This will need to be repeated six times to raise all stats to maximum.
ELs can no longer be upgraded by fighting specific wild Pokémon, like in previous games. The only way to increase these stats is by using Grit items.
Our Pokémon Legends Arceus walkthrough will help you choose a starter Pokémon and win the Kleavor boss fight. You are also tasked with filling Hisui’s Pokédex by obtaining new evolutions such as Kleavor by evolving into Scyther, Wyrdeer by evolving into Stantler, Sneasler by evolving into Hisui Sneasel, and Overquil by evolving into Hisui Qwilfish. There are a ton of new evolution methods, including some for Eevee evolutions. Take the time to complete Requests too, like The Sea’s Legend, Wurmple’s Evolved! and find Wisp locations. Don’t forget to track all Unown locations as well.
How to get the strongest Pokémon in Pokémon Legends: Arceus
When you put all this together, it means that getting a powerful Pokémon is easier in Pokémon Legends: Arceus than in previous games. There is no longer a need to exhaustively spawn for certain IVs (and this is not possible anyway, since there is no spawning in the game).
Instead, in addition to leveling up your Pokémon through the usual methods, be sure to pay attention to the ELs. Defeat Pokémon or release captured Pokémon from Pastures to obtain Grit items, then apply them to the stats that are important to you.
You can also pay attention to Natures, which return from previous games and can increase one stat by 10% and reduce another by 10%. You can discover your Pokémon’s nature by going to the rightmost section of its summary, which is marked with a small page icon. But with the encouragement of capturing several Pokémon of each type to complete the Pokédex, finding a suitable Nature shouldn’t be too difficult.
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