Is There PokeRus in Pokemon Legends Arceus? – Answered

PokeRus, as a mechanic in the Pokemon games, was implemented since Generation II, and wasn’t explained by the developers in any way. It wasn’t until some players witnessed Nurse Joy saying that there are “tiny life forms” on their Pokemon after healing them that players began datamining the Pokemon games to figure out what this phenomenon was.

Does PokeRus exist in Pokemon Legends: Arceus?

The short answer is: probably not. Pokemon Legends: Arceus has replaced the EV system with Effort Levels that work completely different, needing Grit items to increase a Pokemon’s Effort Levels. Hence, the PokeRus would not quite have any benefit on Pokemon in Pokemon Legends: Arceus, if infected.

Even if the PokeRus does exist in Pokemon Legends: Arceus, no player has documented having their Pokemon infected with it, which only further cements the fact that the PokeRus is a mechanic that is not present in Pokemon Legends: Arceus.

What does PokeRus do?

After going through a couple of mechanic changes, in the Generation IV remakes, Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, the PokeRus stands as a highly sought after phenomenon that players actively aim for. Contrary to its dangerous-sounding name, the PokeRus is only beneficial for your Pokemon.

Short for ‘Pokemon Virus,’ the PokeRus can randomly infect your Pokemon after a Pokemon battle. The chances for your Pokemon to get infected with PokeRus is 3 in 65,536, or 1 in 21,845; more than 5 times rarer than the base odds for finding a shiny Pokemon.

Having your Pokemon get infected by the PokeRus doubles the rate at which it will gain EVs, or Effort Values. The higher the Effort Value of a certain Pokemon’s stat, the stronger that stat is, making EV training a breeze when the Pokemon is infected by the PokeRus.