How to trade evolve without multiplayer in Pokémon Legends: Arceus

Link cables? No thank you!

This is part of our ongoing Pokemon Legends: Arceus guide series, with everything to do with the game and more – including Pokemon Go – all living in our dedicated hubs for the games! 

The worst aspect of any Pokemon journey is the interaction with other humans. Catch ‘em all shouldn’t need me to talk to anyone but the characters in-game. In fact, most of the time I button through the dialogue because no one has anything interesting to say. 

To say that Pokemon Legends has some major changes to the stale franchise is to also understate how much I love the new addition of an item that can force evolve the few Pokemon that require the need to be traded before anything happens. 

This includes the option to evolve Pokemon that might have been restricted to trading in the past. While you’ll get the same benefit by trading online or locally, if you’re really out of options grabbing the various satchels dropped around the region will unlock MP, which you can use to spend at the little stall in the village for evolution materials. 

Satchels are randomly placed around the map, so we can’t give you a specific guide, but opening the map will immediately display them.

We need to buy the Linking Cord, which is 1200 MP and can be used to evolve Pokemon like Haunter, Graveler, Kadabra. Once purchased you can simply use it with these Pokemon in your party and the little Pokeball should begin to light up. 

You’ll want to be sure you want to evolve these Pokemon, as if you haven’t completed their Pokedex entries, you’ll need to go acquire more of them to do so. However, with the vast quantity of the creatures lurking around – especially Graveler – you should be fine to continue on, with the evolution counting towards one of the points needed to complete the entry. 

However, the Linking Cord is now not needed for a majority of the Pokemon in the game to evolve any longer. Things like Rhydon no longer need to be holding the Protector for evolution to occur, as it’s just a single-use item. As such, the list of Pokemon that require the Linking Cord is far smaller than originally thought, as they can’t hold things in this game.

Pokemon that use the Linking Cord

PokémonEvolutionGravelerGolemKadabraAlakazamHaunterGengarMachokeMachamp

Pokemon that need trade items to evolve

However, the other Pokemon that still need the previous trade holding items are:

PokemonEvolutionItem NeededScytherScizorMetal CoatOnixSteelixMetal CoatRhydonRhyperiorProtectorPorygonPorygon2UpgradePorygon2Porygon-ZDubious DiscDusclopsDusknoirReaper ClothMagmarMagmortarMagmarizerElectabuzzElectivireElectirizer

You can get these items with MP or via the Time Distortions that appear in the game at random intervals.

For more on Pokemon Legends: Arceus, be sure to check out our review of the game, as well as the many guides we’re either working on or have published! If there’s something you need help with, drop a comment below.