One of Pokemon's oldest training tricks is dead in Scarlet and Violet

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An old affliction has been cured in Paldea - and fans think they know why

Pokemon
(Image credit: Nintendo)

It looks like Pokerus, one of the rarest and most beneficial status tools at a trainer's disposal, is not present within Pokemon Scarlet and Violet.

Initially introduced in the series' second generation, Pokerus - a portmanteau of 'Pokemon' and 'virus' - is a condition that your 'mons have a 1-in-21,845 chance of contracting after a battle. Once contracted, it takes a few days to be 'cured', during which time it can spread to other Pokemon in your party. Importantly, however, a Pokemon with the virus gains double the 'Effort Values' or 'EVs' from each battle, dramatically increasing the rate at which its stats rise as it levels up. It's difficult to plan for, but a critical tool for hardcore players.

Now, however, it appears to be gone. Pokemon dataminer mattyoukhana tweeted earlier today to claim that "Pokerus is no longer present in Scarlet & Violet! No assets for the Pokerus status icons exist in the game, and it can not be found on wild Pokemon." Pokemon "forcibly" infected with the virus will still gain the doubled EV yield, but won't spread the virus to others.

It's not clear why, after more than two decades, Game Freak has removed the mechanic, but the community has made its assumption. This is the first mainline Pokemon game to have come out since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, and as such players have suggested that Nintendo doesn't want to bring up the idea of a virus, even if this one benefits those who contract it. Several players are responding to that tweet suggesting that the developers have managed to vaccinate the entire Pokemon population against the virus, preventing its spread and effectively eradicating it from the game.

Whether Pokerus will ever make its return remains to be seen, but since Gen 9 has only just begun, we might be waiting several years to find out what's in store for Gen 10.

Jumping into Paldea? Here are the best Pokemon Scarlet and Violet starters to choose.

Ali Jones
Ali Jones
Managing Editor, News

I'm GamesRadar's Managing Editor for news, shaping the news strategy across the team. I started my journalistic career while getting my degree in English Literature at the University of Warwick, where I also worked as Games Editor on the student newspaper, The Boar. Since then, I've run the news sections at PCGamesN and Kotaku UK, and also regularly contributed to PC Gamer. As you might be able to tell, PC is my platform of choice, so you can regularly find me playing League of Legends or Steam's latest indie hit.