Gengar, which has just evolved from a Haunter. They are in front of a blue and yellow background with congratulatory text below them.

How to Evolve Haunter in Pokémon Legends: Arceus

June 16, 2022 - 4 min read

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Key Takeaway

To evolve Haunter into Gengar, you’ll need to use an item called a Linking Cord on them. This works the same way as when you would evolve a Pokémon using an elemental stone (Water Stone, Sun Stone, etcetera). You can buy a Linking Cord with Merit Points from Simona in Jubilife Village.

Haunter is already a pretty good Pokémon due to its high Special Attack and Speed stats. However, if you evolve it into Gengar, these powerful traits will get even better. The move pools of these spooky specters are great, too.

Evolving Haunter With a Linking Cord

A player selecting a Linking Cord in their satchel to use on the Haunter in their party.

Once you obtain a Linking Cord, you’ll need to make sure it’s in your satchel. Also, the Haunter that you want to evolve will need to be in your party. When you have both assembled, simply use your Linking Cord on the Haunter in your party.

Don’t worry too much about accidentally using the Linking Cord on a different Pokémon in your party (unless you have another available party Pokémon that evolves from contact with a Linking Cord). When you select the Linking Cord, hover over Haunter and then use it on your sinister Ghost-type partner.

When you do so, you’ll get to watch Haunter evolve into Gengar. After the evolution animation finishes, you’ll be able to check out your brand new Gengar in all its spooky glory!

How to Get Linking Cords

You can buy Linking Cords from Simona in Jubilife Village. She and her cart can be found between the main entrance to Galaxy Hall and the Training Grounds. Each Linking Cord will cost 1,000 Merit Points, so be sure to save up.

How to Get Merit Points

To get Merit Points, you’ll have to retrieve lost satchels from the wilderness. Sometimes, others can get in over their heads and lose things in the wild. Thankfully, you’ll automatically get markers for all such lost satchels on your map for every main location. New lost satchels will also appear over time once you’ve collected previous ones.

Each lost satchel you find will usually give you somewhere between 50 to 100 Merit Points each. As such, you’ll need to locate many of them in order to buy evolution items from Simona.

Every time you pick up a lost satchel, you’ll need to send it back to its owner to get Merit Points as a reward. To do this, press up on the directional pad and then navigate to the tab with the wifi symbol (which is the second tab from the right). Here, you’ll need to select the “Lost & Found” option.

In the Lost & Found menu, you can send the retrieved satchel back to its owner to be rewarded with Merit Points. Again, the number of Merit Points you’ll get will vary.

Reasons to Use Gengar On Your Team

A Gengar dancing joyfully in Jubilife Village at sunset.

In terms of offensive traits, Gengar is one of the most powerful Ghost-type (and Poison-type) Pokémon in Pokémon Legends: Arceus. Firstly, their Special Attack stat is high, which lets Gengar hit foes very hard with special damage-dealing moves.

Secondly, Gengar’s Speed stat is also quite high—although not as high as its Special Attack stat. This means that Gengar can often outspeed enemies and land a big blow before the opponent can do so. Due to Gengar’s defensive stats being relatively low—meaning they can’t take many attacks from adversaries—hitting fast as well as hard is the ideal tactic for Gengar.

Specifically, in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, as a result of the Agile Style and Strong Style mechanics, Gengar’s high Speed stat can make it even more powerful than in other games of the Pokémon franchise. For example, using an Agile Style move against slower foes can allow Gengar to attack twice in a row.

The Best Moves For Gengar in Pokémon Legends: Arceus

On top of its great stats, Gengar also has an awesome move pool. Through leveling up, Gengar will eventually learn Dark Pulse (at level 34) and Shadow Ball (at level 43). Both of these moves are great for decimating enemy HP thanks to Gengar’s top-notch Special Attack stat. Shadow Ball even gets a Same Type Attack Bonus (STAB), which makes it particularly deadly in combat.

There are no TMs or breeding options in Pokémon Legends: Arceus. However, the move tutor can let you teach Gengar many great moves. The ones you’ll want to consider teaching Gengar are the special damage-dealing moves with high base power. Here’s a list of the best ones:

Sludge Bomb [Poison-type] (80 base power)
Thunderbolt [Electric-type] (80 base power)
Psychic [Psychic-type] (80 base power)
Energy Ball [Grass-type] (80 base power)
Dazzling Gleam [Fairy-type] (75 base power)
Hyper Beam [Normal-type] (120 base power)

Out of all the move tutor moves, Sludge Bomb is the main one you’ll want to have equipped to Gengar. This is because, like Shadow Ball, Sludge Bomb will get a nice STAB boost for increased damage against foes.

As for the other best moves, you’ll need to decide what’s ideal for your Gengar based on your other party members. Think about which types you don’t have damage-dealing moves for and which kinds of enemies usually give your team a hard time.