Your partner gets stronger in a run in three ways: new or upgraded moves, vitamins picked at level-up, and items picked up from Poké Balls or bought from Meowth. This page covers the last two: what the rarities mean, which items do what, how many you can carry, and how to get new items into your pool.
Items, vitamins and moves are separate
It helps to keep the three systems apart, because they come from different places and fill different slots.
| Boost | Where it comes from | What limits it |
|---|---|---|
| Items | Poké Balls on the map, Meowth’s shop | Each item has its own max count |
| Vitamins | Level-up cards | Your vitamin slots |
| Moves and move upgrades | Level-up cards | Your move slots |
A single level-up screen can mix all of these. You might see a new move, a vitamin and an upgrade to a move you already own side by side. See Move Learning for how move cards are chosen.
Item rarities
Every item in the catalog carries one of five rarities. Higher rarity means a bigger effect, and usually a lower cap.
- Common: simple type boosters, such as +30% damage for one move type.
- Uncommon: broader boosts, such as +15% physical or special damage.
- Rare: strong boosts that often come with a drawback.
- Epic: build-shaping effects, such as an extra projectile on every move.
- Legendary: the rarest items, often with a cap of 1 to 3.
Level-up cards use the same color labels (Common, Uncommon and so on), so you can spot a rare offer at a glance.
Notable items and their effects
The table lists well-known items with the effect and cap shown in Lab → Items (values from the v0.6.2 catalog). Season 2 added 24 more items, so open the catalog in your own game for the full list.
| Item | Rarity | Effect | Max |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miracle Seed | Common | +30% Grass move damage, +3% total damage | 10 |
| Charcoal | Common | +30% Fire move damage, +3% total damage | 10 |
| Mystic Water | Common | +30% Water move damage, +3% total damage | 10 |
| Muscle Band | Uncommon | +15% physical damage | 10 |
| Wise Glasses | Uncommon | +15% special damage | 10 |
| Life Orb | Rare | +30% total damage, −10% max HP | 5 |
| Choice Band | Rare | +35% physical damage, −8% attack speed | 5 |
| Choice Specs | Rare | +35% special damage, −8% attack speed | 5 |
| Choice Scarf | Rare | +20% speed, +10% attack speed | 5 |
| PP Max | Epic | +1 projectile on all moves | 10 |
| Max Elixir | Epic | +20% attack speed | 10 |
| Shiny Stone | Epic | +15% total damage, +15% area | 10 |
| Dusk Stone | Epic | +40% crit damage, +8% crit chance | 10 |
| Max Revive | Legendary | Revive once with 60% HP | 3 |
| Rare Candy | Legendary | Gain 2 levels instantly, +5% damage | 10 |
| Master Ball | Legendary | +25% damage, guaranteed capture in Wild Encounters | 1 |
Pick items that match your moves
Type and damage category are two different checks. Bulbasaur’s Vine Whip is physical, while Charmander’s Ember and Squirtle’s Water Gun are special. So:
- A type booster (Miracle Seed, Charcoal, Mystic Water) only helps moves of that type.
- Muscle Band and Choice Band help physical moves; Wise Glasses and Choice Specs help special ones.
- PP Max, Max Elixir and Shiny Stone help almost every kit, which is why they are popular picks.
Watch the drawbacks. Life Orb costs max HP, and the Choice items slow your attacks. On a fragile partner, a smaller clean boost can be the safer choice. The Starter Pokémon guide lists each starter’s moves and categories.
Vitamins
Vitamins appear as “New vitamin” cards when you level up. Each one raises a single stat. Their effects do not always match the item of the same name in other Pokémon games, so read the card:
- X Defense gives +4% evasion.
- Ether gives +8% attack speed.
Season 2 (v0.8.0) added five new vitamins. How many you can hold depends on your vitamin slots, and the Lab’s Vitamin slots upgrade adds one extra slot per level, up to two levels. The Max Ether item also raises your vitamin cap during a run; selling it brings the cap back to normal.
A good rule early on: take a new attack first, then fill vitamins once your move bar is set up.
Item limits and stacking
Every item has a maximum count, shown on its catalog card (“max. 10”, “max. 5” and so on). A few rules keep builds in check:
- Bonuses of the same kind add together; separate bonus groups still multiply. Huge damage numbers from early clips came from older stacking rules.
- Ditto cannot copy an item you already have at max.
- Meowth will not sell you an item you have already maxed.
- Meowth raises prices if you keep buying without opening Poké Balls. Paid Poké Balls let you pick one of three items.
How to unlock items
Open the main menu and go to Lab → Items. The catalog shows every item, split into what is already in your Poké Balls, what is still locked, and what you have archived.
- Buying items: since Season 2, all 59 previously locked items can be bought with Stardust from the start, with no extra requirements. Items you already owned stay owned.
- Finding them in runs: unlocked items go into your Poké Ball pool. Open Poké Balls on the map or shop at Meowth to get them.
- Archiving: archived items stop appearing in Poké Balls and the shop, which makes the items you want more likely. The Archive upgrade in the Lab gives five slots per level, and v0.8.17 adds up to three Archive templates you can switch between before a run.
Stardust comes from playing runs. For what else to spend it on, see Lab Upgrades. Ready to put a build together? Play PokeBonk.
Quick answers
What is the difference between an item and a vitamin in PokeBonk?
Items come from Poké Balls on the map and Meowth's shop and each has its own effect and cap. Vitamins are stat boosts offered as cards when you level up, and they use vitamin slots.
How many Master Balls can I hold?
One. The Master Ball has a cap of 1, while most other items cap at 5 or 10.
How do I unlock more items?
Since Season 2, locked items are bought with Stardust in Lab → Items. Once unlocked, an item joins your Poké Ball pool and can show up in runs.
Do old infinite-damage builds still work?
No. Item caps are enforced and bonuses of the same kind now add together instead of multiplying, so huge stacks from early clips are not possible anymore.
