Pokémon Legends: Z-A How to Upgrade Held Items

Held Items have always been a key part of competitive and adventure gameplay in the Pokémon series, and Pokémon Legends: Z-A takes this mechanic to a new level. In this title, upgrading Held Items doesn’t just boost a Pokémon’s battle potential—it can also unlock unique passive effects that make certain strategies far more effective. Whether you’re exploring Lumiose City or preparing for an intense Gym challenge, understanding how to upgrade Held Items can give you a serious edge.

Understanding Held Items in Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Held Items function much like they did in previous games, but with some important changes. Each Pokémon can carry one item that provides bonuses such as stat boosts, recovery effects, or enhanced move power. In Pokémon Legends: Z-A, however, some items can be upgraded at special facilities, allowing them to scale with your progress or your Pokémon’s level.

For example, a standard Leftovers can be upgraded into Enhanced Leftovers, which restores more HP per turn. Likewise, Choice Band+ or Wise Glasses+ versions grant higher offensive multipliers, helping your Pokémon hit even harder in battles.

Where to Upgrade Held Items

You can upgrade Held Items at the Item Refinery, a new feature located in Lumiose City’s Battle District. This facility unlocks after you complete the third major Gym battle. Inside, you’ll find NPCs who specialize in refining or fusing materials into your existing items.

To perform an upgrade, you’ll need three things:

1. The base item (such as Leftovers or Choice Specs)

2. Specific crafting materials, which can be gathered from wild Pokémon or rare resource nodes

3. A small amount of PokéDollars or Lumiose Tokens

Materials vary depending on the item. For instance, attack-based items often require Power Crystals, while defensive ones may need Shield Dust Fragments.

Farming Materials for Item Upgrades

If you’re short on upgrade materials, try battling wild Pokémon in the Outskirts and Industrial Zones around Lumiose. Certain Pokémon species have higher drop rates for rare materials. For example, Steel-type Pokémon are a great source of crafting components for physical attack items.

Alternatively, players who want to save time sometimes choose to buy Pokémon ZA items from the in-game marketplace or player exchanges. This can be a convenient way to stock up on essentials without grinding for hours.

The Benefits of Upgrading Held Items

Upgraded Held Items don’t just provide raw stat boosts—they often unlock bonus effects once enhanced. A few examples discovered by players so far include:

• Sitrus Berry+: Restores more HP and can be used twice in a battle.

• Life Orb+: Increases power by 40% instead of 30%, with slightly reduced recoil.

• Quick Claw+: Higher activation rate and guaranteed trigger at least once per battle.

These bonuses can dramatically change your battle strategies, especially in boss fights and online duels.

Additional Tips

• Always check compatibility: not every item can be upgraded, and some evolve into special variants that only certain Pokémon can use.

• Use upgrade items strategically—powerful gear can make even standard Pokémon perform like top-tier competitors.

• Collect duplicates: you might want to keep both the original and upgraded versions for team flexibility.

• For collectors, it’s also possible to buy Shiny Pokémon Legends ZA through trading platforms in the game, which pairs well with upgraded gear for both aesthetic and competitive setups.

Upgrading Held Items in Pokémon Legends: Z-A is one of the most rewarding mid-to-late-game systems, giving you deep customization options and new ways to approach battles. Whether you prefer grinding materials through exploration or choosing to buy Pokémon ZA items to speed things up, the payoff is clear—stronger, more versatile Pokémon ready to take on the toughest challenges Kalos has to offer.

With a bit of planning and smart upgrades, your team can shine as brightly as any Shiny Pokémon Legends ZA champion.