Link

This article is about the game mechanic in Pokémon Conquest. For the game known as Pokémon Link! in European releases, see Pokémon Trozei!. For the data transferal feature in the Generation VI games, see Pokémon Link.

A link (Japanese: リンク link) refers to the emotional bond between a Warrior and a Pokémon, featured in Pokémon Conquest. Affecting the strength of a Pokémon, and being measured in percentages with an upper limit of 100%, it is an analogue to the main series concept of levels.

The strength of a link, i.e. its percentage value, can be increased by fighting battles or visiting kingdom locations.

Perfect Link

Depending on how well-matched a pair of Warrior and Pokémon is, the maximum value of the link between the two varies. A Perfect Link (Japanese: ベストリンク Best Link) is a maximum link value of 100%. Each Warrior has a Perfect Link with one specific evolutionary line. For Pokémon with branched evolutionary lines, the Warrior specializes in only one of the branches (for example, the Warrior Tomonobu has a Perfect Link with Ralts, Kirlia, and Gardevoir, but not with Gallade). Warlords are special Warriors that are not always subject to this limit - for example, the Hero\Heroine has a Perfect Link with all Eeveelutions, and Nobunaga has Perfect Links with one evolutionary line as well as two Legendary Pokémon.

Most Pokémon have a single sprite that is used during conversation scenes. However, when a Pokémon is paired with a Warlord with whom it shares a Perfect Link, the Pokémon will also have sprites showing different emotions alongside their Warlord - generally with a similar expression.

Forming links

A Warrior can form new links with wild Pokémon, by moving their current Pokémon adjacent to it and starting a mini-game.

For the mini-game, the player is tasked with pressing the A button as golden orbs fly past, with each press incrementing a link progress bar, and more-accurate presses granting more bar progress. If the bar is not filled within a single play of the mini-game, the bar progress will be saved, and the Warrior may continue where they left off by approaching the wild Pokémon again. However, the bar must be finished before the end of the battle, or else the wild Pokémon will be lost. Once the progress bar has been completely filled, the Pokémon is added to the Warrior's stock of Pokémon, and that Pokémon disappears from the field until the end of the battle. Each Warrior may link with up to one wild Pokémon per battle.

Wild Pokémon may display a medal above them when approached. The appearance of the medal indicates the maximum link percentage that the warrior can reach with that Pokémon.

Medal	Max link %
Gold	90 - 100%
Silver	70 - 89%
Bronze	50 - 69%
(No medal)	1 - 49%
X-out	0% (cannot link)

The number of Pokémon with which a Warrior can share links at any time is dictated by their Capacity stat. Regardless of the number of Pokémon with which a Warrior has linked, only one can be used per battle.

Legendary or Mythical Pokémon are only capable of linking with one specific Warlord, which varies depending on the Pokémon.

Increasing link

Link can be increased through multiple methods, including battle and interacting with kingdom locations.

Battles

Battle-based link gain operates very similar to experience points in the core series. All Pokémon that enter a battle will receive link, while Pokémon that actually fight receive more link - similar to how the Exp. Share held item works in Generation V. Pokémon will generally receive more link for defeating an enemy with higher-or-even link with them, compared to defeating a foe with lesser link. Pokémon that defeat multiple enemies will earn more link than Pokémon that only defeated one enemy. Link gains are awarded at the end of a battle, and fainted Pokémon still gain link, though they gain less link than Pokémon that did not faint.

When a battle against wild Pokémon and free Warriors is started, the enemies will have link strength of approximately the average of the Pokémon the player sent into the battle. Battles against enemy kingdoms do not follow this calculation - instead, their link strength can be previewed from the world map before engaging in battle.

Non-battle methods

On the world map, Warriors are able to spend one "month" (effectively a world map "turn") by interacting with one kingdom location. Interacting with any kingdom location will spend the Warrior's turn for that month, and grant a small amount of link to their current active Pokémon.

The activities in kingdom locations vary widely, including tasks such as shopping for items, crafting items, changing abilities, eating Ponigiri to improve morale, mining for gold, or meditating for temporary stat boosts.

Harmony items

Certain held items, specifically the Harmony Flute, Harmony Harp, and Harmony Drum, will increase the amount of link gained by the Warrior-Pokémon pair that holds the item. This works similarly to the Lucky Egg in the core series.

Move rank

The move rank of a Pokémon's single move will strengthen as the link increases, signified by a plus sign followed by a number or letter after the move's name:

Upon reaching rank +S, some moves take on completely new effects; e.g. Leaf Storm or Outrage.

Evolution and transformation

Pokémon Evolution

Because levels, experience, and friendship do not exist in Pokémon Conquest, Evolution of Pokémon that depend on these is determined by one or more of the following methods:

• Reach a certain link percentage - This represents Pokémon that normally evolve via high friendship in the core series games, such as Golbat. The required link percentage tends to be between 60 and 70 percent.
  • Due to Warriors having different link caps for Pokémon depending on the Warrior's specialty type(s), some Warriors are unable to evolve certain Pokémon due to the required link percentage being above their cap.
• Reach a certain stat value threshold - This represents Pokémon that normally evolve at a set level. For example, Spheal evolves when its HP has reached a value of 138, which is partially determined by the link with its Warrior.
  • These stats are influenced by Individual Values, which are set at 15 for a Warrior's default Pokémon, but range from 0-31 for Pokémon linked in the wild; and by Energy, which applies a multiplier to the Pokémon's stats. However, stat-boosting equipment, such as the Iron Wristband, do not count toward Evolution requirements.
  • Similar to the caveat with link percentage, certain Warrior-Pokémon pairs are unable to reach the stat requirements to evolve the Pokémon, due to their maximum link caps being too low. In some of these cases, Evolution may become dependent on having high IVs and/or having maximum energy.
• Knock out a Warrior's Pokémon in a manner that allows recruitment - This represents Pokémon that normally evolve by trading, such as Haunter. The Evolution will still trigger even if the player does not actually accept the new Warrior.
  • Recruiting a Warrior requires at least one of the following conditions to be met: A) defeat the Warrior within 4 turns, B) defeat the Warrior with a super effective move, C) defeat the Warrior without letting them deal damage to any Pokémon on the player's team. For more information, see Warrior → recruitment.
  • Pokémon that normally need to hold an item and be traded, will require this "satisfy recruitment" condition on top of needing to hold the correct item.
• Hold a specific item and win a battle - This represents Pokémon that normally evolve by consuming a stone item, such as Eevee using a Fire Stone to evolve into Flareon. Evolutionary items are not consumable from the menu in Conquest - instead, the item must be held by the Pokémon, and it will be consumed after the battle when the Evolution occurs.
• Deploy in a specific kingdom and complete any action - This represents Pokémon that normally evolve in a specific location, such as Eevee evolving into Glaceon. Conquest handles this by requiring the Warrior-Pokémon pair to be placed in a specific kingdom (in Glaceon's case, the ice kingdom Nixtorm), and to complete any action - such as completing a battle or interacting with a kingdom location.

Evolution requirements are checked whenever the player manually completes an action with a Warrior-Pokémon pair - actions completed automatically through delegating will never check Evolution criteria. This check occurs even for Pokémon that have reached their maximum link percentage, meaning it is still possible to evolve such Pokémon - therefore, it is not possible to become "locked out" of an Evolution by raising the link percentage too high.

Warlord transformation

Warlords are able to transform into higher ranks, which is a permanent upgrade to their attributes and appearance, similar to Evolution. Warlord transformation is partially determined by the link they share with their Perfect Link Pokémon. An exception to this is the Hero/Heroine's transformation to Rank II, which happens automatically during The Legend of Ransei.

Some Warlords have additional requirements to evolve - for example, Masamune can only transform during his story episode, The Dragon's Dream, with a 60% link with either Rufflet or Braviary.

Similar to Pokémon, Warlord transformation requirements are checked whenever the player manually completes an action with that Warlord.

Warlord transformation (aside from the Hero/Heroine's Rank II) is not possible during The Legend of Ransei.

This article is part of Project Sidegames, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on the Pokémon Sidegames.