PokéBonk upgrades: what to pick and what lasts

Run upgrades and Lab upgrades do different jobs

A level-up card changes the current character build. It may teach a move, improve an equipped move, add a vitamin or improve a vitamin you already have. Those choices belong to that attempt. Starting another run means building a new set of run upgrades rather than carrying the previous card collection into the forest.

The Lab is permanent profile progression. Its Upgrades section includes Training and Run team. Training improves the starting foundation through the listed character bonuses; Run team changes things such as capacity, the choice screen and the limited tools used while choosing upgrades. Buy from the description shown in the Lab rather than assuming every purchase is another damage increase.

These systems work together. A stronger starting foundation can make the opening easier to manage, while your card decisions still determine how the current run develops. A Lab purchase does not choose the rest of the build for you.

Read what an upgrade card will actually change

The normal level-up offer presents three choices. A Lab upgrade can add a fourth option. Before picking, distinguish a new move from an improvement to an existing move, and a new vitamin from an improvement to one you already carry. The name alone does not tell you which of those actions the card performs.

Capacity matters. The base setup has three move slots and three vitamin slots, with Lab upgrades available to expand them. A new move needs an available move slot. An improvement to a move you already use serves a different purpose: it strengthens that part of the build without asking you to choose a completely new attack plan.

Read the effect text alongside the upgrade level. If you are comparing a new move with an existing one, think about where your current damage is landing and which enemies remain troublesome. If you are comparing vitamins, look for the practical benefit that addresses the fight you are having, not just a familiar item name.

Choose for the problem that is ending your runs

When you are repeatedly losing health while moving through crowds, consider protection, recovery or another option that gives you room to correct mistakes. When enemies survive long enough to block your path, improving reliable damage may help more. These are decision principles, not a fixed ranking of every card.

Also consider what you can collect safely. A build that clears a route but leaves experience behind may develop slowly. An experience or pickup-related choice can be useful when collecting drops is the bottleneck. It cannot compensate for walking into a dangerous pack to reach a small reward.

Keep your starter's passive in mind without forcing every choice into one theme. Bulbasaur's recovery, Charmander's Fire focus and Squirtle's defensive foundation offer starting ideas. A plainly useful card for the current situation can still be better than a narrow bonus whose conditions your build rarely meets. Review your equipped moves in pause when the build becomes difficult to follow.

Refresh, Skip and Banish are three separate tools

Refresh replaces the current set of offers. Use it when the whole set is unhelpful and you want another set to choose from. It consumes a use, so check the remaining counter before treating another refresh as part of your plan.

Skip ends that upgrade choice and gives PokéDollars. It does not select a hidden card for you. This can be useful when you would rather continue than take any of the visible choices, but you are passing up the immediate improvement from a card.

Banish removes a particular option from later offers for the rest of the run. First choose Banish, then select the card to exclude. It consumes a use and the game offers choices again. The exclusion can also affect later improvements to the same move, so avoid banishing a core attack just because one particular offer looks weak.

Each tool has a per-run allowance, and the corresponding Lab upgrades increase those allowances. Read the live counters. Spending a limited use early may be worthwhile, but it also leaves fewer interventions if later offers fit poorly.

Spend Stardust in the Lab with a purpose

After an attempt, open the Lab and decide whether you need a stronger base or more flexibility during upgrade choices. Training purchases address the listed permanent stats. Run team purchases can help you hold more options or make better use of the choice screen. Read the current level, effect and next price before buying; a previous purchase can change what the next one costs.

The Items section is different again. Buying a permanent item unlock adds that item to the game's drop and shop pool. It does not immediately place a copy in your current build or guarantee that the item will appear in the next run. The unlock gives it a chance to participate in future choices. Backpack consumables earned from tasks are separate: those are supplies you choose to bring into a run and consume at its start.

Character challenges and research have their own progress targets. Check the current target in the character information while planning your next run; a research counter is separate from the Stardust balance used for Lab purchases. The twelve starting partners are already available, while the remaining League gives you further goals to pursue.

For an early profile, pick one recurring problem to address before spending everything. If a small improvement lets you reach upgrades more consistently, that can be more useful than buying a complicated option you do not yet know how to use. Keep a local-save backup when you want a copy of your permanent progression. Existing progress remains useful when you return: choosing another available partner does not reset your Lab.

Questions about PokéBonk upgrades

Do my level-up cards stay after the run?

No. They shape the current attempt. Lab purchases are the permanent upgrades stored with your profile.

Does Banish remove an option forever?

No. It excludes that option for the rest of the current run. It is a build tool, not a permanent account change.

Should I buy every item unlock as soon as possible?

Read what the unlock contributes to the pool and compare it with the permanent upgrade you could buy instead. There is no need to expand the pool before you understand what you want from it.