How to make the most of the Infinite Items bug in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

While Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's recent 1.1.0 patch did fix various issues with the game, players on Reddit have already figured out a new way to obtain an infinite amount of specific items.

Due to how differently Pokemon encounters are handled in these titles compared to previous entries, players have found a drastic oversight. They've managed to find a strategy that allows them to steal an infinite amount of held items from any wild Pokemon that has one. However, doing this is fairly niche as not many creatures in the roster have access to moves that allow them to do such a thing.

Thankfully, this glitch is easier to pull off than it sounds. With more moves and hidden abilities that allow Pokemon to easily steal items, players can pull off this exploit in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet with a little bit of effort.

---

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's new Item Stealing Exploit: How to use it

u/Toasted_Nugget posted a video on the Pokemon Scarlet and Violet subreddit, tagging it as a bug report. In their post, they detailed an exploit that allows for infinite item stealing using the move Covet. This attack lets the user steal the item of the enemy hit by the attack.

Upon receiving the item from the attacked wild Pokemon, the Redditor flees the encounter. After doing so, they approach the wild Pokemon again and repeat the process again to receive another copy of the held item. Given the nature of this interaction, it would be fair to call this an oversight on Game Freak's part.

Thankfully, this glitch is not one that requires menu manipulation and advanced movement techs. It can easily be replicated since it only requires players to have a Pokemon with access to the moves Covet or Thief. Creatures with the ability Pickpocket or Magician will be much easier to use as they can use almost any move for the same effect.

As for good targets to use this exploit on, it all depends on the situation. For players wanting to make money off of this exploit, it may be best to use it on Cloyster and Shellder, as they both typically have a chance to hold Big Pearls. However, given Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's recent release date, data regarding the wild Pokemon with held items is unavailable.

A great way to maximize effectiveness with this exploit is to use it with a Venonat that has the Compound Eyes ability. This ability increases the likelihood of a wild Pokemon spawning with a held item by around 20%. While it can be a task to train a Venonat to take on more powerful wild Pokemon, it will be worth the effort.

Overall, this exploit is a great option for players who want to farm certain items or berries, but the types of items players can farm leave it feeling a bit inconsistent. With the number of grinding options in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, players would probably be better off just farming Tera Raid Battles if they ever find themselves in need of cash or items for leveling up the Pokemon in their party.

Given how recently this exploit was discovered, it is unclear whether or not it will be patched out in a future update.