Genes & Essence
Four hidden numbers rolled the moment you catch a Pokemax, and the only currency that can move them.
What a gene is
Every Pokemax rolls four genes at the moment you catch it — one per stat, each a hidden 0 to 15. They are permanent, they never change with level, and they are the difference between two Pokemax of the same species being identical or one being clearly better.
max HP = floor(base_hp × level ÷ 50) + level + 10 + geneatk / def / spd = floor(base × level ÷ 50) + 5 + geneAt level 50 a gene is worth a flat +15. That is enormous on a stat that lands around 60 — a perfect-gene Pokemax is roughly 25% stronger than a zero-gene one of the same species. This is the entire reason to keep hunting a species you already own.
See the gap for yourself in the Pokemax Lab: set a Pokemax to level 50 and slide the genes from 0 to 15.
| Gene value | Quality |
|---|---|
| 0–4 | Poor |
| 5–8 | Average |
| 9–11 | Good |
| 12–13 | Excellent |
| 14–15 | Exceptional |
Genes are hidden until you scan them. A wild Pokemax looks identical whether it rolled 2s or 15s — the scan is how you find out before you spend an OILball.
Your three starters are the one exception: they begin with a flat, fair 8 / 8 / 8 / 8. Every Pokemax you catch after that rolls at random — which is where the hunt for good genes actually begins.
Gene Essence
A separate currency. Its steady source is releasing a Pokemax — the better its genes, the more it pays, and you cannot release your last one — but you can also earn it by beating Team Comet (10 for a defense, 15 for a recovery).
| Sum of the 4 genes | Quality | Essence paid |
|---|---|---|
| 0–19 | Poor | 1 |
| 20–31 | Average | 2 |
| 32–43 | Good | 3 |
| 44–52 | Excellent | 4 |
| 53–60 | Exceptional | 5 |
What you can spend it on
| Operation | Cost | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Scan Genes | 3 essence | Reveal a wild Pokemax's genes mid-encounter, before you decide to spend an OILball on it. |
| Gene Training | 15 essence | Raise one gene by one point. 5 per Pokemax, ever. |
| Gene Reroll | 20 essence | Reroll one gene at random. 2 per Pokemax, ever. |
| Gene Capsule | 50 essence | The expensive one. Set a gene outright instead of gambling. |
The economy is deliberately brutal. A Poor Pokemax pays 1 essence. Gene Training costs 15 and is capped at 5 per Pokemax, ever. So perfecting one Pokemax by hand means releasing fifteen bad ones — and it still only buys 5 points out of a possible 60.
Catching a good roll will always beat grinding a bad one into shape. That is the point: the Safari is the game, not the workbench.
Advice
Scan before you throw. 3 essence is cheap next to a 3,000 OIL Prime OILball spent on a Poor roll.
Release your rejects. A Poor Pokemax sitting in your box is 1 essence you have not banked.
Spend Training on the stat that matters, not evenly. A sweeper wants SPD; a wall wants HP and DEF. Five points into the right stat beats five spread thin.
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