Tragedy Strikes!

So... I was pulling clothes out of my washing machine, when I heard something tumble out of a pair of pants and fall with a loud "clank" to the bottom of the machine. I peered into the basin and to my dismay found that I had washed my recently missing PokéWalker. It still looks alright, save for some trapped moisture behind the screen, and for one brief, fleeting moment, I toyed with the idea it might still work, after all, Nintendo makes notoriously durable systems. But alas, even after leaving it out overnight, it was dead. I was concerned I might have to restart my game completely, or do without a PokéWalker. I knew I could acquire a new one on eBay, but dratini was still locked inside the broken Walker, and I knew the game only allows one PokéMon out in the device at a time. After some research, I came up with a much more satisfactory solution, which I thought I'd share here, to save you the time.

(Dratini nooooooo!- Image © Nintendo)

 First of all, skip eBay when purchasing your new  PokéWalker, as they run anywhere from $25-$30, often without shipping. You can actually buy a brand new one from the Nintendo website for under $15 with standard shipping.

Nintendo Store

Additionally, you don't need to restart your game if you should wind up with a PokéMon "stuck" in your Walker. Via Bulbapedia:

"A Pokémon that has been transferred onto a Pokéwalker isn't actually sent to the device, but rather copied and the data for the Pokémon is sent. The targeted Pokémon is instead put aside, and can't be used in the game, until the data has been returned to the game. Therefore, if a Pokéwalker is lost or damaged, the Pokémon is not lost. Pokémon can be restored to the game it was taken from if a Pokéwalker is lost or broken by pressing and holding Up, Select, and R at the Pokéwalker connection screen. The Pokémon will be returned to the PC box with its level or happiness unaffected."

So all is not lost if you lose/damage your PokéWalker, although ultimately, I'd still advise you just keep an eye on it, rather than having to purchase a new one.

(Image © Nintendo)

NOTE: I got my new PokéWalker, and had to look up how to reset it. I found my solution, and the new Walker is working wonderfully, but so you know, while you will be able to keep all the paths you've unlocked, you will also lose all of your watts. Bollocks.

"How to reset your PokéWalker: From the main menu, select 'Connect to PokéWalker'. Hold down on the directional pad (+) and X, then L. After you see caution click 'Yes' and it will reset."