How long do Black Flute repel and White Flute attract effects last?
Andrew Patterson
Published Jul 06, 2026
I walked a thousand steps through filthy ash to get Black Flute which is supposed to repel wild Pokémon. This is what it says:
A glass flute that keeps away wild POKéMON.
And the White one:
A glass flute that lures wild POKéMON.
I've read Bulbapedia on the topic, but I'm not satisfied - it doesn't say how long the effect lasts.
I can't see any effect after using any of these. How long do they last?
2 Answers
Black Flute:
Reduces wild Pokémon encounter rate by 50%.
White Flute:
Increases wild Pokémon encounter rate by 50%.
According to Bulbapedia.
Regarding the duration, there's a controversy about their effects.
As different people on GameFaqs suggests here, here and here:
White and Black Flutes should only work for one step each time they are played.
However, on this forum is explained that:
6The White Flute and Black Flutes raise and lower the encounter rate, respectively. They last as long as you're in the general area you used it.
They stop working as soon as you change screens (I. E. go through a door, enter a cave, etc.) I only know this for Emerald as it's the only one I've played, but I would be interested to hear the results for R/S and OR/AS.