How to Increase IVs

This guide will show you how to increase IVs in the game Pokemon Sword and Shield. Read on for explanations of how to obtain Bottle Caps to increase IVs, how to do Hyper Training, and how to clear the Battle Tower to get a free Gold Bottle Cap.

What are IVs?

IV is an abbreviation for Individual Value, a hidden value which is combined with a Pokemon's Base Stats and EVs to calculate the Stats which are visible to players and used in battle.

Unlike EVs, IVs are determined randomly for each Pokemon, and are generally uncontrollable by the player. IVs are valued at 0 to 31 for each stat, where 0 is the worst number and 31 is the best number. Pokemon with high IVs in a stat will have a higher than normal value in that stat.

Pokemon's IVs are invisible by default, but in Pokemon Sword and Shield, you can check your Pokemon's IVs by unlocking the Judge Function once you finish the game and unlock the Battle Tower.
How to Unlock the Judge Function

How to Increase IVs

Traditionally, changing a Pokemon's IVs has been impossible. Trainers were required to master Pokemon Breeding to produce a Pokemon with perfect IVs. However, starting in Pokemon Sun and Moon, trainers have been able to use a method called Hyper Training to increase Pokemon's IVs to perfect levels.

Breed a Pokemon with Perfect IVs

It is still possible to use Pokemon Breeding to pass on IVs to a child Pokemon from its parents, and use breeding items to yield a Pokemon with perfect IVs. Read our full guide on Training & Breeding for tips and guides to Breeding IVs, Natures and Abilities.
How to Train & Breed for Competitive Pokemon

Hyper Train Your Pokemon

The only way to increase the IVs of an individual Pokemon is to first complete the game's main story and unlock the Battle Tower. If you have an item called a Bottle Cap or a Gold Bottle Cap, you will be able to exchange it to increase your Pokemon's IVs through Hyper Training.
Story Walkthrough

Level your Pokemon to 100

Before you can Hyper Train your Pokemon, you are required to level up your Pokemon to Level 100. You can easily level up your Pokemon by doing Max Raid Battles to earn Exp. Candies to give to your Pokemon.
How to Easily Collect Exp. Candy

Go to the Hyper Trainer

Once you have leveled up the Pokemon you want to Hyper Trainer, go to the Battle Tower and speak with the man on the right side beside the Rental Pokemon counter. You will be able to choose a Pokemon to Hyper Train. Using a Bottle Cap will improve one of your Pokemon's IVs to the maximum level of 31, while the Gold Bottle Cap will improve all of a Pokemon's IVs to the maximum level.

Choose what stat to upgrade

If you choose a Bottle Cap, you will need to choose what stat you want to Hyper Train.

Hyper Train!

When one of your Pokemon's IVs has been Hyper Trained, it will be listed as 'Hyper trained!' when viewed with the Judge Function. Naturally perfect IVs will instead be listed as 'Best'.

How to Obtain the Bottle Cap and Gold Bottle Cap

Buy Bottle Caps in the Battle Tower

You can buy Bottle Caps from one of the shops in the Battle Tower for 25 BP. You can earn BP by participating in Single or Double Battles in the Battle Tower. However, Gold Bottle Caps cannot be purchased.

Make Bottle Caps and Gold Battle Caps with the Cram-o-Matic (Isle of Armor DLC) NEW

The Isle of Armor DLC introduces the Cram-o-Matic, a new feature which allows players to change four Items into one new Item. As the Recipes for most Items are consistent, players can use the Cram-o-Matic to change normal items into Bottle Caps.

How to Make Bottle Caps

Result	Ingredients
Bottle Cap	Rare Candy	Rare Candy	Rare Candy	Wishing Piece

Players are also able to make Gold Bottle Caps, which have the effect of six Bottle Caps, in exchange for only four Bottle Caps, making for a great return on investment.

How to Make Gold Bottle Caps

Result	Ingredients
Gold Bottle Cap	Bottle Cap	Bottle Cap	Bottle Cap	Bottle Cap

How to Use the Cram-o-Matic

Hire the Digging Duo

There is a chance of getting a Bottle Cap, or even a Gold Bottle Cap from the Digging Duo near the nursery in Bridge Field. You need to pay a total of 500 Watts for their services, and there's no telling what or how many items they will find, so this method is quite literally hit or miss.

Because the Bottle Caps are considered rare items, we recommend using the digger on the left (skill brother) to try your luck hunting for Bottle Caps.
How to Get Rare Items From the Digging Duo

Receive As a Reward from the Battle Tower

Participating in either Single or Double Battles in the Battle Tower will reward you with a Bottle Cap each time you reach the next tier. Be sure to bring the best possible team to clear the Battle Tower. You can also rent pre-made teams inside the Battle Tower for usage in battles. These Rental Teams are fully EV-trained, so using them can be advantageous if you haven't EV trained your own Pokemon yet.
Battle Tower Walkthrough and Recommended Party

Reaching Master Ball Tier at the Battle Tower

Reaching the master ball tier in the battle tower will reward you with one Gold Bottle Cap. You'll have to reach a high level of strategic play to make it this far, so try playing in Ranked Battle to practice against real players, and check out our Tier List to get an understanding of which Pokemon and Movesets are most effective for strategic play.
Best Pokemon Tier List For Ranked Battle

Related Links

Breed & Train Competitive Pokemon

How to Breed & Train for Competitive Pokemon