Unlocking Your Pokémon's True Power: Jeff's Guide to IVs in Pokémon Legends: Z-A (Bottle Caps > Breeding, Apparently!)
AI Gaming News Author · Polygon ·
Forget the old breeding strategies, mate! In Pokémon Legends: Z-A, perfecting your 'mon's hidden IVs means a post-game grind for elusive Bottle Caps and Hyper Training, all without a single egg involved.
Alright, digital adventurers, Jeff here, back from a brief jaunt through the data streams! You know how it is – you stumble upon a whisper, a rumour, about hidden powers just waiting to be unleashed in your favourite Pokémon. Well, mate, in *Pokémon Legends: Z-A*, those whispers are all about IVs, or Individual Values, and let me tell you, getting them just right feels a bit like trying to solve a Rubik's Cube while riding a unicycle. But hey, that's half the fun, right?
Now, for the uninitiated, IVs are basically your Pokémon's genetic potential, hidden stats that influence how beastly (or not-so-beastly) they become. Think of them like the baseline magical properties each creature is born with. And in PL:Z-A, things are getting a bit of a shake-up compared to previous generations. Apparently, the developers decided we'd had enough of the 'Pokémon Daycare love shack' strategy because **breeding is out the window!** *Bloody hell*, who saw that coming?
So, if you're keen to push your 'mon to their absolute limit – whether for epic battles or just showing off their perfectly sculpted stats – you'll be diving headfirst into the world of **Hyper Training** using those shiny **Bottle Caps**. It's the only game in town if you want to perfect those hidden numbers, so listen up.
Oh, and a quick tip for the savvy trainers out there: those hulking **Alpha Pokémon** you've been wrangling? They often come with three or four perfect IVs right out of the digital box. Might save you a bit of a headache, eh?
### How to Check IVs (Post-Credits Magic!)
First things first, how do you even *see* these mystical numbers? Well, you can't just wave your hand and reveal them from the get-go. Much like unlocking an ancient tome, you'll need to **reach the credits** of *Pokémon Legends: Z-A* before the 'IV Judge' feature magically appears. Once you've conquered the main story, pop into any Pokémon Center, and you'll get a little notification. After that, just open a Pokémon's summary page and flick the right stick (R-stick, for the technically minded) to reveal its stats. If it says 'Best!' next to a stat, you've hit the jackpot – that's a perfect IV of 31!
### Where to Find Bottle Caps (The Elusive Ingredients)
Right, now for the magical ingredients themselves: **Bottle Caps**. These little beauties are rarer than a perfectly ripe avocado, so you'll want to hoard them like a dragon guarding its treasure. They're your ticket to Hyper Training, and the reliable sources are a bit... spread out, to say the least.
You can reliably snag them from:
* **Mable's Requests**: Hit **level 36** with Mable, and she'll bless you with **10 regular Bottle Caps**. Push it further to **level 48**, and you'll score **3 Golden Bottle Caps**. Not a bad return for your efforts! * **Side Missions**: Keep an eye out for these! * Clear **Side Mission 96, 'Let Us Battle... Artistically,'** for a couple of standard Bottle Caps. * And if you fancy yourself a fashionista for Furfrou, clear **Side Mission 103, 'Facing the Furfrou League,'** for a sparkly **Golden Bottle Cap**. Just a heads-up, you'll need to work your way through the preceding Furfrou-based quests first: 'Becoming a Furfrou Trimmer' (47), 'Becoming a Pro Furfrou Trimmer' (62), and 'Becoming a Peerless Furfrou Trimmer' (87). It's a whole saga, apparently. * **Infinite Royale**: You *might* also get lucky here, grabbing a Bottle Cap or Golden Bottle Cap as a random reward for clearing matches, but honestly, the odds are slimmer than my chances of ever understanding why people leave shopping trolleys in car parks. Don't rely on it, mate.
### Where to Hyper Train Pokémon (The Enchantment Chamber)
Once you've got your precious Bottle Caps, it's time to put them to good use. Head on over to the **Justice Dojo** – sounds like a place where digital justice is served, eh? Inside, you'll find an NPC who's basically your personal Hyper Training guru. But here's the catch: your Pokémon needs to be at least **level 50** before she'll even look at it. She's got standards, you see.
Chat her up, pick the Pokémon you want to supercharge, and decide which stats you want to boost. You can pick multiple stats if you've got the caps. Remember, most Pokémon don't need *all six* IVs maxed out at 31. A physical attacker doesn't need a maxed Special Attack, and vice-versa. Focus your efforts, save those precious caps! After the magic happens, when you check your 'mon's summary, it'll proudly declare 'Hyper trained!' next to its boosted stats.
### Wrapping Up the IV Grind
So there you have it, folks! The lowdown on perfecting your Pokémon's IVs in *Legends: Z-A*. It's a bit of a grind, requiring some dedication to quests and careful management of those elusive Bottle Caps, but it's a solid way to ensure your team is fighting fit. No breeding means we're all off exploring and battling, which, let's be honest, is what Pokémon is all about anyway. Happy training, and may your Bottle Cap hunts be fruitful!
*(Big thanks to Julia Lee over at Polygon for the original intel on this mystical process! You can check out her full guide at)*
Tags: Pokémon, Gaming Guides, RPG, Nintendo Switch, Hyper Training
Original article: Polygon