Pokémon Sword and Shield: How to unlock the IV Checker

You can't put a value on your Pokémon. . . Well, maybe you can. Anyone who enjoys competitive play or anyone who simply wants to make sure they have strong Pokémon in their party will want to check their Pokémon's Individual Values (IV). This allows you to see how powerful your Pokémon's stats are via a rating. What's more, IVs are different from one Pokémon to the next.

Each of your Pokemon's stats has a range from 0 - 31. The higher the number, the more powerful your Pokémon is in that stat. However, you can only tell what your Pokémon's IV levels are once you've unlocked the IV Checker. Here's how to unlock the IV Checker in Pokémon Sword and Shield.

How to unlock the IV Checker

To unlock the IV Checker, you will first need to beat the main storyline. That means you'll need to have collected all eight gym badges and defeated the Champion, Leon. Then you'll have to come back to the Battle Tower and battle random NPCs until you face off against Leon. Beating him unlocks the Judge function in the Rotom PC. At this point, you'll be able to access the IV Checker by merely going into your Pokemon boxes.

While you're hovering over a Pokémon in your Box, press the + button, and you can see their IVs score next to their HP, Attack, Defense, Sp. Atk, Sp. Def, and Speed stats. Here's what those ratings mean:

• No Good: 0
• Decent: 1- 10
• Pretty Good: 11 - 20
• Very Good: 21 - 29
• Fantastic: 30
• Best: 31

You want Pokémon that mostly have Fantastic and Best IV scores. Note that anything marked "Best" cannot be improved any further. If your Pokémon's stats are weak, you might want to work on improving them with Mints.

Improving a Pokémon's IV stats

Something new to Pokémon Sword and Shield are Mints, which also unlock at the end of the game. You can purchase them for 50 BP, each from the Battle Tower in Wyndon. When used correctly, these can improve your Pokémon's stats and, therefore, their IVs. We're currently working on making a guide for using Mints. We'll update when this is ready.

Your Pokémon's Individual Values

Anyone who wants to battle competitively with friends or in Championships will want to make sure the Pokémon in their party have strong stats. However, you'll only be able to check the IVs of your Pokémon after you've defeated the game. Good luck on your quest, and may you find the most powerful Pokémon possible.