Hyper Training has returned in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, and it’s a valuable tool for serious players. But significant changes to how it works make it a more viable option for players of all sorts.
Though Pokemon has been around for more than 25 years now, it still has many little hidden mechanics that elude even the most experienced players, even in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet. Among those are how a Pokemon’s stats actually work. While it might seem straightforward to just look at the radar chart on a Pokemon’s status page to find out its HP stat, there’s actually a lot that goes into that number.
Hyper Training can help influence those hidden mechanics that go into a Pokemon’s stats. Because of that, it’s important to know what Hyper Training is in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, how it works, and how to actually do it.
How does Hyper Training Work in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet?
Hyper Training is used to effectively increase a Pokemon’s inherited values, called IVs. This effectively raises the stats of a Pokemon in a way that can’t otherwise be emulated.
This boils down to the hidden factors that decide a Pokemon’s stats. A Pokemon’s stat can be effectively broken down into three parts; base stats, inherited values, and effort values. Base stats are standard across all Pokemon of the same species and are the reason why all Pikachu are generally fast. Inherited values vary between Pokemon and are why two Mudsdale can have wildly different stats at the same level despite being freshly caught in the wild. Effort values, or EVs, are stats that Pokemon accrue by being in a trainer’s party during battle.
Though players can change a Pokemon’s EVs, for a long while, there was no way to change a Pokemon’s IVs. That changed with the introduction of Hyper Training in Pokemon Sun and Moon. Hyper Training maxes out a Pokemon’s IVs, which raises its stats.
The stats gained from Hyper Training are effectively the same as having the maximum possible IVs, with the only caveat being that the Pokemon’s original IVs will still be passed down to its children when breeding.
How to Get Hyper Training
A Pokemon can be Hyper Trained by visiting an NPC in Montenevera, home of the gym leader Ryme. Travel to the Pokemon Center in the city and go behind it to find a small yard that has a man standing near an Abomasnow.
This person can offer Hyper Training to Pokemon who are level 50 or above. Trainers can trade in a Bottle Cap to raise one stat or a Gold Bottle Cap to raise all six at once. Alongside Hyper Training, players can also use mints to give their Pokemon a potentially big stat boost.
Pokemon Scarlet & Violet are available now on Nintendo Switch.