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Every Pokemon that players catch inPokemonhave their own set of Individual Values, or IVs for short. They’re broken up into Attack, Defense, Speed, and Special Attack, Special Defense, and HP. Individual Values are influenced by a Pokemon’s Nature, base stats, and Effort Values (EVs). Fortunately forPokemon GO, the IVs system and their calculations are not as complicated as they are in the mainline games.
The Individual Values inPokemon GOare HP, Attack, and Defense. Unlike otherPokemongames, there isn’t a Nature system or EVs inPokemon GOto determine a Pokemon’s IVs. An IV’s range is also brought from a maximum of 31 to 15. By viewing a Pokemon’s IVs with the Appraisal option, players will be able to pick and choose which Pokemon are worth keeping and which should be Transferred.
Updated on July 25, 2025 by Renri Seong:Individual Values (IVs) are key when battling inPokemon GO. You can check a Pokemon’s IVs via Appraisals, which gives you a detailed chart of each IV: Attack, Defense, and HP. Appraisals are split into four categories (i.e, 0-star, 1-star, 2-star, 3-star, 4-star), which are determined by the Pokemon’s IV spread. If you’re someone who prefers casual gameplay, then IVs may not be as important to you as someone who likes to partake in the GO Battle League. However, a Pokemon with a solid Appraisal and IV spread is likely to withstand some of the Team GO Rocket Leaders, making them ideal for the Taken Over Special Research Tasks. The following guide has been updated to include information on how you can “change” IVs inPokemon GO.
Appraising Pokemon
How to Check IVs
Once a Pokemon is caught, you may check IVs by tapping theicon in the bottom-right corner. Select Appraise, and the Team Leader will evaluate the Pokemon’s IVs. The first IV listed is Attack, followed by Defense, then HP. Each IV has its own “three bar scale.” This determines the “rating” of a Pokemon on a 3-star scale.
Pokemon with only half a bar and one bar filled in two out of three of their stats arelikely to have zero stars. A Pokemon with two of their stats in the third bar with their last stat at two full bars is likely a 3-star Pokemon. If a Pokemon’s IVs are maxed, the orange bar becomes red. A Pokemon with perfect IVs is classified as a 4-star Pokemon.
Players can also search Pokemon based on their stats by using filters:
Pokemon inGOare unable to dodge, which means Pokemon are reliant on their HP and Defense IVs. A Pokemon needs decent HP and Defense if they’re to withstand their opponent’s attacks. Other factors that determine a Pokemon’s performance in battle are their Attack IV and their Fast Move. Thus, it’s advised to avoid taking Pokemon with low IVs into battleregardlessof their CP.
It’s important to know that a Pokemon with a high Combat Power (CP) does not mean they have perfect IVs. Some Pokemon can have IVs as low as 247 and have 3-star IVs, while a Pokemon with 1373 CP may have poor IVs. Despite this, whenbattling Team GO Rocket or partaking in Raids, it’s vital to factor in CP and IVs to increase the chances of winning.
How to Increase or Change IVs
Purifying and Trading
Unfortunately, there isn’t a way to increase or change a Pokemon’s IVs once its caught. You can’t feed Pokemon vitamins or berries to increase/decrease its IVs as you would in mainlinePokemongames. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. One of two ways to increase IVs inGOis purifying Shadow Pokemon.
The IVs of a Shadow Pokemon can be viewed the same way as any other Pokemon. Some trainers won’t purify because of “Shadow Bonus”, an amplifier placed on a Shadow Pokemon’s Fast and Charged Attacks. However, purifying the Shadow Pokemon will give it a boost in CP and cost less Candy to evolve. In addition to this, a Purified Pokemon receives 2 points foralltheir IVs. This means it’s possible for a Pokemon to go from 3 to 4 stars, 2 to 3 stars, etc. A Pokemon with 13 points (most of the third bar of an IV filled) will achieve themaximum IV points if it’s purified.
The other way to change a Pokemon’s IVs is to trade with another player. Doing so will randomize the order of the IVs and there’s no guarantee of getting a Pokemon with max IVs through trade. However, there isLucky Trade, which sometimes occurs when you’re at max friendship level with another player. In case of Lucky Trades, your Pokemon and the one you give away will always be at 3-stars as well as have a special background to indicate their Lucky status.
It doesn’t matter if you and another player trade Pokemon with 3-star IVs. You might receive a Pokemon with 2-star IVs even if it was originally a 3-star. This is an unfortunate “gamble” when trading Pokemon. It can be frustrating if you’re both trying to evolve Pokemon via trade.
Keep in mind that you cannot receive Pokemon you’ve traded away.Once it’s been removed from your account, it’s gone for good.
How Are IVs Calculated if Pokemon Are Transferred?
How Pokemon HOME Changes IVs
Thanks toPokemon HOMEcompatibility, you can receive Pokemon from console games (ex:Pokemon Scarlet/Violet,Pokemon Legends: Arceus, etc). You can also move Pokemon fromGOtoLet’s Go, Pikachu!/Eevee!. When you useHOMEto move/receive Pokemon forGO, its IVs are recalculated. This in part to mainlinePokemonIVs and EVs being very different fromGO’s IVs.
