Pokemon GO: A Complete Guide To IVs and Appraisals (2024)

This article is part of a directory: Pokemon GO: Full Game Guide | Tips, Tricks, and Events

Every Pokemon that players catch in Pokemon have 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 for Pokemon GO, the IVs system and their calculations are not as complicated as they are in the mainline games.

The Individual Values in Pokemon GO are HP, Attack, and Defense. Unlike other Pokemon games, there isn't a Nature system or EVs in Pokemon GO to 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.

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Appraising Pokemon

Once a Pokemon is caught, players can check its IVs but tapping the icon 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 their 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 are likely 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:

1. On the overworld map, select the Poke Ball icon, then Pokemon.
2. Tap the search bar, and select "See More."
3. Scroll down, and there will be a category called Appraisal with five different search options (0 stars to Perfect). Players can also find Pokemon by ranking by typing in a number (0-4) followed by the asterisk (*).

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, when battling Team GO Rocket or partaking in Raids, it's vital to factor in CP and IVs to increase the chances of winning.

Pokemon in GO are 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 battle regardless of their CP.

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How to Increase or Change IVs

Unfortunately, there isn't a way to increase or change a Pokemon's IVs once it's been caught. There are a few exceptions to this, such as Trading, in which IVs will go under a slight change once traded over. The main method of increasing IVs is exclusive to Shadow Pokemon through a process called Purification.

Shadow Pokemon originated in Pokemon Colosseum, and it was the main character's goal to snag them from unwitting trainers or Cipher. Shadow Pokemon didn't level, but instead accumulated experience that would be applied once they were Purified in Agate Village. Purifying involved "opening the door to a Pokemon's heart", which could be done through various means, such as battling. In Pokemon GO, the Purification process is much more simplified. Players will need a set amount of Stardust and Pokemon Candy to Purify their Shadow Pokemon.

The IVs of a Shadow Pokemon can be viewed the same way as any other Pokemon. Some players prefer to keep their Shadow Pokemon, since their hit harder in battle, getting Shadow Bonus to their Fast and Charged Moves. However, purifying the Shadow Pokemon will give it a boost in CP and cost less to Power Up. In addition to this, a Purified Pokemon receives 2 points to all their IVs. This means it's possible for a Pokemon to go from 2 to 3 stars, etc. A Pokemon with 13 points (most of the third bar of an IV filled) will achieve the maximum IV points if it's Purified.

The last way of getting Pokemon with different IVs is to trade with other players. The IV values will be random, but they can be influenced by a Friend's Level. For example, a Good Friend will have a minimum IV of 1, while a Trade with a Best Friend will have a minimum of 6. During Lucky Trades, the minimum IV can be as high as 12.

Pokemon that are transferred from GO to Let's Go, Pikachu!/Eevee! or Pokemon HOMe will have their IVs recalculated.​​​​​​

• The IVs for HP, Attack, and Special Attack are determined by multiplying the Pokemon's Attack IV in Pokemon GO, then adding one point.
• For Defense and Special, GO's Defense IV is multiplied by two, added by one, instead.
• Since Speed isn't an IV in GO, the IV will be randomized once the Pokemon is moved to HOME/Let's Go, Pikachu!/Eevee!.

Pokemon GO is available for mobile devices.

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