EV Training takes a whole lot of time in Pokémon Sword & Shield. If you’re looking for a faster way to level up those EVs without wasting money on Vitamins. In one 12-hour Poke Job session, you can max-out a single stat — all you need is the proper Power Held Item, and the Pokerus virus. That’s a lot to wrap your head around, so let’s break things down for newbies.
EVs (Effort Values) are bonuses you earn for fighting Pokémon and leveling up. Each of the six stats (Attack, Sp. Attack, Defense, Sp. Defense, HP and Speed) increase slightly depending on the Pokémon you fight, and when you level up. Normally, there are two ways to increase your EVs — grinding Pokémon battles, or using Vitamins.
You can only have a grand total of 510 EVs — and individual stats can only have a maximum of 252 EVs. You can lower EVs in a specific stat using Berries. Why lower your EVs? So you can reallocate those EVs by earning more in a different stat once you hit the 510 maximum!
There’s a whole lot more to talk about when it comes to EVs, but let’s skip to the good stuff. Here’s the fastest way to increase your EVs.
More Pokémon Sword & Shield guides:
How To Evolve All The New Galar Region Pokémon | Evolution Guide | What’s Exclusive To Each Version? | How To Catch Shiny Pokémon | Pick This Starter Pokémon For An Early Advantage | How To Easily Evolve Farfetch’d Into Sirfetch’d | Brilliant Aura System | How To Catch Improved Pokemon | Combo & Ultimate Moves | Move Tutor Locations | How To Catch Pokemon Easier | False Swipe & Hypnosis Guide | Easter Eggs, Secrets & References Guide
The Fastest Way To Earn EVs | Poke Jobs & Pokerus
By sending Pokémon on Poke Jobs, they can earn a crazy amount of EVs (Effort Values) with special Power Items and the Pokerus Virus. If a Pokémon has both, you’ll earn x6 the normal amount of EVs when they return from a Poke Job.
How To Farm Fast EVs: The process is extremely simple. Equip a Pokémon with a Power Held Item, infect them with the Pokerus Virus, send them on a long Poke Job, and they’ll return with a crazy amount of EVs. Go for Poke Jobs that specifically train certain stats. The description will let you know!
- Example:
- A normal Pokémon sent on an 8-Hour Poke Job will return with +32 EVs.
- A Pokémon with Pokerus & a Power Held Item will return with +192 Evs.
NOTE: You can check your EVs by going to the Pokémon Summary page, and press [X] on the stat screen.
Getting Power items is easy. Getting the Pokerus Virus? That’s a lot harder. Let’s talk about both.
How To Get Power Items: Power Items are special Held Items you can get in Hammerlocke. They’re available in the southern Pokémon Center, and can be purchased from the BP Vendor — they cost 10 BP each.
You’ll earn BP in the Battle Tower, a feature that unlocks after beating the game. Complete lots of battles, and you’ll be able to get any of the Power Items. There’s one for each stat.
What Is Pokerus?: Pokerus is a special contagious virus that causes Pokémon to gain EVs faster. You’ll randomly contract Pokerus, and it spreads to adjacent Pokémon in your team.
Pokerus can be cured by visiting the Pokecenter, and once a Pokémon has been cured of Pokerus it can never contract it again. To avoid that, immediately place any infected Pokémon in your Box — that way, you can easily spread the virus later.
Just swap an infected Pokémon into your party between two other Pokémon and bike around until it spreads. Using healing items will not cure Pokerus, so just avoid the Pokecenter! Pokerus only lasts 1-to-4 days, so it’s important that you spread the effect or you might lose it forever.
How To Get Pokerus: Pokerus is an extremely rare drop — more rare than Shiny Pokémon. You can contract Pokerus only by encountering a Wild Pokémon with Pokerus, or by trading. 1-in-20,000 Wild Pokémon will have the Pokerus Virus, so it’s all based on luck. Fighting or capturing a Wild Pokémon with Pokerus is enough to contract the virus.
If you’re looking to trade Pokerus, you can always use sites like r/PokemonTrades to look for Pokerus drops. Make sure you’ve got something worthwhile to trade! The virus is one of the most valuable secrets for hardcore Pokefans.
