Want to get your Pokémon into competitive shape in Pokémon Sword & Shield? To increase your IVs to maximum, you can trade in Gold Bottle Caps — extremely rare items that were previously only possible to collect through the Battle Tower in Wyndon. If you were really lucky, you might get one through the Digging Duo, but that was insanely rare.
There’s an easier way to maximize all your IVs in the Isle of Armor DLC. You just need access to the Cram-O-Matic machine! There are a few specific recipes that always give you the same items, and one of them will score you a rare Gold Bottle Cap — you just need three regular Bottle Caps to craft it. That way, way easier. I’ll explain everything below.
More Pokémon Sword & Shield: Isle of Armor guides:
All New, Returning & Legendary Pokémon | Isle of Armor Pokedex | How To Access The Isle of Armor | How To Use The Cram-O-Matic | Recipes List | How To Make Max Soup | Gigantamax Enhancement Guide | How To Complete All Three Master Dojo Trials | Walkthrough | How To Earn & Evolve Kubfu | Legendary Irshifu Guide | How To Evolve Galar Slowpoke Into Slowbro | Evolution Guide
How To Get Gold Bottle Caps Easier | Cram-O-Matic Recipe Guide
One of the most useful items you can craft from the new Cram-O-Matic in the Master Dojo on the Isle of Armor are Gold Bottle Caps. These special items allow you to upgrade all of a single Pokémon’s IVs to maximum, letting you skip a whole lot of annoying grinding. Before the DLC, you could get three Gold Bottle Caps total from the Battle Tower in Wyndon, or you could very rarely acquire one from the Digging Duo in the Wild Area.
Now you can earn limitless Gold Bottle Caps. Once you’ve reached the Master Dojo, talk to the kid down the hall to the right — pay him a few Watts to unlock the Cram-O-Matic and you can begin crafting.
- How To Craft Gold Bottle Caps:
- Gold Bottle Cap = Bottle Cap + Any Item + Bottle Cap + Bottle Cap
It costs x3 Bottle Caps and literally any other item you can spare. This is a net positive, because a Gold Bottle Cap upgrades all your IVs — with three Bottle Caps, you’ll only be able to max three IVs total. Basically, there’s no reason not to get Gold Bottle Caps now that we have the Cram-O-Matic.
You can get Bottle Caps a variety of ways. You’ll earn them much more frequently from the Battle Tower, and you can get them as a reward from Max Raids. This is also a more common reward from the Digging Duo — and you can even find one that spawns in the Potbottom Desert on the Isle of Armor.
This makes maxing your IVs so much easier it’s absurd. Knowing this recipe basically changes your life, and there’s another incredibly useful recipe that everyone needs to know — one that lets you create Ability Capsules. These items allow you to swap Hidden Abilities for a Pokémon with two.
- How To Craft Ability Capsules:
- Ability Capsule = Rare Candy + Any Item + Rare Candy + Rare Candy
When it comes to making your perfect Pokémon, these are the items you’re going to need the most. And thanks to the Cram-O-Matic, you can get them through more means than just trading or blind luck.
