How to Make Perfect Pokemon in Pokemon Legends Z-A (EVs…

As players work through Pokemon Legends: Z-A, their Pokemon will become more powerful by leveling up, gaining stats, and earning new moves. There are a variety of ways to further improve a Pokemon, though, and players who want to perfect their companions will need to spend some time on their natures, EVs, IVs, and more. This guide is here to elaborate upon that statement, and it will help players make perfect Pokemon in Pokemon Legends: Z-A.

While this guide covers exactly how to give a Pokemon perfect stats, players will need to determine the specific stats that they want to assign to a particular Pokemon for themselves. Indeed, while it may be best to give one Pokemon maximum HP and Sp. Atk, another might benefit from having max Attack and Speed. If a player needs some help deciding on the best stats for their Pokemon, they may want to check resources like Smogen University and Reddit.

Change Nature in Pokemon Legends Z-A

The first step towards making the perfect Pokemon is giving it a desirable nature. For the uninitiated, almost all natures increase one of the Pokemon's stats while decreasing another, and players can change a Pokemon's nature by feeding it the associated Mint. There are a total of 21 Mints in Pokemon Legends Z-A, and they can be purchased for 20,000 Poke Coins from flower vendors at the locations marked on the preceding map. Players who are trying to decide which Mints to purchase can find their effects listed in the following table:

Mint	Effect
Serious Mint	All stats grow at an equal rate.
Lonely Mint	↑Attack, ↓Defense
Adamant Mint	↑Attack, ↓Sp. Atk
Naughty Mint	↑Attack, ↓Sp. Def
Brave Mint	↑Attack, ↓Speed
Bold Mint	↑Defense, ↓Attack
Impish Mint	↑Defense, ↓Sp. Atk
Lax Mint	↑Defense, ↓Sp. Def
Relaxed Mint	↑Defense, ↓Speed
Modest Mint	↑Sp. Atk, ↓Attack
Mild Mint	↑Sp. Atk, ↓Defense
Rash Mint	↑Sp. Atk, ↓Sp. Def
Quiet Mint	↑Sp. Atk, ↓Speed
Calm Mint	↑Sp. Def, ↓Attack
Gentle Mint	↑Sp. Def, ↓Defense
Careful Mint	↑Sp. Def, ↓Sp. Atk
Sassy Mint	↑Sp. Def, ↓Speed
Timid Mint	↑Speed, ↓Attack
Hasty Mint	↑Speed, ↓Defense
Jolly Mint	↑Speed, ↓Sp. Atk
Naive Mint	↑Speed, ↓Sp. Def

The nature that is noted in a Pokemon's Trainer Notes will not be updated after giving it a Mint. However, players will see the effects of the Mint indicated by a red up-arrow and a blue down-arrow next to the Pokemon's stats.

EV Training in Pokemon Legends Z-A

After setting a good nature, players can turn their attention to their Pokemon's EVs (Effort Values). To quickly summarize this concept, EVs are points that Pokemon naturally accumulate when doing battle, and those points ultimately translate into stats. Each Pokemon can make use of 508 points total, and 252 points will max out a stat. This means that Pokemon Legends: Z-A players who make a concerted effort to address a Pokemon's EVs can max out two of its stats, and put the four remaining points towards a third stat, and here is how to approach that endeavor:

Reset EVs

If a player has been using a Pokemon without consideration for their EVs, that Pokemon's EVs will be all over the place. Fortunately, there are two ways to reset a Pokemon's EVs:

Berries: There are six Berries in Pokemon Legends: Z-A that can be used to reduce the EVs assigned to a particular stat. Those Berries are Kelpsy (Attack), Pomeg (HP), Qualot (Defense), Hondew (Sp. Atk), Grepa (Sp. Def), and Tamato (Speed), and a single Berry will remove 10 points when used.
Rust Syndicate Office: After completing Main Mission 24 in Pokemon Legends: Z-A, players can enter the Rust Syndicate Office. The NPC at the front desk in this building can reset all of a Pokemon's EVs for just five Mega Shards.

Increase Desired EVs

Once a Pokemon's EVs are reset, players can focus on putting the 508 points into the specific stats that they are interested in. As previously mentioned, this often means putting 252 points into two different stats, in order to max them both out, and the remaining four points into a third stat. There are two ways to perform this point allocation:

EV Items: The fastest way to increase a Pokemon's EVs is to feed it items that apply points directly to the stats that are of interest. Indeed, there are consumable items associated with each stat, and using one will put 10 points towards the stat. These items can be purchased from Poke Centers for 5,000 Poke Coins each, and they are as follows:

Item	Effect
HP Up	+10 HP Points
Protein	+10 Attack Points
Iron	+10 Defense Points
Calcium	+10 Sp. Atk Points
Zinc	+10 Sp. Def Points
Carbos	+10 Speed Points

If a player wants to take an EV from zero to max, they can use 26 of the associated EV item to get 260 points (252 of which will be applied). That said, players will also earn a variety of Feathers during their time with the game, which apply one point to the associated stat when used. As such, players can hit the 252 point maximum exactly by using 25 of a particular EV Items and two of the relevant Feathers.

Battling: If a player is short on Poke Coins, they can also earn all their EVs in battle. However, players who plan to gain their EVs in this fashion should make sure to target Pokemon that apply points towards the stats that they are interested in increasing. Indeed, each Pokemon yields a certain type of EV when defeated, and here are some good locations for grinding each stat:

Desired EV	Where to Grind
HP	Wild Zone 19 ( Audino, Clefairy, Kangaskhan)
Attack	Wild Zone 13 ( Heracross, Phantump, Pinsir, Scyther, Weepinbell)
Defense	Wild Zone 15 ( Gourgeist, Pumpkaboo, Whirlipede)
Sp. Atk	Wild Zone 6 ( Flaaffy, Houndoom, Houndour)
Sp. Def	Wild Zone 3 ( Flabebe)
Speed	Wild Zone 1 ( Bunnelby, Fletchling, Pichu, Pidgey, Weedle)

Before going out to farm EVs through battle, players should make sure to equip the associated power item to the Pokemon. These items will cause the Pokemon to gain eight additional points per battle, and they can all be purchased from the woman at the front desk in Quasartico Inc. After beating Pokemon Legends: Z-A. Players can also earn these items from the following Side Missions:

Power Item	Effect	Side Mission
Power Weight	+HP Stat	Side Mission 72: Find My Galarian Stunfisk!
Power Bracer	+Attack Stat	Side Mission 38: Chasing Status
Power Belt	+Defense Stat	Side Mission 39: Slowpoke for Slowpoke
Power Lens	+Sp. Atk Stat	Side Mission 104: Abuzz About Bug Types
Power Band	+Sp. Def Stat	Side Mission 99: Pleasing Aron's Palate
Power Anklet	+Speed Stat	Side Mission 69: A Sky Battle, for Old Times' Sake

Players can check a Pokemon's EVs by visiting its stats page and pressing down on the right joystick. There will be sparkles on a stat when it is maxed out.

IVs in Pokemon Legends Z-A

With EVs set, players can now perfect their Pokemon's IVs (Individual Values), stats that are generated when a Pokemon is created. To perfect these stats, players should head over to the Justice Dojo and interact with the NPC that is offering Hyper Training. This NPC will max one of a Pokemon's stats in exchange for one Bottle Cap, items that can be earned through the Infinite Z-A Royale after beating the game, or all six stats for a Gold Bottle Cap.

Players will earn some Bottle Caps while working through Mable's Research, though the Infinite Z-A Royale is the way to earn them after those caps have been used.

Plus Moves in Pokemon Legends Z-A

While players are visiting the Justice Dojo, they can speak with the other NPC to convert moves that are not Plus Moves into them. Each conversion requires one Seed of Mastery, and players can earn those items by defeating Alpha Pokemon.

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