Pokémon Scarlet and Violet have a lot of weird, seemingly random items. From sandwich ingredients to EXP Candy, there’s all kinds of stuff around that offer various levels of impact through the adventure. Bottle Caps are one such item, which also have a variant in Gold Bottle Caps. What do these do, exactly? Well, it’s complicated. Obviously the golden ones are stronger, but stronger in what way? Here’s everything you need to know.
What Gold Bottle Caps Do in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet
The Pokémon series has a long history of “hidden” stat values that can significantly alter your Pokémon’s final power levels. That visibility has increased over the years in different ways, and Pokémon Scarlet and Violet have their own rendition. One of those values is known as IVs, which are random modifiers assigned to each stat. Each IV can have a value up to 31, which more or less governs the ceiling of each individual stat. Normally IVs are totally random, but through a feature called “Hyper Training,” players can nullify that RNG aspect.
Hyper Training is something we’ve explained in other guides, but the long and short of it is that you can max out IV levels for Pokémon in each of their stats… for a price. In this case, you need Bottle Caps. If you give the Hyper Training guy a Bottle Cap, he’ll shoot a chosen IV all the way up to 31, the maximum possible. It’s not easy to get these items though, so it can take a while to pump up a full team.
Related: How to Catch Iron Valiant in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
Gold Bottle Caps, in theory, make that a little easier. If you happen to come across one of these rare items, Hyper Training will max out a Pokémon’s entire suite of IV values. That’s pretty wild if you have any existing knowledge of the Pokémon metagame. Grinding IVs was one of the most ridiculous aspects of the series to date, and Hyper Training seems to all but nullify it. If you’re willing to chase the Bottle Caps, of course.
