EV training in Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield can be a tedious task, especially since Horde Battling is no longer a mechanic. Thankfully, there is an exploit that makes EV training less of a pain in these games. The method involves Poke Jobs and fast-forwarding time to instantly EV train Pokemon.
Disclaimer: Use at your own risk. This can be patched in a future game update.
How To EV Train Fast in Pokemon Sword and Shield (Exploit)
Step 1: Put The Pokemon in Poke Jobs
Visit any Pokemon Center and use the Rotom PC. Select Poke Jobs from the list of options, scroll down to the list of seminars, pick one and choose the Pokemon you want to send to EV train via Poke Jobs.
The table below details how long Pokemon must be sent on a job to obtain EVs.
| Length | Hours | EVs | EVs: Power Item | EVs: Pokerus | EVs: Power Item & Pokerus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Just a little | 1 hour | 4 | 12 | 8 | 24 |
| Very short | 2 hours | 8 | 24 | 16 | 48 |
| Short | 3 hours | 12 | 36 | 24 | 72 |
| Long | 4 hours | 16 | 48 | 32 | 96 |
| Very Long | 8 hours | 32 | 96 | 64 | 192 |
| Half Day | 12 hours | 48 | 144 | 96 | 252 |
| Whole Day | 24 hours | 96 | 252 | 192 | 252 |
Power items can be purchased from a woman on the right-hand side of Hammerlocke’s Pokemon Center for 10 BP each. Pokerus is a rare virus and can be obtained from a trade. If you need a Pokemon infected with Pokerus, sign up at the Ninten Pedia forum and send a message to Marc.
Step 2: Go To The Wild Area
Exit the Pokemon Center and use a flying taxi to travel to the Wild Area (Town Map -> Click a location in the Wild Area). Find the closest Den and use a wishing piece to activate it (alternatively, you can travel until you find one but it’s faster/easier to use a wishing piece at the nearest one). The game will ask you to save your progress. After, interact with the Den and select ‘Invite Others’.
Press the home button on your controller to suspend the game and go to ‘System Settings’. Scroll down to ‘System’ and find ‘Date and Time’. Set ‘Synchronize Clock via Internet’ to OFF, if not done already, and a ‘Date and Time’ option should appear. Click it and set it to a day in the future.
Resume the game and there is a chance you will notice a weather change in the Wild Area. Cancel the Max Raid Den screen by pressing the quit option before the timer runs out and click on the Den again. If you get 2,000 W and a new Max Raid Pokemon, it’s working.
Step 3: Go Back To The Pokemon Center
Open the town map and use the flying taxi to travel back to a Pokemon Center. Enter the building and use the Rotom PC again. Check Poke Jobs and the pending jobs should be marked as completed. Select them to get your Pokemon back with the EVs they earned according to the table above.
Revert any settings you changed and save your game. Continue following the steps from this guide whenever you need to quickly EV train Pokemon in the game.
