How to get the best Temtem – SVs, TVs, and Traits

There are a few things you need to consider when building the best team of Temtem – Type, synergies, and Techniques for instance. While having the right combination of these things will give you a strong team, it won’t necessarily mean you have the best. There are three reasons for that: Single Values (SVs), Training Values (TVs), and Traits.

If you want to build a team of Temtem for endgame PvP battles, you need to be aware of all these mechanics. Understanding SVs, TVs, and Traits will also help you beat the single-player campaign. However, don’t get too caught up in trying to create the perfect Temtem and forget to have fun. It will be easier to focus on min-maxing your Temtem once you’ve traveled all over the Airborne Archipelago. With that in mind, let’s get stuck in.

Single Values and Training Values are additions to your Temtem’s base stats, and they are what make one Temtem better than another of the same level. It’s important that you are familiar with SVs before starting your Temtem collection. You don’t want to spend hours leveling your Temtem only to realize their SVs are bad and you need to catch better ones.

Before we jump into the technical stuff, let’s quickly run through what the various stats are:

• HP = Hit Points and is your Temtem’s health
• STA = Stamina which lets you use Techniques
• SPD = Speed which determines attack priority per turn
• ATK = Attack determines power for physical Techniques
• DEF = Defense against physical Techniques
• SPATK = Special Attack is attack power for special Techniques
• SPDEF = Special Defense determines defense against Special Attacks

How to get the best Single Value (SVs) Temtem stats

Average SVs vs. excellent SVs

The image above shows two sets of random SVs found on wild Temtem. The SVs on the left are what I would consider average. Only two of the stats (HP and DEF) are in the range that is considered high. And ATK and SPATK are both very low. The remaining SVs are all in the average range. I would not put any effort into training a Temtem with these SVs. Rather catch another Temtem of the same species. On that note, you can’t see SVs until you catch the Temtem, so it’s a bit of a lottery.

The set of SVs on the right of the image is what I would consider excellent. This is an amazing catch. While the ATK and SPDEF are both very low, four of the other SVs (HP, STA, SPD, and DEF) are all high – HP, SPD, and DEF are very high. You can happily use a Temtem with SVs like these throughout the game and into the endgame.

A Temtem with SVs like these is also an excellent candidate for breeding. A process where you can pair it with another Temtem with excellent stats to potentially create a Temtem stronger than both. Breeding is the way you will min-max your Temtem to have the best SVs possible. It’s how you get the best SVs possible in Temtem.

As mentioned in my guide on which starter Temtem is the best, the three starters come with set Single Values. And they aren’t particularly good. You can catch better versions of them in the wild and breed them into the best versions of themselves. So don’t get too attached to your Crystle, Smazee or Houchic.

How to get the best Training Value (TVs) Temtem stats

Your Temtem’s Single Value stats can never be changed. Training Values, on the other hand, are always increasing as you battle. Each Temtem can have their stats increased by 1,000 with TVs, but each individual stat can only be increased by a maximum of 500. That’s a considerable increase in power and another reason why you need to catch Temtem with the right SVs before you spend hours increasing their level and TVs.

The most important thing to know about TVs is that you can control how they increase. There are two ways you can do this: Defeating wild Temtem by knockout or capture and feeding your Temtem fruit items.

When you defeat a wild enemy in battle, all the Temtem that participated in the fight will receive an increase to their TVs. And defeating different Temtem will reward you with different stat increases. Let’s look at why TVs can become a serious rabbit hole you might not want to go down. Not at first anyway.

Let’s say you have a Temtem that has a Special Attack Technique you really like. You decide you want to focus on increasing that Temtem’s Special Attack. That means you can only use that Temtem in fights against enemies that reward an increase in Special Attack (if you want to perfectly min-max). That Temtem needs to avoid every other enemy you encounter in the wild. Not an ideal scenario.

If you’re going to increase TVs with this much discipline, you will probably need to spend most of your time battling with spare Temtem that you don’t intend to min-max. Starter Temtem are good for this because their SVs aren’t particularly good.

Here’s an example of a Temtem that has almost perfectly maxed out its defensive TVs.

If you don’t want to lose your mind

Alternatively, just pick a few stats you are happy to increase. Then, where possible, avoid using Temtem you want to take into the late game against enemies that don’t reward those stats. If you acquire a few Training Value stat increases you don’t want, you can always decrease them later with special fruit items.

Here’s a complete list of which Temtem reward what TVs.

Choosing the best Traits for your Temtem

Traits are passive abilities that all Temtem get. They are very important to consider when building your team of battle buddies because Traits can create synergies between Temtem that make them considerably more powerful. For example, Ganki has a Technique called Chain Lightning that hits three of the Temtem on the battlefield for lightning damage. That means it can hit both enemies, but it will also hit one of your Temtem.

Another Temtem, Nessla has a trait called Electric Synthesize which causes it to gain HP instead of losing it when attacked with Electric-type Techniques. Pairing Ganki with a Nessla that has this Trait will not just eliminate the weakness of Chain Lightning, it will turn it into a powerful advantage.

Ganki and Nessla can be a powerful team with the right Trait.

Each Temtem can only have one Trait, which is decided when you capture or breed them. But most Temtem species can have one of two Traits. And one Trait might suit your team composition, while the other doesn’t. So, when capturing a Temtem in the wild or hatching one from an egg, you need to be mindful of which Trait you want.

Acquiring a Temtem with an excellent set of SVs and the right Trait is going to be a challenge. Thankfully, when you breed a new Temtem, the Trait isn’t passed down to the child. Unless you want it to be, then you need to use a specific item. You can use breeding to create a Temtem that possesses excellent SVs, as well as the Trait you want. Here’s a list of all the Traits currently available in the game.

As always, don’t forget Temtem is still in development and things are likely to change while it’s in Early Access. If you’re unfamiliar with Temtem, you can get a broad overview of the game from our preview. Temtem is available for PC through Humble Bundle and Steam from January 21.