Have you ever noticed that your Pokemon seems a little bit stronger or weaker than another one of the same species? It could be due to the Pokemon’s Nature. Natures are an important aspect of battling because they alter a Pokemon’s six stats—HP, Attack, Sp. Attack, Defense, Sp. Defense, and Speed. In previous games, it was impossible to change a Pokemon’s Nature after it was caught. But a new mechanic has been introduced so that its Nature stat can be altered. Here’s how to change Nature in Pokemon Sword and Shield.
Each Nature is associated with a 10 percent increase in one stat and a 10 percent decrease in another. For example, a Pokemon could have a boosted Speed stat but a decreased Sp. Attack stat. If you want your Pokemon to have an edge on its opponent, it’s a good idea to use one with a Nature that is favorable for its species and moves.
How to Change Nature in Pokemon Sword and Shield
New items called Nature Mints allow you to change the Nature stat of any Pokemon. They can only be found in one place in the game: the Battle Tower in Wyndon.
This means that you won’t be able to get these items until after you’ve completed the main story. Once you have access to the Battle Tower, you can battle there to earn BP (Battle Points).
Talk to the lady farthest to the left behind the counter and you’ll be able to buy Nature Mints. Each mint costs 50 BP, so you’ll need to do quite a bit of battling in the Battle Tower before you can buy one.
After you buy a mint, go to your bag and use it on the Pokemon whose Nature stats you want to change.
Technically, when you use a Nature Mint on a Pokemon, the Nature itself doesn’t actually change; instead, only the stats change. So if you use an Adamant Mint on a Hasty Pokemon, the stats will change to reflect an Adamant Pokemon, but it will still say Hasty on its information screen and will be Hasty for breeding purposes.
Here are all of the Nature Mints and which stats they change:
| Adamant Mint | Increases Attack Decreases Sp. Attack |
| Bold Mint | Increases Defense Decreases Attack |
| Brave Mint | Increases Attack Decreases Speed |
| Calm Mint | Increases Sp. Defense Decreases Attack |
| Careful Mint | Increases Sp. Defense Decreases Sp. Attack |
| Gentle Mint | Increases Sp. Defense Decreases Defense |
| Hasty Mint | Increases Speed Decreases Defense |
| Impish Mint | Increases Defense Decreases Sp. Attack |
| Jolly Mint | Increases Speed Decreases Sp. Attack |
| Lax Mint | Increases Defense Decreases Sp. Def |
| Lonely Mint | Increases Attack Decreases Defense |
| Mild Mint | Increases Sp. Attack Decreases Defense |
| Modest Mint | Increases Sp. Attack Decreases Attack |
| Naive Mint | Increases Speed Decreases Sp. Defense |
| Naughty Mint | Increases Attack Decreases Sp. Defense |
| Quiet Mint | Increases Sp. Attack Decreases Speed |
| Rash Mint | Increases Sp. Attack Decreases Sp. Defense |
| Relaxed Mint | Increases Defense Decreases Speed |
| Sassy Mint | Increases Sp. Defense Decreases Speed |
| Serious Mint | Neutral (No stat is increased/decreased) |
| Timid Mint | Increases Speed Decreases Attack |
Those are all the details you need to know about how to change Nature in Pokemon Sword and Shield.
For more tips, tricks, and guides, visit our Sword and Shield guide wiki, or check out one of the guides below:
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