Natures

Learn about the 25 Natures in pokemon sword and shield, each boosting one stat by 10% and lowering another. Includes how to manipulate Natures.

There are 25 possible Natures in pokemon sword and shield. Each Nature provides a 10% boost to one specific stat and a 10% reduction to another. This stat modification is visually represented on your Pokémon's status screen: a red stat indicates a boost, and a blue stat indicates a reduction. If a Nature affects the same stat for both a boost and a reduction, no visual change will occur. Beyond stat alterations, a Pokémon's Nature also dictates its preferences for different curry flavors.

While you can complete the main story with any Nature, having a beneficial Nature becomes crucial for competitive play against other trainers and for tackling post-game challenges. The best approach to choosing a Nature is to first identify your Pokémon's strongest base stat and then select a Nature that amplifies it. For instance, a physical attacker would benefit from an Adamant Nature (boosting Attack), while a Speed-boosting Nature can be advantageous as faster Pokémon act first.

It is generally advised to avoid Natures that do not provide any stat boosts, such as Hardy. While seemingly offering no weaknesses, this lack of a strength can be detrimental in battles. If your Pokémon needs to utilize both Physical and Special attacks, consider a Nature that lowers a Defense stat instead.

Furthermore, do not choose a Nature solely to compensate for a stat weakness. The 10% multiplier from a Nature is more impactful when applied to an already high stat rather than a low one. If a Pokémon has a significant weakness, it's often better to work around it or choose a different Pokémon for the task.

Manipulating Natures:

• Synchronize Ability: Placing a Pokémon with the Synchronize Ability at the front of your party will ensure that wild Pokémon encountered have a 100% chance of possessing the same Nature as your lead Pokémon. This requires having a Pokémon with Synchronize and the desired Nature already. Note that this method does not apply to raids.
• Everstone: When breeding Pokémon, if one of the parent Pokémon holds an Everstone, it will pass down its Nature to its offspring with 100% certainty. If both parents hold an Everstone, the offspring's Nature will be a 50-50 chance between the two parents' Natures, so only one parent should hold the item.
• Mints: Introduced in pokemon sword and shield, Mints can be obtained in the Battle Tower after reaching the post-game. They can be earned by progressing through the ranks or purchased using Battle Points (BP). Mints alter the stat modifications resulting from a Pokémon's Nature, effectively overwriting the stat changes without changing the Nature itself. For example, Naughty Mints provide the same stat changes as a Naughty Nature.