You can change a Pokémon's nature, but only in certain games and only through specific items or NPCs

A Pokémon's nature affects which stats grow faster as it levels up—for example, a nature might boost Attack but lower Special Attack. For years, nature was locked in when you caught or hatched a Pokémon. Starting with Pokémon Sword and Shield (2019), the games introduced ways to change it. The method depends on which game you own and how far you are in the story.

If your game has the feature, you will use either a held item called a Mint or visit an NPC who can alter nature directly. Mints are the most common modern method and work in most recent games. The older your game, the less likely you have any option at all.

Key Takeaways

  • Pokémon Sword and Shield, Scarlet and Violet, and Legends: Arceus all let you change nature using Mints or NPCs, but older games do not have this feature.
  • Mints are held items that change a Pokémon's stat growth to match a different nature without changing the nature itself in the summary screen.
  • In Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, you can visit a specific NPC in Medali who changes nature directly for a cost in League Points.
  • Mints and nature-changing services are usually unlocked only after you reach the postgame or complete certain story milestones.
  • Nature changes do not affect Pokémon already caught in older games like FireRed, Emerald, Diamond, or Black and White.

How Mints work and which games have them

A Mint is a held item that makes a Pokémon's stats grow as if it had a different nature, without actually changing the nature displayed in the summary. If you give a Pokémon a Jolly Mint, its Attack will grow faster and its Special Attack will grow slower, matching a Jolly nature's pattern—but the summary will still say its nature is whatever it was originally.

Mints are available in Pokémon Sword and Shield, Pokémon Legends: Arceus, and Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. In Sword and Shield, you unlock them in the postgame by visiting the Battle Tower. In Legends: Arceus, you can purchase them from Simona in Jubilife Village once you unlock the Ginkgo Guild shop. In Scarlet and Violet, you earn them through Tera Raid battles and by purchasing them with League Points from the Delibird Emporium.

Mints do not work retroactively on stat growth that already happened. If your Pokémon is level 50 and you give it a Mint, the stats it already gained will not change—only future level-ups will follow the new nature's pattern. This makes Mints most useful on Pokémon you plan to train further, not ones you have already maxed out.

Changing nature directly in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet offer a second method: an NPC who changes nature outright. Visit Medali, the city in the southern part of the map, and find the Pokémon Center. Inside, speak to the woman at the counter and select the option to change your Pokémon's nature. She will ask you which nature you want and charge you 20,000 League Points per change.

This method actually changes the nature shown in the summary, so the Pokémon's stat growth pattern shifts when ready—even for stats that were already trained. This is more powerful than a Mint if you have already invested in training, because it retroactively adjusts which stats are boosted. However, it costs League Points, which you earn by battling Tera Raid encounters and completing other postgame activities.

You can change nature as many times as you want, as long as you have the League Points. This makes experimenting with different natures much easier than in older games, where a wrong nature meant the Pokémon was permanently suboptimal.

Pokémon games that do not have nature-changing features

Games released before Sword and Shield do not have any way to change nature. This includes all games in the original Red and Blue line, Gold and Silver, Ruby and Sapphire, Diamond and Pearl, Black and White, X and Y, and Sun and Moon. If you caught a Pokémon with an unfavorable nature in any of these games, it stays that way forever.

The Pokémon Home app, which lets you move Pokémon between games, does not change nature either. A Pokémon transferred from an old game keeps its original nature in newer games. If you want to use an old Pokémon in Scarlet and Violet with a better nature, you would need to change it using the Medali NPC or a Mint after transferring it.

When nature matters and when it does not

Nature affects stat growth by 10 percent—one stat grows 10 percent faster, another grows 10 percent slower. For casual play, this difference is small enough that you will not notice it. A Pokémon with the "wrong" nature will still beat most opponents in the story.

Nature becomes important if you plan to battle competitively, use your Pokémon in high-level raids, or optimize for specific roles. A physical attacker like Machamp wants a nature that boosts Attack, while a special attacker like Alakazam wants one that boosts Special Attack. If you are just playing through the story, you can ignore nature entirely.

How to find or earn Mints in each game

Pokémon Sword and Shield: Mints are sold at the Battle Tower in the postgame. You earn Battle Points by battling in the tower, then trade them for Mints at the shop. Each Mint costs 50 Battle Points.

Pokémon Legends: Arceus: Purchase Mints from Simona in Jubilife Village once the Ginkgo Guild shop is unlocked. You need Merit Points, which you earn by completing Pokédex tasks and catching Pokémon.

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet: Earn Mints by winning Tera Raid battles—they drop as rewards from five-star and six-star raids. You can also buy them from the Delibird Emporium using League Points. The emporium restocks different Mints each day, so check back if you need a specific one.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do Mints change the nature shown in my Pokémon's summary?

No. A Mint changes how stats grow going forward, but the nature field in the summary stays the same. In Scarlet and Violet, the Medali NPC actually changes the nature itself, so it will show differently in the summary.

Can I change nature on a Pokémon I already trained to level 100?

Mints will not help—they only affect future level-ups. In Scarlet and Violet, the Medali NPC can change nature on a level 100 Pokémon, and the stat boost applies when ready. In other games with Mints, you would need to retrain the Pokémon from scratch to see the benefit.

What if I transfer a Pokémon from an old game to Sword and Shield?

Its nature comes with it unchanged. Once it arrives in Sword and Shield, you can use a Mint to change its stat growth pattern going forward. You cannot change the nature itself in Sword and Shield—only in Scarlet and Violet.

How many times can I change a Pokémon's nature?

As many times as you want, as long as you have the resources. In Scarlet and Violet, you need League Points each time. In games with Mints, you can swap Mints on and off freely—a Pokémon can only hold one Mint at a time, but you can remove it and give it a different one.