Pokémon Sword and Shield has 25 natures. Twenty raise one stat and lower another; the remaining five are neutral. Use the full chart below to find each nature’s stat effects, then choose a pairing that fits your Pokémon’s role and moves. Mints can change the stat-growth effect, but they do not change the Pokémon’s nature label.
All 25 Pokémon natures and stat effects
The table lists natures alphabetically. “Increased” and “decreased” describe the stats the nature makes more or less likely to grow. For a neutral nature, the same stat appears in both columns, so there is no trade-off between two different stats.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
Pokémon Sword - Nintendo Switch | $54.98 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
|
Pokemon Shield - Nintendo Switch (European Version) | $52.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
![Nintendo Pokémon Sword Expansion Pass or Pokémon Shield Expansion Pass (Retail Version) - [Switch Digital Code]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51l34qxMYhL._SL160_.jpg)
|
Nintendo Pokémon Sword Expansion Pass or Pokémon Shield Expansion Pass (Retail Version) - [Switch... | $29.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| Nature | Stat increased | Stat decreased |
|---|---|---|
| Adamant | Attack | Sp. Atk |
| Bashful | Sp. Atk | Sp. Atk (neutral) |
| Bold | Defense | Attack |
| Brave | Attack | Speed |
| Calm | Sp. Def | Attack |
| Careful | Sp. Def | Sp. Atk |
| Docile | Defense | Defense (neutral) |
| Gentle | Sp. Def | Defense |
| Hardy | Attack | Attack (neutral) |
| Hasty | Speed | Defense |
| Impish | Defense | Sp. Atk |
| Jolly | Speed | Sp. Atk |
| Lax | Defense | Sp. Def |
| Lonely | Attack | Defense |
| Mild | Sp. Atk | Defense |
| Modest | Sp. Atk | Attack |
| Naive | Speed | Sp. Def |
| Naughty | Attack | Sp. Def |
| Quiet | Sp. Atk | Speed |
| Quirky | Sp. Def | Sp. Def (neutral) |
| Rash | Sp. Atk | Sp. Def |
| Relaxed | Defense | Speed |
| Sassy | Sp. Def | Speed |
| Serious | Speed | Speed (neutral) |
| Timid | Speed | Attack |
The neutral natures are Hardy, Docile, Bashful, Quirky, and Serious: each raises and lowers the same stat. The complete pairings are also listed in Pokémon Database’s nature table.
What Mints change in Sword and Shield
A Mint changes which stats grow more readily to match the Mint’s effect, but the Pokémon’s underlying nature does not change. The nature shown for the Pokémon remains its original nature; a Mint does not rewrite that label. The Pokémon Company explains this distinction in its Sword and Shield guide. For game-specific Mint details, see Serebii’s Sword and Shield Mint reference.
The Tool Desk
Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →#1 Best Overall
- Catch, battle, and trade Pokémon on an all-new adventure in the Galar region
- Choose from three new partner Pokémon and encounter never-before-seen Pokémon
- Unravel the mystery behind the Legendary Pokémon Zacian and Zamazenta!
- Team up with other Trainers to participate in Max Raid Battles***!
- Battle wild Dynamax Pokémon in Max Raid Battles and try catching them***
How to choose a nature
Choose by comparing the stat a nature raises with the one it lowers, then consider how the Pokémon is meant to contribute and which moves it uses. There is no universally best nature for every Pokémon or every build.
- Special attacker: A nature that raises Sp. Atk and lowers Attack, such as Modest, can suit a build whose moves do not rely on Attack.
- Fast attacker: A nature that raises Speed can fit a role where moving sooner matters; check whether the lowered stat is one the build can spare.
- Neutral option: A neutral nature avoids a trade between different stats, which may be useful when you do not want that particular increase-and-decrease pairing.
These are role-based examples, not species-wide prescriptions. Check the Pokémon’s moves and intended job before choosing a pairing from the chart.
Quick Recap
Rank #3
- Continue your Pokémon Sword or Pokémon Shield adventure in The Isle of Armor and The Crown Tundra, two new areas to explore that will be added to the Galar region as part of the Pokémon Shield Expansion Pass or Pokémon Sword Expansion Pass
- Redeem your download code in the Nintendo eShop for either the Pokémon Sword Expansion Pass or the Pokémon Shield Expansion Pass. Upon redeeming the code, you will be prompted to select one Expansion Pass. Only redeemable for one Expansion Pass.
- You'll also see some familiar Pokémon that didn't appear in the Galar region before, a total of over 200 Pokémon
- Part 1: The Isle of Armor is available now; Part 2: The Crown Tundra is scheduled for release during the fall of 2020
- If you purchase the Pokémon Sword Expansion Pass or the Pokémon Shield Expansion Pass, you'll receive two codes redeemable to get two special uniform sets of in-game apparel as a bonus
Rank #2
- New entries in the main series of Pokémon RPGs arrive on Nintendo Switch simultaneously in late 2019
- The Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield games take place in the newly discovered Galar Region
- Galar is an expansive region with diverse environments - an idyllic countryside, contemporary cities, thick forest and craggy, snow-covered mountains
- Fans will have the opportunity to visit Gyms in the Galar region in their quest to become Champion
- Newly discovered partner Pokémon join in this new iteration of the games - Grookey, Scorbunny and Sobble
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
