Nature was a mechanic added to the Pokemon series in generation 3. Whenever trainers caught Pokemon, each one would have a different Nature that would determine the growth rate of two of their stats: Attack, Defense, Special Attack, Special Defense, or Speed. Some Pokemon had Natures that increased their Special Attack growth while decreasing their Attack; another may have an increase/decrease in Speed/Attack. In Sword/Shield, special items known as Mints were added to allow trainers to change their Pokemon's Nature, thus changing their Stat Growth. Fortunately, the Mints have carried into the newly-released Pokemon Legends: Arceus.
Since Natures are randomized, it can be frustrating when a Pokemon that works better as a Special Attacker ends up with a Nature that decreases its Special Attack growth by 10%. Mints can change Natures and thus change the Pokemon's stats depending on which Mint is used. Mints do not become available until a bit later into Pokemon Legends: Arceus' story. There are a series of Missions that need to be started/completed before players can begin farming Mints.
How to Unlock Mints
Mints can be farmed at the Farm in Jubilife Village. From the entrance gate, go left of the houses and there will be a row of crop fields with two NPCs: Colza and Miller. At the start, trainers can only choose to farm "Apricorn harvest" and "Medicinal harvest." To get the "Mint harvest," trainers will need to start a few Missions and complete Requests from Miller.
- After starting Mission 8: Arezu's Predicament, go to the Farm and speak to Miller. This unlocks Request 27: Help Wanted: Plowing the Fields.​​​​​​ To complete Request 27, give Miller a Ground-type Pokemon. The earliest Ground-type that trainers can get is Geodude, who can be caught on Deertrack Path.
- After starting Mission 9: A New Mission, speak to Miller again to get Request 42: Help Wanted: Watering the Fields. To complete Request 42, bring Miller a Pokemon that knows a Water-type move.
- After starting Mission 11: Scaling Perilous Heights, go to Miller one more time to get Request 60: Help Wanted: Rock Smashing in the Fields. This time, Miller wants a Pokemon that knows the move Rock Smash. Some Pokemon can be taught Rock Smash by the Move Tutor in the Training Grounds.
Pokemon that are given to help at the farm aren't gone forever and can be swapped out with other Pokemon in the Pasture.
Once all Requests from Miller have been completed, trainers can start farming Mints. A Mint harvest costs 10,000 poke dollars. While players will get more than one Mint when the harvest is ready, all the Mints are randomized, which can be frustrating for trainers that are looking for a specific Mint.
Mints & Natures ​​​​​​
Pokemon can be fed Mints by going into the Satchel, selecting the Mint, and then Use.
Most players will not pay attention to Natures unless they're battling competitively. As of now, Pokemon Legends: Arceus does not have competitive play, meaning Natures may not be a thing to worry about. However, slower-moving Pokemon may struggle against in-game battles if they can't outspeed the opponent. Furthermore, some Pokemon have a high base Stat that benefits from the right Nature.
For example, Gyarados is a better Physical Attacker than a Special Attacker, and most of its moves are Physical-aligned. Gyarados works better with an Adamant Nature because it gets a 10% stat increase in Attack while taking a 10% decrease in Special Attack. Thus, if a Gyarados has a Modest Nature (+Sp. Attk, -Attk), then it should be fed an Adamant Mint (+Attk, -Sp.Attk).
There are a total of 21 Mints split into 6 different categories. When a Pokemon consumes a Mint, their stats, and stat growth change, but their Natures do not. Meaning it's possible to have a "Modest" Dartrix with "Adamant" Stat Growths.
Name | Increased Stat | Decreased Stat |
|---|---|---|
Bold Mint | Defense | Attack |
Lax Mint | Defense | Special Defense |
Relaxed Mint | Defense | Speed |
Impish Mint | Defense | Special Attack |
Adamant Mint | Attack | Special Attack |
Lonely Mint | Attack | Defense |
Naughty Mint | Attack | Special Defense |
Brave Mint | Attack | Speed |
Timid Mint | Speed | Attack |
Naive Mint | Speed | Special Defense |
Jolly Mint | Speed | Special Attack |
Hasty Mint | Speed | Defense |
Serious Mint | N/A | N/A |
Sassy Mint | Special Defense | Speed |
Careful Mint | Special Defense | Special Attack |
Calm Mint | Special Defense | Attack |
Gentle Mint | Special Defense | Defense |
Mild Mint | Special Attack | Defense |
Quiet Mint | Special Attack | Speed |
Rash Mint | Special Attack | Special Defense |
Modest Mint | Special Attack | Attack |
The "Serious Mint" will take away the 10% increase/decrease Stat Growth by making all Stats neutral. This is to reflect the "neutral Natures" (Hardy, Docile, Bashful, Quirky, Serious).
Before giving a Mint to a Pokemon, take a look at its learnset and base stats. This is the only way to determine if it's worth changing their Nature. Mints will disappear after one use, but there's no limit to how many Pokemon can consume. However, since harvesting them is so expensive, it's wise to start saving up money from research tasks.
Pokemon Legends: Arceus is available now on Nintendo Switch.
