How To Change A Pokémon’s Nature in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl

There are ways for players to get a specific Nature in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl. Players will start their adventure with a decision between Chimchar, Turtwig, or Piplup, and they might not know each of these Pokémon has a specific Nature, and it is a mechanic that will determine how a Pokémon’s stats will grow when they level up. These were introduced back in Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire and have remained in the series ever since. Additionally, there are specific Natures that can benefit particular Pokémon if put together.

During Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, players can head into their menus and check on their Pokémon’s Nature. By selecting ‘Check summary,’ the game will reveal all the background information about the Pokémon, from its stats to its origins. Next, players can head to the second page to find one of 25 possible Pokémon Natures. This Nature will determine how a Pokemon’s stats will grow. For each Nature, a single stat will be increased while another will be decreased. So, for example, a Pokemon with a Naughty Nature will have a stronger attack stat but a lower Special Defense stat. Finally, players can head to the third page of the Pokemon’s summary to see how Nature affects it.

The reason players might want to change their Pokémon’s Nature is to bring out the best of their stats. For example, players looking to have a special attacker will benefit from having a Mild or Quiet Nature since this Nature will boost the Pokémon’s special attack stat. This means the Pokémon will do more damage for each attack, leading to more victories. Ultimately, the best Pokémon Nature combination is dependent on what role the Pokémon is going to play on the team. In Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, there are two different methods of how players can control a Pokémon’s Nature. One of them involves saving at a specific point, and the other is all about breeding.

Changing a Pokemon’s Nature in Pokémon BDSP

• Breeding with Ditto: Ditto is a Pokémon that can breed with any Pokémon of any gender except for legendary Pokémon. Find a Ditto with the Nature that is preferred and give it an Everstone. The Everstone can be obtained by trade with an NPC for a Haunter in the northwest house within Snowpoint City. Additionally, players will need to trade for a Medicham. With an Everstone, Ditto’s offspring will have Ditto’s Nature always. Now, breed it with the desired Pokémon. For example, breeding a Starly with a Ditto will give the baby Starly the same Nature as the Ditto.
• Encounters: If the player is hunting for a Pokémon’s Nature with a common spawn rate, players can just reroll the spawn by saving after it’s not the Nature the player needs. Save the game, capture the Pokémon, check its Nature, and restart when it’s not the requested Nature. Repeat this process until it is the desired Nature.

Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl features 25 Natures that Pokémon can have. These are the effects of all of them.

• Adamant: ↑Attack ↓Sp. Atk.
• Bashful: ↑Sp. Atk ↓Sp. Atk.
• Bold: ↑Defense ↓Attack.
• Brave: ↑Attack ↓Speed.
• Calm: ↑Sp. Def ↓Attack.
• Careful: ↑Sp. Def ↓Sp. Atk.
• Docile: ↑Defense ↓Defense.
• Gentle: ↑Sp. Def ↓Defense.
• Hardy: ↑Attack ↓Attack.
• 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.
• Rash: ↑Sp. Atk ↓Sp. Def.
• Relaxed: ↑Defense ↓Speed.
• Sassy: ↑Sp. Def ↓Speed.
• Serious: ↑Speed ↓Speed.
• Timid: ↑Speed ↓Attack.

Natures only give players small edges in casual matches and shine in competitive battling in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl. A proper Nature can distinguish between a win or a loss in competitive games, but most won’t notice during their initial playthrough. There are many hidden mechanics like Natures in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl worth checking out, such as decorating a secret base or hunting for fossils using a Battleship-inspired mini-game.

Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are available now on Nintendo Switch.

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Sky Flores
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Sky Flores is a writer and game player based out of New York City. His hobbies consist of creating content on YouTube and streaming video games on Twitch. His online alias is @SkywardWing.

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