The Modest nature raises a Pokémon’s Special Attack by 10% and lowers its Attack by 10%. This makes it one of the most popular natures for Pokémon that rely on special moves like Flamethrower, Thunderbolt, or Surf, since the stat it sacrifices (physical Attack) is one those Pokémon rarely use anyway.
How the Stat Change Works
Every Pokémon nature adjusts two stats by a flat 10%, one up and one down. Modest specifically boosts Special Attack and reduces Attack. The change applies to the final calculated stat, not base stats, so the impact grows as your Pokémon levels up. At level 100, the difference between a neutral nature and Modest can mean 20 to 30+ extra points in Special Attack depending on the species, which is often enough to turn a near-miss knockout into a clean one.
HP is never affected by any nature. Five natures (Hardy, Docile, Bashful, Quirky, and Serious) are neutral and change nothing at all.
Modest vs. Timid: Picking the Right Nature
Modest and Timid are the two natures competitive players consider most for special attackers. Both lower Attack, but they boost different stats. Modest raises Special Attack, while Timid raises Speed. The choice comes down to what your Pokémon needs more.
If a Pokémon is already fast enough to outspeed common threats, Modest gives it more raw damage. If it sits at an awkward Speed tier where a 10% boost lets it outrun key opponents, Timid is usually the better pick. Slower, bulkier special attackers that aren’t going to outspeed much regardless (like Reuniclus or Trick Room users) almost always prefer Modest, since every extra point of power matters when you’re moving second anyway.
Which Pokémon Benefit Most
Modest is a natural fit for any Pokémon with a strong Special Attack stat and a movepool built around special moves. Classic examples include Blastoise, Lapras, Moltres, Exeggutor, and Magmar, but the list extends across every generation. Rotom forms, Volcarona, Primarina, and Hatterene are all common Modest users in more recent games.
The key question is always the same: does this Pokémon use physical Attack for anything? If the answer is no, the 10% Attack drop is essentially free, and Modest becomes a pure upgrade. Pokémon that run mixed sets with both physical and special moves should avoid it.
Berry Flavors and Confusion
Natures also determine flavor preferences, which matters for certain berries. A Modest Pokémon likes Dry flavors and dislikes Spicy flavors. In battle, HP-restoring berries tied to flavors (like the Aguav or Figy Berry) will cause confusion if the Pokémon dislikes that berry’s flavor. So a Modest Pokémon eating a Spicy berry would become confused after recovering HP. This is a minor but real detail when choosing which berry to give your Pokémon as a held item.
How to Get a Modest Pokémon
There are three main ways to end up with a Modest Pokémon: catching one, breeding for it, or using a Modest Mint.
Wild Pokémon have a random nature, so catching a Modest one is a 1-in-25 chance. Some games let you use abilities like Synchronize to force wild encounters to match your lead Pokémon’s nature, which makes targeted catching much faster.
Breeding is the most reliable method. If a parent Pokémon holds an Everstone, it passes its nature to the egg with 100% certainty (a mechanic that’s been standard since Black 2 and White 2). If both parents hold Everstones, the offspring has a 50/50 chance of inheriting either parent’s nature.
Changing a Nature With Mints
Starting in Sword and Shield, Mints let you change a Pokémon’s effective stat modifiers without actually changing its listed nature. A Modest Mint makes any Pokémon’s stats behave as if it were Modest: Special Attack grows faster, Attack grows slower. The original nature still shows on the summary screen, but the stat effects are completely overwritten.
This is especially useful for legendary or shiny Pokémon that you can’t breed. Mints are available in Sword and Shield, Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, Legends: Arceus, Scarlet and Violet, and Legends: Z-A. You can typically buy them with Battle Points or find them through endgame activities. The flavor preference, however, stays tied to the original nature, not the mint. So a Jolly Pokémon given a Modest Mint still likes Sweet flavors, not Dry.