Pokemon Sword and Shield's new items and features detailed in latest video

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Pokemon can be given Mints and Supplements to alter their stats

(Image credit: Nintendo)

A new video for Pokemon Sword and Shield details new features and items that will be included in the upcoming adventure in the Galar region. 

New items include special Mints that can change the effects of a Pokemon's Nature. Natures were first introduced in Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire and the different temperaments would affect a Pokemon's stats. So, for example, a Bold Pokemon would have increased Defense and reduced Attack. The new Mint varieties include Lonely, Modest, Mild, Hasty, and Naive. 

We get to see how the Modest Mint affects Pikachu's stats, with the item description reading: "When a Pokemon smells this mint, its Sp. Atk will grow more easily, but its Attack will grow more slowly." 

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As well as of keeping your Pokemon minty fresh, you can also give them different Supplements that will increase their base stats. Described as a "nutritious drink for Pokemon", Supplement types include Calcium, Protein, Iron, Carbos, Zinc, HP UP, and PP Max. Gengar gets loaded up with a very healthy 26 doses of Calcium, which increases the Ghost Pokemon's Sp. Atk base points from 140 to 170. 

New experience boosting candies variants will also be coming to Pokemon Sword and Shield that will enable you to level up your Pokemon. Exp. Candies that come in different sizes including XS, S, M, L, and XL. We get to see an XL candy used on Zweilous. The XL candy "grants a single Pokemon a very large amount of Exp. Points." 

New features are also being introduced in Pokemon Sword and Shield, such as Pokemon of the same species being able to pass Egg Moves to each other when you breed. One very convenient new addition lets you access your Pokemon Box from almost anywhere instead of always having to run to a computer in a PokeCentre. This will make changing up your team an absolute breeze as you run around the region. 

In other news, Nintendo revealed the date for the first Pokemon Sword and Shield online competition known as Galar Beginnings. The competition will kick off on December 6 and run for just two days until December 8. After the latest overview trailer gave us a refresher on lots of features and new Gen 8 Pokemon we'll be encountering in Galar, Nintendo are keeping us firmly on the hype train ahead of the game's release in little over a weeks time.

Looking for some Pokemon goodies? Stay up to date on all the best Pokemon Black Friday deals.

Heather Wald
Heather Wald
Evergreen Editor, Games

Heather Wald is the Evergreen Editor, Games at GamesRadar+. Her writing career began on a student-led magazine at Bath Spa University, where she earned a BA (Hons) in English literature. Heather landed her first role writing about tech and games for Stuff Magazine shortly after graduating with an MA in magazine journalism at Cardiff University. Now with almost seven years of experience working with GamesRadar+ on the features team, Heather helps to develop, maintain, and expand the evergreen features that exist on the site for games, as well as spearhead the Indie Spotlight series. You'll also see her contribute op-eds, interview-led features, and more. In her spare time, you'll likely find Heather tucking into RPGs and indie games, reading romance novels, and drinking lots of tea.