What do Ability Capsules do in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet? – Answered

Abilities are a vital part of Pokemon battles. They are essentially passive effects that act out throughout the battle to give your Pokemon some kind of advantage (or hindrance, in some cases). Some of them make or break a Pokemon, so it’s important to check them when looking for a perfect specimen to train in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet.

They are defined the moment you encounter the Pokemon, and during their debut, there was initially no way to change them. If your Ralts had Synchronize, it could never have Trace and vice versa. But that design choice was altered a few generations later with the introduction of the Ability Capsules. Here’s what they can do.

What do Ability Capsules do in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet? 

Ability Capsules change the current Ability of your Pokemon if its species has a second Ability available. So if you own a Ralts with Synchronize, giving it an Ability Capsule will change it to Trace, and you can even change it back if you regret it later.

There are only two exceptions to its use. The first one is if your Pokemon has no other available ability. Koraidon and Miraidon can only have Orichalcum Pulse and Hadron Engine respectively, for example, and Ability Capsules don’t work on them.

Related: How to Get Hidden Abilities in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

The other one is if your Pokemon has its Hidden Ability activated. Hidden Abilities can be obtained by catching Pokemon through certain special means or by giving them an Ability Patch. 

If you wish to give such Pokemon a regular Ability, you must give them another Ability Patch first to remove the Hidden one. You probably won’t see this case very often though, but it’s important to know what you’ll need to do if you ever stumble across it. 

How to Get Ability Capsules

Ability Capsules can be obtained mainly through rewards in the 6-star and 7-star Tera Raids. You can also get Ability Patches in those, so be careful not to confuse them in your inventory. Too many instances of the word “Ability” can melt your brain. Especially when writing articles about them.