Pokémon eggs and breeding has been a key part of the game franchise since the second generation, but in Scarlet & Violet the system you’re likely familiar with has been overhauled for the very first time. Throw out most of what you know about breeding Pokémon, because it’s a whole new world now.
If you want to breed Pokémon with the IVs, natures, and boosted shiny chances that we know you want, then you’ll need to do some research. Below you’ll find out how to breed plenty of eggs fast, and how to breed the stats you want in Pokémon Scarlet & Violet.
Catch a Ditto – Scarlet & Violet
As with other Pokémon games, catching a Ditto makes everything a lot easier. Ditto can breed with any Pokémon, making it easier to get the eggs you want.
But Ditto are rare in Scarlet & Violet. You can find them in the West Province, in Area Two and Area Three. You won’t see them walking around though, because in true Ditto fashion, they’ll be disguised as another Pokémon. Sometimes when you encounter a Pokémon in these areas, it’ll transform into a Ditto. Sorry – there’s no easy way to tell which Pokémon is secretly a Ditto. Truly this is the return of the random Pokémon encounter.
Picnic importance – Scarlet & Violet
Day Care Centers used to be the Pokémon breeding hub, but that’s no longer the case. Now, you’ll need to make good use of the picnic feature. You can use this from the menu when not in a city in the open world. You’ll need a pair of compatible Pokémon in your party, and if you’re after a specific creature, then you should make your party just Ditto, and the other monster you’re looking for.
Eggs will slowly appear over time while having a picnic, and will spawn in the basket next to the table. It can hold up to ten eggs at a time.
Food buffs – Scarlet & Violet
One of the all-important food buffs you can receive after eating a meal in Pokémon Scarlet & Violet is called Egg Power, and this will help you breed eggs faster.
With Egg Power Level 2 in effect, you should be able to get a Pokémon egg to spawn every 30 seconds, on average. That’s just around five minutes for a full basket of ten eggs for you to hatch.
Hatch eggs faster with Flame Body – Scarlet & Violet
Eggs still hatch by wandering the world with the egg in your party, and yes, having a Pokémon with the Flame Body ability in the party still reduces the number of overall steps required to hatch eggs. Very useful. Talonflame is the easiest Pokémon to use for this purpose, since you can catch Fletchling very early in the game.
Foreign Ditto for boosted shiny odds – Scarlet & Violet
If you use a Ditto from another region, you actually get boosted chances of getting a shiny Pokémon from an egg.
The usual odds are 1 in 618 – not great – and the boosted odds are 1 in 512. Still not great, but that’s still a sixth better, so you might as well get a foreign Ditto. Luckily there are plenty of players online willing to trade a Ditto for a Ditto.
Use Link Code 4448 4448 and you’ll be able to find other players also looking to trade a Ditto. Once you find someone from another region and language, you’re in luck.
Competitive breeding items – Scarlet & Violet
Finally, competitive breeding items will help give the Pokémon that hatch from your eggs boosted stats in a number of areas, making them more powerful and competitive overall. If you want to win some tough trainer battles online, this is how you get the ideal Pokémon for the job.
The key is making the Pokémon you’re breeding hold an item first. It can’t hold every item, obviously, but you should choose one of these depending on what is most important for you to carry over.
The Destiny Knot is first, and this guarantees that the offspring gets 5/12 IVs of the parents, instead of just three. If the parents have near-perfect IVs, this is ideal.
Power Items are next, and guarantee just one IV will be carried over.
- Power Weight – HP IV
- Power Bracer – Attack IV
- Power Belt – Defense IV
- Power Lens – Special Attack IV
- Power Band – Special Defence IV
- Power Anklet – Speed IV
Finally is the Everstone. This guarantees the offspring has the same nature as its parent. As you’ll likely know, this will help boost certain stats, depending on the nature you’re looking for.
All of the items mentioned here can be purchased from Delibird Presents, which you can find to the Southeast of the first city, Mesagoza. The store’s stock will expand as you earn gym badges.
Written by Dave Aubrey and Ryan Woodrow on behalf of GLHF.
