There are some new things to keep in mind when breeding your Pokémon in 'Scarlet' and 'Violet.' Here's a guide with the new mechanics.
Despite the many glitches that have forced some players to return their game, Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet have redefined the new generation of Pokémon games. Not only are there new methods for Shiny Hunting and battling players, but breeding is also a bit different in this new game.
If you're new to breeding your Pokémon, or don't quite understand how it works in Scarlet and Violet, here's a quick guide to help you out.
Why breed Pokémon?
For those who haven't messed around with the Pokémon breeding process before, many players have delved into it to stack up their team with especially powerful Pokémon. In previous generations, breeding two Pokémon that know the same move would result in the Level 1 Pokémon also knowing that move when it hatched.
This also worked with different abilities, natures, and IV stats; breeding Pokémon with particularly strong abilities or IVs would help you obtain new Pokémon with a mixture of those attributes, letting you basically hand-stack your team with powerful moves and stats, so long as you were diligent in your breeding process.
Breeding has also been one of the best ways to get Shiny Pokémon. In Scarlet and Violet, it's the only way to get ahold of Shiny starters — so if you want a Shiny Fuecoco, Sprigatito, or Quaxly, you'll have to start breeding your Pokémon.
The only Pokémon you can't breed in the new game are Legendary Pokémon and Unown.
How to tell what Egg Group your Pokémon is in.
For the most part, your Pokémon's Egg Group is determined by their typing, though there are various charts online that can help you determine what types are compatible with other types.
You can only breed Pokémon that are within the same Egg Group, otherwise the breeding process won't be successful. If you're uncertain about the Egg Groups of your Pokémon, adding a Ditto to the mix is a surefire way to make sure that you get some Eggs, as Ditto can breed with almost every Pokémon.
What is Egg Power and why is it important?
Sandwiches and other food items in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet provide buff that will help you with everything from finding more Shiny Pokémon to spawning more of a specific type. Depending on what recipes you put together, you can also make a sandwich with Egg Power, which will increase the spawn rate of Eggs. While you don't need to have Egg Power to produce Eggs, having this buff implemented will help make the breeding process easier.
How to breed Pokémon in 'Scarlet' and 'Violet.'
In previous games, players would have to drop off the Pokémon they wanted to breed at a Day Care and wait a predetermined amount of time before they could check if an Egg was spawned. Now, you can spawn up to 10 Eggs in one sitting thanks to the picnic feature.
By setting up a picnic, you can let your Pokémon play and, so long as there are Pokémon within the same Egg groups and of opposite genders in the party, you may find Eggs in the basket next to the picnic table.
Really, there's nothing in particular you have to do to get the Eggs to spawn — you can actually walk away from your controller for a few minutes if you'd like and come back to check the basket. While eating a sandwich with Egg Power will help increase your chances of spawning an Egg, you can really just let the Pokémon frolic instead.
Once you have your desired number of Eggs, you'll have to add them to your party if you want them to hatch. They'll hatch automatically after you walk a certain distance with them; any excess Eggs you have will automatically be added to your Boxes and will need to be transferred to your party before hatching.
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are now available for the Nintendo Switch.
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