Breeding Basics

Learn the essential Pokemon Sword and Shield breeding basics, including how to get eggs, inheritance rules for stats, moves, and abilities, and tips to speed up the process.

The Pokémon Nursery is your go-to spot for breeding Pokémon in Pokémon Sword and Shield. You can find nurseries in Route 3 and Bridge Field in the Wild Area. Each costs 500 Poké Dollars per Pokémon to leave in the nursery’s care, with a maximum of two Pokémon at a time.

For two Pokémon to breed, they must meet the following criteria:

• Both Pokémon must be capable of breeding. Legendary Pokémon and baby Pokémon (like Toxel or Togepi) cannot breed.
• One Pokémon must be male and the other female. Ditto is a special exception and can breed with any Pokémon, but two Ditto cannot breed together.
• Both Pokémon must belong to compatible egg groups. Every Pokémon is in one or more egg groups and can only breed with Pokémon in the same group(s). For example, Grookey is in the “Field” and “Grass” groups.

After leaving your Pokémon, run around until the nursery worker offers you a Pokémon Egg. To increase the rate of receiving eggs, breed Pokémon of the same species, Pokémon with different trainer IDs, or obtain the Oval Charm from Morimoto in Circhester after beating the game.

Once you have an egg, keep it in your party and travel. The egg will hatch after a certain number of steps, which varies by species. Having a party Pokémon with Flame Body, Magma Armor, or Steam Engine can speed up this process.

The hatched Pokémon will inherit traits from its parents:

• Species: The offspring will be the same species as the female parent (or the male if bred with Ditto), but in its unevolved form. Some Pokémon may require a specific Incense to hatch their unevolved form.
• Nature: By default, the Nature is random. If one parent holds an Everstone, the child will inherit that parent’s Nature 100% of the time.
• Ability: There's a 60% chance the offspring will inherit the female parent’s Ability (or the male’s if bred with Ditto), including Hidden Abilities. Otherwise, it will have one of its standard Abilities.
• Egg Moves: Certain moves that parents know, which the child cannot learn otherwise, may be inherited. Moves known by both parents can also be inherited.
• IVs: A total of 3 IVs (Individual Values) are inherited from the parents, with stats and parentage randomly assigned. Holding a Destiny Knot allows for 5 IVs to be inherited.
• Poké Ball: The offspring will inherit the Poké Ball of one of the parents. If parents have different balls, it’s a 50/50 chance. If Ditto is involved, it takes the non-Ditto parent’s ball. Master and Cherish Balls cannot be passed down.

The following are NOT affected by breeding:

• Shininess (though hatched Pokémon can be shiny).
• The ability to Gigantamax.
• TMs and TRs learned by parents.
• Parents’ EVs (Effort Values).