Pokemon Sword and Shield has a lot of advanced mechanics buried within the confines of the Galar region. Sure, the Pokedex isn’t as vast, but there’s plenty of other mechanics that are brand new to this Switch mega-hit. The Max Raid battles offer great end-game challenge. The PokeJobs system has plenty for your otherwise dormant Pokemon to do, so that they don’t sit in the PC all day. And then there’s the meta-game.
Pokemon breeding is one of the areas in Pokemon Sword and Shield that many casual players ignore. But it’s one of those often manipulated areas that skilled players use to craft their ultra-powerful dream team. Breeding involves taking two parent Pokemon, and having them produce and egg.
- Choose one male and one female Pokemon.
- Leave them at a Pokemon Nursery either on Route 5 or Bridge Field in the Wild Area.
- Pick up your egg from outside the Nursery when it spawns
- Keep the egg in your party to hatch it.
There’s a lot more to manipulating egg spawns than meets the eye. To understand why we want to manipulate egg spawns and their stats, I need to explain a bit about how stats work in this game.
IVs and Inheritence
One of the lesser-known quirks of the statistics in Pokemon Sword and Shield is the IVs system. IVs are a base stat that determines what the various stats each Pokemon has actually come out to. This also helps determine the overall growth of stats as the Pokemon levels up. There are tons of gamers who wish to achieve the highest IVs to create stronger team members. Pokemon breeding is the best source for many players looking to meta-game the system and create stronger teams.
The first thing to be aware of is that players can actually rig the system a little bit without too much effort. There are several items useful for breeding, check the list further down for more on that. But very early on in the game, the “Power” items can be used to force some IV manipulation. If a parent Pokemon holds this item and breeds, the IV of that particular stat will be passed down to the egg that results. Here’s a breakdown of the common items that can be easily used to push a certain IV to an egg:
- Power Bracer – Attack
- Power Belt – Defence
- Power Lens – Sp. Atk.
- Power Band – Sp. Def.
- Power Anklet – Speed
- Power Weight – HP
Those six items are also great for leveling EVs during training. These items increase the Base Stats (EVs) the holder gains in battle by 8 for the relevant stat.
Best Items for Breeding
Some players in Pokemon Sword and Shield choose to meta-game the breeding system quite a bit. The best way to do that in this game is to make use of various items that make it easier to manipulate the IVs, EVs, natures and other elements of a given egg. Below you will find a list of some of these items, as well as where to reliably get your hands on them.
Destiny Knot – Buy for 10 BP from Pokemon Center in Hammerlocke
This is the first item you should grab when you want to get into breeding in Pokemon Sword and Shield. This item allows a trainer to forcibly pass IVs from two parent Pokemon to the egg. The stats are randomly assigned though, so most players tend to use the other items listed below to maximize their stats first in order to improve the chances of a good stat roll.
You can purchase the Destiny Knot at the Pokemon Center in Hammerlocke.
Lucky Egg – Get At The Seafood Restaurant In Hulbury
The Lucky Egg increases the EXP your Pokemon get as a result of battle. If you want to speed up the leveling process, use this item. The Lucky Egg can be acquired by clearing a delivery mission at the Seafood Restaurant In Hulbury.
Oval Charm – Defeat Morimoto After Finishing The Game
The Oval Charm speeds up the breeding process by making eggs appear faster at the Nursery. After beating the game, go to the second floor of the hotel in Circhester and talk to the policeman named Morimoto. Win the battle that follows to get the Oval Charm.
Everstone – Get It In Turffield
Pokemon holding Everstone won’t evolve. The real useful trait is that a parent Pokemon holding the Everstone will pass its nature to the egg. Another essential breeding and training item for meta-gaming. The Everstone can be found in Turffield. Look for a flashing star on the ground nearby the rocks.
Gold Bottle Caps & Bottle Caps – Digging Duo in the Wild Area, Max Raid Battle Reward
One of the most important items for training Pokemon to the maximum levels and stats, and yes that means IVs. Gold Bottle Cap & Silver Bottle Cap will be used to maximize a Lv.100 Pokemon’s IVs. The best way to do this is to use the Hyper Training NPC in the Battle Tower to shorten the time it takes to max out a Pokemon’s level.
Vitamins
Vitamins are a stat-boosting items that affect EVs, not IVs. This secondary stat is normally raised during leveling and is based on what Pokemon you fight and the moves you use. Each basic stat has an EV and IV associated with it. So if you want a Pokemon with extra-strong normal and special attacks, focusing on raising both values. Vitamins make it easier to do this.
- HP Up – HP’s Base Point +10
- Protein – Attack’s Base Point +10
- Iron – Defense’s Base Point +10
- Calcium – Sp. Atk’s Base Point +10
- Zinc – Sp. Def’s Base Point +10
- Carbos – Speed’s Base Point +10
Mints – Purchase At The BP Store In the Battle Tower
These items allow trainers to change the nature of the Pokemon it’s used on. Natures affect stats in a predictable way. Each nature raises one stat and lowers another. So focusing on the nature that works best for you is key to making your eggs the best they can be. Here’s a chart for each Nature and how to figure out what Nature you want.
| Raises | Lowers | |
|---|---|---|
| Adamant | Attack | Special Attack |
| Bashful | None | None |
| Brave | Attack | Speed |
| Bold | Defense | Attack |
| Calm | Special Attack | Attack |
| Careful | Special Defense | Special Attack |
| Docile | None | None |
| Gentle | Special Defense | Defense |
| Hardy | None | None |
| Hasty | Speed | Defense |
| Impish | Defense | Special Attack |
| Jolly | Speed | Special Attack |
| Lax | Defense | Special Defense |
| Lonely | Attack | Defense |
| Mild | Special Attack | Defense |
| Modest | Special Attack | Attack |
| Naive | Speed | Special Defense |
| Naughty | Attack | Special Defense |
| Quiet | Special Attack | Speed |
| Quirky | None | None |
| Rash | Special Attack | Special Defense |
| Relaxed | Defense | Speed |
| Sassy | Special Defense | Speed |
| Serious | None | None |
| Timid | Speed | Attack |
