To breed Pokémon in Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield, leave compatible parents at either Nursery: one is on Route 5 and the other is in Bridge Field in the Wild Area. Use a male and female Pokémon from the same Egg Group, or pair an eligible Pokémon with Ditto. Collect the Egg from the attendant when it is ready, then carry it in your party while moving to hatch it.
Where to find a Pokémon Nursery
The game has two Nurseries: one on Route 5 and one near the center of the Wild Area in Bridge Field. Both work the same way, so use whichever is more convenient. The Pokémon Company’s breeding guide describes their locations and function.
How to get an Egg
- Choose a Nursery. Visit the Route 5 Nursery or the one in Bridge Field.
- Leave a compatible pair. Use a male and female Pokémon that share an Egg Group, or pair Ditto with a Pokémon that can produce Eggs. Pokémon in the No Eggs Discovered group cannot produce an Egg with Ditto.
- Return to check for an Egg. Speak to the attendant and collect it when one is ready.
- Hatch the Egg. Put it in your party and move around until it hatches.
Pokémon belong to at least one of 15 Egg Groups, and some belong to more than one. For example, the official guide lists Onix, Solrock, and Baltoy in the Mineral Group. Check the intended parents’ Egg Groups before leaving them at the Nursery; the complete list is in Pokémon Sword & Pokémon Shield: The Official Galar Region Strategy Guide.
Which Pokémon will hatch from the Egg?
The Egg hatches into the earliest evolutionary stage of the female parent’s evolutionary line. When one parent is Ditto, the offspring comes from the non-Ditto parent’s line. Choose the female (or the non-Ditto Pokémon) whose species you want before leaving the pair at the Nursery.
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How to influence Nature and individual strengths
Pass down a Nature with an Everstone
Give an Everstone to the compatible parent with the Nature you want before leaving the pair at the Nursery. The Pokémon Company’s example pairs a female Pikachu or Raichu with a Timid Ditto or compatible male holding an Everstone; the resulting Pichu Eggs have the Timid Nature in that example.
Pass down individual strengths with a Destiny Knot
According to the official breeding guide, Eggs typically inherit three individual strengths from their parents. If either parent holds a Destiny Knot, five are passed down, while one is left to chance. This can help when breeding for particular strengths, but finding the desired combination can take time.
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- New entries in the main series of Pokémon RPGs arrive on Nintendo Switch simultaneously in late 2019
- The Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield games take place in the newly discovered Galar Region
- Galar is an expansive region with diverse environments - an idyllic countryside, contemporary cities, thick forest and craggy, snow-covered mountains
- Fans will have the opportunity to visit Gyms in the Galar region in their quest to become Champion
- Newly discovered partner Pokémon join in this new iteration of the games - Grookey, Scorbunny and Sobble
For an eligible Pokémon already at level 100, the guide describes Hyper Training as a faster alternative to breeding for improved individual strengths. Hyper Training uses Bottle Caps, so the choice is between spending time breeding and using those training items.
How to transfer an Egg Move to a Pokémon you already have
You do not always need to hatch a new Pokémon to teach it an Egg Move. In Sword and Shield, leave the Pokémon that needs the move at a Nursery with an empty move slot, alongside a Pokémon of the same species that already knows the move. The recipient must know three or fewer moves for the transfer to work. The game’s official Egg Moves feature page describes this method.
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- Revisit the Sinnoh region from the original Pokémon Pearl Version game and set off to try and become the Champion of the Pokémon League
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What to expect from inherited Abilities
Offspring typically have the Ability of the female parent, or of the non-Ditto parent when paired with Ditto. An Egg may hatch with a different regular Ability. A Hidden Ability will not appear unless one of the parents has it.
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- Continue your Pokémon Sword or Pokémon Shield adventure in The Isle of Armor and The Crown Tundra, two new areas to explore that will be added to the Galar region as part of the Pokémon Shield Expansion Pass or Pokémon Sword Expansion Pass
- Redeem your download code in the Nintendo eShop for either the Pokémon Sword Expansion Pass or the Pokémon Shield Expansion Pass. Upon redeeming the code, you will be prompted to select one Expansion Pass. Only redeemable for one Expansion Pass.
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