Since the days of leaving two Pokemon at daycare and waiting for a surprise, eggs and breeding have been key parts of the gaming experience. Like prior games, you can breed Pokemon and hatch eggs in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, but the mechanic is a bit different.
Table of contents
How Breeding Works in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet
There’s no Pokemon daycare in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, so the game uses picnics to breed Pokemon. This means you don’t have to travel to a specific location or leave your Pokemon behind to get an egg.
Instead, you simply set up a picnic with two Pokemon that can breed with one another. Pokemon fall under “egg groups,” and you’ll need one male and one female Pokemon of the same category at the picnic. There are 14 different egg groups loosely based on Pokemon types and appearances. The egg groups are:
- Amorphous
- Bug
- Dragon
- Fairy
- Field
- Flying
- Grass
- Human-like
- Mineral
- Monster
- Water 1
- Water 2
- Water 3
Generally speaking, if Pokemon look similar, they can most likely breed as long as you pair one male and one female Pokemon at your picnic. Ditto can also breed with any egg group, so having one in your party can be helpful.
Once you set up your picnic with your breedable Pokemon, all that’s left is to wait for an egg to appear.
Where to Find Eggs in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet
On the ground next to your picnic table, you’ll see an empty basket. Interacting with this basket early in your picnic will give you the message, “Doesn’t look like there’s anything in the basket so far…” If you’re like me, you might initially wonder what we’re expecting to see in the basket if not picnic ingredients.
However, this is actually where a new egg will show up. Check back here after some time has passed, and if you’re lucky, you’ll find an egg. Select yes when asked if you’d like to take it, and the egg will move to your Pokemon box.
How to Hatch Eggs in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet
The hatch mechanic is pretty much the same as that of Scarlet & Violet in previous Pokemon games. Add the egg to your party and then travel until the egg hatches.
With Miraidon / Koraidon, you can get a good bit of distance fairly quickly, making it relatively easy to hatch eggs compared to walking around on foot. Movement like swimming, gliding, or flying should also count toward the required distance.
Once the egg is ready to hatch, you’ll get a pop-up animation revealing your newly acquired Pokemon.
How to Improve Your Breeding Chances in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet
If you’re hoping to increase the chances of finding an egg in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, sandwiches and other meals around Paldea can help.
Foods with Egg Power will increase your breeding odds based on that recipe’s Egg Power level. When in Recipe Mode, you can view the bonuses for each sandwich, including the levels for each boost, making it relatively easy to spot a sandwich that will give you Egg Power.
For Level 1 Egg Power recipes, the egg chances are boosted 5x. For Level 2, they are boosted 7x. At Level 3 Egg Power, you’ll be 10x more likely to find an egg in the basket. To achieve Level 3, you will need to get creative and deviate from the provided recipes, combining ingredients with egg power to create your own masterpiece.
Egg Power Sandwich Recipes
Here is a list of the recipes for sandwiches that boost Egg Power in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet.
| Sandwich | Ingredients | Egg Power |
|---|---|---|
| Jam Sandwich | Strawberry Jam | Level 1 |
| Ultra Jam Sandwich | Strawberry Jam Pineapple Yogurt | Level 1 |
| Peanut Butter Sandwich | Banana Peanut Butter | Level 1 |
| Dessert Sandwich | Apple x2 Yogurt Whipped Cream | Level 1 |
| Great Dessert Sandwich | Apple x2 Kiwi Yogurt Whipped Cream | Level 1 |
| Ultra Dessert Sandwich | Apple x2 Kiwi Strawberry Yogurt Whipped Cream | Level 1 |
| Fruit Sandwich | Apple Banana Kiwi Pineapple Marmalade | Level 1 |
| Great Fruit Sandwich | Apple Banana Kiwi Pineapple Marmalade Whipped Cream | Level 1 |
| Ultra Fruit Sandwich | Apple Banana Kiwi Pineapple Marmalade Whipped Cream Yogurt | Level 1 |
| Sweet Sandwich | Apple Banana Cheese Whipped Cream Butter Salt | Level 1 |
|
| ||
| Tofu Sandwich | Tofu x2 Rice Lettuce Avocado Wasabi Salt | Level 1 |
| Marmalade Sandwich | Cheese Marmalade | Level 1 |
| Tropical Sandwich | Klawf Stick Avocado Pineapple Marmalade | Level 1 |
| Sweet Jambon-Beurre | Ham Butter Sweet Herba Mystica | Level 2 |
| Great Sweet Sandwich | Apple Banana Cheese Whipped Cream Butter Salt | Level 2 |
| Ultra Sweet Sandwich | Apple Banana Cheese Basil Whipped Cream Butter Salt | Level 2 |
| Legendary Sweet Sandwich | Lettuce Bacon Pepper Sweet Herba Mystica | Level 2 |
| Great Peanut Butter Sandwich | Banana Peanut Butter Butter | Level 2 |
| Ultra Peanut Butter Sandwich | Banana Peanut Butter Butter Jam | Level 2 |
| Ultra Pickle Sandwich | Pickle Watercress Basil Olive Oil | Level 2 |
| Master Pickle Sandwich | Pickle Watercress Basil Olive Oil Sour Herba Mystica | Level 2 |
| Great Marmalade Sandwich | Cheese Marmalade Butter | Level 2 |
| Ultra Marmalade Sandwich | Cheese Marmalade Butter Cream Cheese | Level 2 |
| Master Curry and Noodle Sandwich | Noodles Red Bell Pepper Yellow Bell Pepper Jalapeno Bacon Egg Olive Oil Salt Curry Powder Sweet Herba Mystica | Level 3 |
Egg Power Restaurant Recipes
If you don’t like making sandwiches or are missing key ingredients, you can also buy a variety of foods that have the Egg Power trait as well.
Most cities in Paldea will have at least a couple of food carts and restaurant storefronts. Almost all of them offer at least one dish with Egg Power, so it’s a pretty good bet you can find something to boost your Pokemon breeding wherever you stop. You can easily spot food vendors by pulling up your map and zooming in until you see the store icons. Look for the icon with a bottle of water and a strawberry, and you’ve got yourself a restaurant!
Interact with a food cart vendor or step into a restaurant storefront, and you’ll be able to browse a menu full of treats you can buy. Just look for those with Egg Power listed, and you’ll be able to get the same boost as with homemade picnic sandwiches with Level 1 or Level 2 Egg Power.
None of the food vendors in Kitakami offer Egg Power dishes, so you’ll need to bring dishes or ingredients with you to picnic here with a boost. If you’re at Blueberry Academy, you can get Egg Power from The Academy Special in the Cafeteria.
