Whether you want to complete your Pokédex or breed the perfect competitive Pokémon, breeding is a key feature in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl.
Here's what you need to know.
Breeding Pokémon: The Basics
In order to breed Pokémon, you need to leave two Pokémon in the Nursery in Solaceon Town. This will set you back 500 Pokédollars
After some time, the Pokémon will produce an Egg. However, the following must be observed for this to work:
- Typically, you must leave a male and a female Pokémon
- The Pokémon must be of the same Egg Group
For example, a Pikachu and a Clefairy can mate, because they both belong to the Fairy Egg Group. However, a Pikachu and a Gastly cannot mate, as the Gastly is from the Amorphous Egg Group.
The Egg produced will always take the form of the female. So, if you left a male Clefairy to mate with a female Pikachu, you'd get a Pikachu Egg.
Ditto: The Secret Weapon
This little purple blob can assume the form of almost any Pokémon in the game, and that can be used to your advantage when it comes to breeding.
While Ditto cannot breed with Pokémon in the Undiscovered Egg Group, nor another Ditto, it can replace any breedable Pokémon.
Ditto can also bypass the gender rule, breeding with Pokémon that are neither male or female. This group includes the likes of Rotom and Metagross.
As such, some Pokémon can only be bred using a Ditto.
Check out our guide on obtaining Ditto.
Ditto is an incredibly useful Pokémon to own, especially when it comes to breeding. Here's where you'll find it in Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl.
Egg Groups
Barring a few exceptions, Pokémon must be of the same group to breed. Otherwise, they'll just stay in the Nursery gaining levels, with no Eggs ever produced.
Check out our guide below for a full list of Egg Groups and Pokémon.
When breeding in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl you'll need to pay attention to a Pokémon's Egg Group. Here's the full list.
As mentioned in the Egg Group guide, the Undiscovered Egg Group contains mostly Legendary or Mythic Pokémon, as well as Baby Pokémon.
The difference between this group and the others is that the Undiscovered Egg Group cannot breed.
Putting these into the Nursery will result in nothing, apart from level growth.
Pokémon Breeding Exceptions
There are some cases in which the normal rules apply.
The first of these is with Volbeat and Illumise, in which Eggs produced can contain either of the Pokémon. So, you could leave a female Illumise, but still end up with a Volbeat Egg, and vice versa.
The Mythical Pokémon Manaphy can breed, using a Ditto, but you'll obtain a Phione Egg as a result and not a Manaphy Egg.
Originally obtained in Pokémon Ranger, Manaphy returns to Sinnoh in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. Here's how to get the Manaphy Egg in the Nintendo Switch remakes.
Breeding Baby Pokémon Eggs
Finally, while the Baby Pokémon are part of the Undiscovered Egg group and cannot breed themselves, you can create Baby Pokémon Eggs by using specific parents holding a certain item.
For example, to create an Azurill Egg, you'll need to have Azumarill or Marill hold a Sea Incense before you put it into the Nursery.
The easiest way to do this is to use Ditto with the target Pokémon.
Normal / Fairy
Have Marill or Azumarill hold a Sea Incense.
Poison / Grass
Have Roselia or Roserade hold a Rose Incense.
Psychic
Have Chimecho hold a Pure Incense.
Normal
Have Snorlax hold a Full Incense.
Psychic
Have Wobbuffet hold a Lax Incense.
Normal
Have Chansey or Blissey hold a Luck Incense.
Water / Flying
Have Mantine hold a Wave Incense.
Rock
Have Sudowoodo hold a Rock Incense.
Psychic / Fairy
Have Mr. Mime hold an Odd Incense.
How to hatch an Egg in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl
After some time has passed, return to Solaceon Town and speak to the old man outside the Nursery. If ready, he'll give you an Egg.
An easier way to check if an Egg is available is using the Egg Monitor app for your Pokétch.
To get it, leave two Pokémon in the Nursery, leave, then head back inside. There'll be a man sitting on a chair - he'll give you the app.
Now all you need to do is walk around. After an indeterminable number of steps, you'll be interrupted and the Egg will hatch.
There are two ways you can speed up obtaining Eggs and hatching them.
Get the Oval Charm
This is available once you've become Champion. Head to Route 213, and find the Hotel Grand Lake.
Here, a man named Morimoto will challenge you to a battle. Win, and you'll get the Oval Charm. His team is as follows:
- Spiritomb (Ghost/Dark), Level 63
- Ambipom (Normal), Level 64
- Hippowdon (Ground), Level 64
- Vaporeon (Water), Level 65
- Jolteon (Electric), Level 65
- Flareon (Fire), Level 65
Having this item in your inventory will increase your chances of your Pokémon producing an Egg.
Obtain Pokémon with Flame Body or Magma Armor Abilities
It's a known fact that eggs in the natural world need heat in order to hatch, and there's two Pokémon abilities that can greatly speed up the process.
Flame Body (an ability that burns enemy Pokémon on contact) and Magma Armor (an ability that prevents a Pokémon from freezing) both reduce the number of steps needed for an Egg to hatch.
Look for the following Pokémon:
Found in the Grand Underground
- Sandsear Cave
- Typhlo Cavern
- Volcanic Cave
Found in Tall Grass or Cave
- Stark Mountain Entrance
- Stark Mountain Interior
Found in the Grand Underground
- Sandsear Cave
- Typhlo Cavern
- Volcanic Cave
Evolve from Numel at Level 33
Found in Tall Grass or Cave
- Route 227
- Stark Mountain
- Stark Mountain Entrance
- Stark Mountain Interior
Found in the Grand Underground
- Big Bluff Cavern
- Rocky Cave
- Sandsear Cave
- Typhlo Cavern
- Volcanic Cave
Stay tuned for our guide to advanced breeding, for those who want Pokémon with perfect IVs!
There are a total of 28 Unown to be found in the Solaceon Ruins in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. Here's how to catch them all and unlock the Maniac Tunnel.
