Breeding & Eggs
Breed Pokémon in Sword and Shield: find both Nurseries, choose compatible parents, hatch Eggs faster and pass down Natures and IVs.
Leave two compatible Pokémon at either Nursery, then cycle for a while and check back with the attendant outside. Collect the Egg and keep moving with it in your party to hatch it. Each parent costs ₽500 to deposit; collecting Eggs is free.
Published
Nursery locations
| Nursery | Where to go |
|---|---|
| Wild Area Nursery | Eastern Bridge Field |
| Route 5 Nursery | Western Route 5, east of Turffield |
Both Nurseries work the same way. Talk to the helper outside to leave Pokémon or collect Eggs. Pokémon gain no experience here, so the Nursery does not train them or replace moves by leveling up.
Map imagery: MMD port by Desperative · © Nintendo / Creatures / GAME FREAK.
Choose compatible parents
Use a male and female that share an Egg Group, or pair a breedable Pokémon with Ditto. Ditto also works with genderless Pokémon that can breed. Two Ditto never produce an Egg, and Pokémon in the No Eggs Discovered group cannot breed at all, even with Ditto. Baby Pokémon must evolve first.
Ask the attendant how the pair is doing. A poor relationship can still produce Eggs; “prefer to play with other Pokémon” means the pair is incompatible. Waiting longer will not fix that pairing.
Pass down Nature and IVs with Everstone and Destiny Knot
For most projects, give the parent with the Nature you want an Everstone and the other parent a Destiny Knot. IVs are the six hidden stat values, each ranging from 0 to 31.
| Held item | What the Egg inherits |
|---|---|
| Everstone | The holder’s original Nature |
| Destiny Knot | Five distinct stats’ IVs, chosen from either parent |
| Power Weight | HP IV from that item’s holder |
| Power Bracer | Attack IV from that item’s holder |
| Power Belt | Defense IV from that item’s holder |
| Power Lens | Sp. Atk IV from that item’s holder |
| Power Band | Sp. Def IV from that item’s holder |
| Power Anklet | Speed IV from that item’s holder |
Without a Destiny Knot, three IVs are inherited. With it, five are inherited and the sixth is random; five inherited IVs do not guarantee five perfect IVs. If both parents hold Power items, only one holder is chosen at random.
Hyper Training does not change the IVs passed to an Egg. Likewise, a mint changes stat effects, not the original Nature inherited through an Everstone.
Hatch Eggs faster with Flame Body or Steam Engine
Keep one Pokémon with Flame Body, Magma Armor or Steam Engine alongside your Eggs. Carkol has Flame Body or Steam Engine, so either of its regular Abilities works. These Abilities halve hatch cycles; using several does not stack. They speed up hatching, not Egg production.
Leave up to five party slots for Eggs, cycle on the Rotom Bike and check back with the attendant for Eggs. Keep the parents at the Nursery to collect more Eggs while you hatch the first batch.
Transfer an Egg Move without hatching
Two Pokémon of exactly the same species can share an Egg Move at the Nursery. The recipient must have an empty move slot, and the move must be an Egg Move it can learn. Leave the pair together, move around, then check the recipient. No new Egg is needed.
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