By leaving a female and male Pokemon of a compatible species at the Daycare center, there’s a chance they will produce a Pokemon Egg. Hatching Eggs in Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl isn’t any different from previous core Pokemon games, and some methods can speed up the Hatching Process.

Updated February 28, 2022 by Renri Seong: Obtaining and hatching Eggs is a preferred method of getting more than one Pokemon without having to look for them in the wild. Additionally, some Pokemon in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl can only be obtained via Eggs, such as Riolu. Receiving Eggs requires players to leave compatible Pokemon at the Nursery, and speaking to the Nursery Man outside to receive an Egg. While there’s only one way to hatch eggs in BDSP, there’s a way to speed up the hatching process. The following guide has been updated to include more information about Egg Cycles and Egg Moves.

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The Normal Method of Hatching Pokemon Eggs

Typically, Pokemon Eggs hatch after a certain amount of steps is taken in-game. One species, such as a Pichu, takes 2560 steps to hatch, while starter Pokemon such as Piplup can take 5120 steps. Unlike Pokemon GO, trainers cannot stick Eggs into an incubator and will need to have at least one slot open in their party. Therefore, the best way to hatch Eggs is by having a long path to walk/bike up and down.

If trainers are leaving Pokemon at the Daycare and still not getting any Eggs, they should consider replacing one of the Pokemon with a Ditto. A faster way to increase the Egg output at a Daycare is by breeding Pokemon with different Trainer IDs. A third option is to use the Oval Charm, obtained after beating the Elite Four.

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Hatching Pokemon Eggs with Modifiers

Pokemon always come with different Abilities. These Abilities have an effect both in and outside of battle. One example is Flame Body, which occasionally inflicts Burn if the Attacker makes contact. However, outside battle, this Ability is an asset in hatching Pokemon Eggs.

Pokemon in Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl that have the Flame Body ability are Magmar, Magmortar, Slugma, Magcargo, Ponyta, Rapidash, and Camerupt. Keep in mind that Flame Body is a Hidden Ability for Ponyta, Rapidash, and Camerupt. Meanwhile, Flame Body is a natural ability (or second Ability) for Magmar/Magmortar and Slugma/Magcargo.

To use Flame Body outside of battle, have the Flame Body-Pokemon in the party with the Egg. This will “incubate” the Egg and decrease the number of steps needed to hatch the Egg. Even if the Pokemon with Flame Body faints, the Ability will still work.

Those that aren’t in any rush to hatch Pokemon Eggs can simply hatch them the normal way. Someone who’s looking to Shiny Hunt and looking to fill their entire team with Pokemon Eggs should try this strategy.

Lastly, a good place to hatch in Sinnoh is Cycling Road. This is a long bridge over Route 206 between Eterna City and Route 207. It’s recommended to battle all the trainers beforehand, so they don’t interrupt the trainer going from one end of the bridge to the other.

Checking Egg Cycles in BDSP

Since each Pokemon has a different Egg Cycle, it’s hard to determine how many steps it takes for the Egg to hatch. Players can check the Egg Cycle by going into their Party and opening the Egg’s Summary. Go to the second tab, and look under “The Egg Watch.”

In Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, an Egg Cycle is 257 steps. So, a newly-received Pokemon Egg will require trainers to walk anywhere from 11-40 Egg Cycles. While “The Egg Watch” gives an estimation of how close the Egg is to hatching, it, unfortunately, does not display the exact number of Egg Cycles the Egg has left.

Legendary Pokemon like Dialga and Palkia have an Egg Cycle of 120. This means it takes them 30720 steps to hatch. While Dialga and Palkia Eggs aren’t obtainable in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, they were a part of the Arceus event in Heart Gold & Soul Silver, giving them an Egg Cycle. By comparison, the Pokemon with the lowest Egg Cycle is Magikarp, with an Egg Cycle of 5 and 1280 steps.

Egg Moves

Every Pokemon are a part of one or two Egg Groups. So long as the two parent Pokemon share an Egg Group, they can breed with one another. This means unlikely pairs of Pokemon are capable of having offspring. Muk is part of the Amorphous Group, and so is Gardevoir. Therefore, Muk and Gardevoir can breed to have a Grimer or Ralts Egg depending on the parent. If the Gardevoir is female, then the offspring will be Ralts; if Muk is female, it will be Grimer instead.

Sometimes, especially in competitive play, a Pokemon will know a move that it can’t learn by leveling or TM. This is most likely an Egg Move, which can only be passed down through the male parent. For example, Cynthia’s Milotic knows the move Mirror Coat, which Milotic can’t learn. However, Corsola, who shares an Egg Group with Milotic, can learn Mirror Coat. By breeding a male Corsola with a female Milotic or Feebas, the offspring Feebas will inherit the Egg Move.

Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Pokemon Shining Pearl are available now on Nintendo Switch.

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