Pokemon breeding is a part of gameplay in the Pokemon series that's used for getting Eggs. In Diamond/Pearl, trainers could pay to leave their Pokemon at the Pokemon Day Care. In Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, the Day Care has been replaced with a Nursery. Despite having similar mechanics, there are a few differences.
Those who may want more than one Pokemon of a certain species should use the Nursery. Some Pokemon in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl are extremely rare and tedious to catch. So, it's easier to catch the Pokemon and breed it with another Pokemon of the same Egg Group, or a Ditto.
Where & What is the Pokemon Nursery?
Upon arriving in Hearthome City, trainers will be unable to battle Fantina until they have the third and fourth gym badge. They will then be urged onto Route 209 to reach Veilstone City, but there's one town standing between Hearthome and Veilstone.
The Pokemon Nursery is located in Solaceon Town, which is the first town trainers will arrive in before reaching Veilstone. To get there, take Hearthome City's right exit to reach Route 209. Go north on Route 209 to get to Solaceon Town.
Luckily, the Pokemon Nursery isn't hard to find. It's the house at the northeast of Solaceonnext to a fenced-in area with Pokemon. While the Pokemon Nursery is worth checking out, trainers can also visit the house to the right of the Pokemon Center and receive Heart Scales by completing daily assignments.
Specifically, the Pokemon Nursery will allow trainers to breed two Pokemon of compatible species. Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl players can get Eggs from certain NPCs (the hiker in Hearthome and Riley on Iron Island), but the Nursery is for those who want a specific Pokemon that doesn't exist in the wild, or are just hard to catch.
Inside is the Pokemon Nursery Lady. She will look after a trainer's Pokemon for 500 Pokemon Dollars, or two Pokemon for 1,000 Pokemon Dollars. Unlike the Day Care from previous generations, Pokemon left in the Nursery will not level up or learn new moves. Because of this, it's free of charge when taking Pokemon back from the Nursery.
Getting Pokemon Eggs
Pokemon will breed with another Pokemon if they meet the following criteria:
- One Parent Pokemon must be male, the other must be female.
- OR one Parent Pokemon can be male or female, and the other Parent Pokemon must be Ditto.
- Both Pokemon need to share an Egg Group.
Pokemon that are left at the Nursery and share the same Trainer ID are less likely to produce Eggs. However, getting the Egg Charm from Morimoto on Route 213 (postgame only) increases the chance of Pokemon Eggs appearing at the Pokemon Nursery.
Speak to the Pokemon Nursery Man standing outside the Nursery to check the status of the Pokemon or to pick up an Egg (if one is available). If he says "The two prefer to play with other Pokemon more than with each other", then the Pokemon will not produce an Egg. This occurs if the Pokemon are the same gender, don't have compatible Egg Groups, or are both Ditto.
Pokemon will produce more Eggs if they are the same species and have different Trainer IDs. However, as long as two Pokemon share an Egg Group, they will still produce Eggs, but the possibilities are much lower.
Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Pokemon Shining Pearl are available now on Nintendo Switch.
