Pokemon Gold and Silver - Breeding Guide

Introduction

Breeding is a new feature in Pokémon Gold and Silver. You can breed your Pokémon to get new Pokémon that can learn moves it cannot naturally learn.

The Daycare Center in Route 34 is where you go to breed your Pokémon. To start breeding, give a male Pokémon to the old man and a female Pokémon to the old woman (or vice-versa). If the conditions are right, the two Pokémon will mate, and you'll get an egg.

There are certain factors that determine what Pokémon you will get from the egg, or whether you'll get an egg at all.

Can Your Pokémon Breed?

The first step in the breeding process is to determine whether or not your two Pokémon can actually mate (be compatible) with one another. You can find out how below.

A basic guide to follow is to match Pokémon with either the same species or ones with the same icon shown under the Pokémon entry on the menu. Any Pokémon you can breed can be bred with Ditto (if in doubt). You can't, however, breed two Ditto.

Note also that only Pokémon of different genders (sexes) will breed.

See the Breeding Compatibility guide.

How Long Will They Breed?

The next step is to find out how long you should wait before you get an egg. First, take a number that we'll call X.

Pokémon	Message	X
Same Species, Different ID	It appears to care for [name].	254
Same Species, Same ID	It's friendly with [name].	177
Different Species, Different ID	It's friendly with [name].	128
Different Species, Same ID	It shows interest in [name].	51
Incompatible	It has no interest in [name].	0
Relatives (can't get an egg)	It's brimming with energy.	255

The game checks if the Pokemon are compatible before checking whether they are relatives.

After you give the old man and woman your Pokémon, the waiting begins. Here's how it works.

1. A random number is chosen from 1 through 255, which we'll call Y. Every step you take, Y is decreased by 1.
2. When Y reaches 0, another random number from 1 through 255 is picked, which we'll call Z.
3. If Z is lower than X then you will get an egg. If not, then step 1 is repeated.

Basically, the greater X is, the shorter you'll have to wait before you get an egg.

Egg Hatching

After you get your egg, an amount of time should pass before it hatches. Actually, you must walk a certain amount of steps before your Pokémon will hatch.

Pokémon	Number
Magikarp	1,280
Pichu, Cleffa, Igglybuff, Togepi	2,560
Caterpie, Weedle, Pidgey, Rattata, Spearow, Zubat, Geodude, Sentret, Hoothoot, Ledyba, Spinarak	3,840
Any Pokémon not listed.	5,120
Onix, Mr. Mime, Scyther, Pinsir, Misdreavus, Heracross, Mantine, Skarmory, Tyrogue, Smoochum, Elekid, Magby	6,400
Omanyte, Kabuto	7,680
Eevee, Aerodactyl	8,960
Chansey, Lapras, Snorlax, Dratini, Larvitar	10,240

Actually the game stores the number of steps as a single byte (divide by 256). When you get the egg, a variable, X, is set to this byte. Every 256 steps, X is subtracted by 1. When X reaches 0, the egg will hatch.

Messages

• FF-29h: This EGG needs a lot more time to hatch. 10,241 through 65,280 Steps
• 28-0Bh Wonder what's inside? It needs more time, though. 2,561 through 10,240 Steps
• 0A-06h It moves around inside sometimes. It must be close to hatching. 1,281 through 2,560 Steps
• 05-00h It's making sounds inside. It's going to hatch soon! 0 through 1,280 Steps

Determining The Baby's Attacks

When the egg hatches, it will be whatever Pokémon species the mother was, in the lowest stage of evolution. The egg hatched will have a loyalty value of 120. An exception is Nidoran(f), whose offspring can be either Nidoran(m) or Nidoran(f).

There are four factors that determine the attacks that the baby will be born with.

1. A baby Pokémon will learn all attacks that it would normally have by Level 5. This will leave open slots for more attacks:

   Slots	Pokémon
   0	Wobbuffet, Girafarig
   1	Venonat, Grimer, Lapras, Porygon, Chinchou, Cleffa, Igglybuff, Hoppip, Snubbull
   2	Any Pokémon not listed goes here.
   3	Sandshrew, Zubat, Oddish, Paras, Poliwag, Abra, Bellsprout, Tentacool, Geodude, Magnemite, Farfetch'd, Voltorb, Lickitung, Kangaskhan, Horsea, Mr. Mime, Pinsir, Magikarp, Aerodactyl, Snorlax, Ledyba, Murkrow, Gligar, Slugma, Swinub, Corsola, Remoraid, Delibird, Stantler, Smeargle, Tyrogue, Magby

2. If both parents know an attack that the baby is able to learn by gaining levels (without evolving), then it'll be born with that attack.
3. Some Pokémon can learn attacks that can only be acquired by breeding, popularly called "egg moves". A list of egg moves is available. If the father knows at least one of these attacks, then the baby will be born with them.
4. In the Crystal version, if the father knows an attack that can be taught to the baby by the Move Tutor, then the baby will know the attack.
5. Finally, if the father knows an attack that the baby could learn by a Gold/Silver TM or HM, then the baby will know the attack.

All baby Pokémon will know at least one attack, but no more than four. If there are more than five moves for it to be born with, attacks will be replaced starting from the top of the list. Also, all Pokémon born from eggs start at Level 5.

The Baby's Stats

The stats of the baby are based on one of its parents. If the baby is female, then the baby uses the father's stats. If the baby is male, then the baby uses the mother's stats.

They are based on the parent's Attack, Defense, Speed and Special Deter Values (DVs).

Stat Calculation

The short form:

• Egg's DV A (ATT|DEF) = (X and F0) + ((ATT|DEF) of parent and 0F)
• Egg's DV B (SPD|SPC) = (Y and F8) + ((SPD|SPC) of parent and 07)
• X and Y are randomly determined.

What's Going On:

• Baby's Attack DV = (X's high byte and F) + (ATK and 0)
(This value decides the baby's gender.)
• Baby's Defense DV = (X's low byte and 0) + (DEF and F)
• Baby's Speed DV = (Y's high byte and F) + (SPD and 0)
• Baby's Special DV = (Y's low byte and 8) + (SPC and 7)

Two Pokémon with the same Defense DVs and with Special DVs that are the same or 8 apart will not breed: "It's brimming with energy!" These include shiny Pokemon.

Here's an example. Ditto has DVs 58A7, X = B6; Y = E9.

Baby's Attack DV = (B and F) + (5 and 0) = B
Or,    Attack DV = (B and F) = B
Baby's Defense DV = (6 and 0) + (8 and F) = 8
Or,    Defense DV = (8 and F) = 8
Baby's Speed DV = (E and F) + (A and 0) = E
Or,    Speed DV = (E and F) = E
Baby's Special DV = (9 and 8) + (7 and 7)
       Special DV =     8     +     7    = F
Thus, the Baby's DVs will be B8EF.

In simple terms:

• Baby's Attack DV: random, from 0 through 15
• Baby's Defense DV: Parent's Defense DV
• Baby's Speed DV: random, from 0 through 15
• Baby's Special DV: (Either 0 or 8, random) + (Parent's Special DV modulo 8)

Who Passes to the Baby?

inherited from...

Situation	Species	Attacks	Stats
Female + Male = Female Baby	Female	Male	Male
Female + Male = Male Baby	Female	Male	Female
Male + Ditto = Baby	Male	Male	Ditto
Female + Ditto = Baby	Female	No one	Ditto
Genderless + Ditto = Baby	Genderless	Genderless	Ditto