Read this guide to understand all abilities and their effects in Pokemon Sword and Shield. Including info on what abilities are, how to breed and get hidden abilities!!!
Table of Contents
What Are Abilities?
The following article is based on previous generation games. It will be updated as soon as more information on Sword and Shield is released!
Each Pokemon Has An Ability
Every Pokemon has at least one ability & it cannot be changed unless it evolves or uses a special item.
Some Abilities Activate When Not In Battle
Most abilities activate during battle but some activate when you are in the overworld as well.
▼Examples Of Abilities
| Ability | Effect |
|---|---|
| Pickup | The Pokémon may pick up items. |
| Illuminate | Raises the likelihood of meeting wild Pokémon. |
| Blaze | Powers up Fire-type moves when the Pokémon is in trouble. |
There Are Normal & Hidden Abilities
A Pokemon's ability is determined from a maximum of 3 possible abilities. A Pokemon will have one or two normal abilities and 0 or 1 hidden ability.
Some Abilities Change After Evolving
Some Pokemon's normal ability changes when they evolve.
Use An Ability Capsule To Change Ability
In previous generations, A Pokemon's normal ability could be altered by using an item called an Ability Capsule. Note that you cannot get hidden abilities with this method.
What Are Hidden Abilities?
Play Raid Battle For Hidden Ability
▲Corviknight's "Mirror Armor" was confirmed to be a Hidden Ability!!!
Hidden Abilities cannot be obtained by simply catching wild Pokemon. Only way you get pokemon with hidden ability is to catch dynamax pokemon in Max Raid Battle.
Hidden Ability = Dream World Ability?
Some people refer to hidden abilities as "Dream World Abilities". The origin of this term comes from Pokemon Black & White. There was a service called Dream World where hidden abilities could be obtained. This service is no longer available.
Recommended Hidden Abilities
Some hidden abilities are very useful during the battle. See the link below for the list of strong hidden abilities and how to get them.
Click To See List Of Recommended Hidden AbilitiesHow To Get Hidden Abilities? - Farming Guide
Play Raid To Get Hidden Ability
Pokemon you catch in Max Raid Battle sometimes have a hidden ability. For example, the picture above is a Toxapex with its hidden ability "Regenerator". Normal wild Toxapex only have Merciless or Limber, so if you want Regenerator, you'll need to catch it in a raid battle. The female parent with hidden ability can pass it down by breeding with any Pokemon in the same egg group.
Inherit Hidden Ability With Breeding
Hidden Abilities have a chance to get passed down to the egg if the parent Pokemon has one. Note that male parents with a hidden ability need to be bred with Ditto in order to inherit his hidden ability.
Trade With Other Player
Because the Hidden Ability will be inherited, fastest way to get the hidden ability is to trade with other player who already have it.
Will Abilities Be Inherited?
Abilities Are Likely To Be Inherited From Female Parents
When you leave two Pokemon of the same egg group in the Nursery, the ability of the female parent is more likely to be inherited. When using Ditto for breeding, the ability of the non-Ditto parent is more likely to be inherited.
Hidden Abilities Can Be Inherited
When the Parent Pokemon has a hidden ability, you have a chance to inherit that hidden ability when breeded.
