Hidden abilities are a very big deal in Pokemon and players can get them in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet if they know where to look. Unfortunately, as is tradition, the games don’t actually make it obvious how to get Pokemon with a hidden ability.
Hidden abilities were added in Pokemon Black & White, adding a new wrinkle to many Pokemon. The trouble is that in some cases, hidden abilities are considerably more powerful than what Pokemon normally have. That trend continues in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet where starter Pokemon Skeledirge and Quaquaval are considerably more powerful with their hidden ability than their regular ability.
Updated on January 25, 2025 by Renri Seong: Hidden Abilities are, as their name indicates, Abilities that Pokemon don't normally have when caught. If you're using Pokemon for competitive gameplay, then you'll probably want it to have its Hidden Ability. However, not every Pokemon's Hidden Ability is better than its regular Ability, so it's up to you to determine which is better. The following guide has been revamped to include updated information regarding Hidden Abilities in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet.
Pokemon Scarlet & Violet: How to Evolve Rookidee into Corviknight
Learn how to evolve Rookidee and where to catch a wild Corviknight in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet.
Hidden Ability in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet
Every Way to Get Hidden Abilities in Scarlet & Violet
Getting a Pokemon with its Hidden Ability isn't easy, but Gen 9's Scarlet & Violet have made it easier compared to past generations. You can get a Pokemon with a Hidden Ability via trading. However, if this is too much work or you don't want to pay for the Nintendo Online Membership, there are ways to get Hidden Abilities without using the Union Circle. In short, Pokemon with Hidden Abilities can be gained the following ways:
- Tera Raids
- Breeding Pokemon with a Hidden Ability
- Ability Patch
3-Star (or Higher) Tera Raids
Once you have three gym badges, you'll start seeing 3-star Tera Raids in Paldea (or Kitakami, if you have the expansion pack). By partaking in 3-star Tera Raids, you may end up battling a Pokemon that has its Hidden Ability. Some Abilities trigger as soon as the raid starts (ex: Eevee's Anticipation), but others may require you to catch the Pokemon and view its summary.
Pokemon in 4/5/6-star Tera Raids also may have their Hidden Ability. There's no way to determine a Hidden Ability, so if there's a Pokemon you want, you'll just have to keep checking the Tera Dens each day.
Breeding Pokemon with Hidden Abilities
Another way to get a Hidden Ability is to breed your Pokemon. You'll need to have both parent Pokemon in your party, one of which will have its Hidden Ability. Then, set up a picnic and check the egg basket by your picnic table.
You can increase the chances of Eggs by making a sandwich with the Egg Power Meal Effect.
Breeding Pokemon to get an offspring with a Hidden Ability is arguably the easiest way to get Hidden Abilities, but there are some things you should keep in mind:
- Let's say you want a Charmander with its Hidden Ability (Solar Power), but your Charizard has its regular Ability (Blaze). You choose to breed this Charizard with a Ditto, which does have a Hidden Ability (Imposter). Unfortunately, even though Ditto has the Hidden Ability, the Charmander hatched from its Eggs will only have Blaze. This is because you're trying to pass down a Hidden Ability that is impossible for Charmander to have (ie: Imposter). However, if Charizard has Solar Power and Ditto has Limber (regular), you might get a Charmander with the Hidden Ability.
- You can't breed Pokemon of the same Egg Group and get a Hidden Ability. This means if you try breeding Charizard (Solar Power) with Baxcalibur to get a Frigibax with Ice Body (hidden), it will have Thermal Exchange (regular) instead. You should stick with breeding Pokemon of the same species, or a Ditto.
Hidden Abilities are also not 100% confirmed for the offspring Pokemon. You may go through several Eggs before you finally get a Pokemon with the desired Hidden Ability.
Use an Ability Patch
Once you unlock 6-star Tera Raids, which you get after clearing the Academy Ace Tournament (postgame), you have a 4.55% chance of getting an Ability Patch if you manage to defeat/catch the raid Pokemon. 6-star Tera Raids appear on the map as black Type icons with a white outline. In the overworld, they appear as black Tera Crystals/Dens.
Ability Patch is similar to an Ability Capsule, but using it on a Pokemon will teach replace its current Ability with its Hidden Ability if it has one. You can also use an Ability Patch on a Pokemon with a Hidden Ability to give it a "regular" Ability. For example: Using an Ability Patch on an Eevee with Anticipation will change its Ability to Run Away or Adaptability.
If you have the expansion pack and manage to catch Terapagos, you can return to Blueberry Academy and speak to Amarys. This will unlock Koraidon/Miraidon's ability to fly. Once you have this, go to Terarium and fly upwards to the giant Tera Orb. On top, you'll find a Gold Bottle Cap, x50 Stellar Tera Shards, and an Ability Patch.
Pokemon Scarlet & Violet: How to Get Wide Lens
The Wide Lens is an item you can give to your Pokemon, but what does it do, and where can you find it?
Are Hidden Abilities Better than Regular Abilities?
Which Hidden Abilities are Worth Getting?
It would be impossible to list every Hidden Ability for each Pokemon in Scarlet/Violet. As a general rule, most Pokemon's Hidden Abilities are better than their regular Abilities. Furthermore, unless you're doing competitive, there's not as much pressure to get a Pokemon with a Hidden Ability for the Scarlet/Violet campaign.
Here are some recommended Hidden Abilities for Pokemon you may use in Scarlet/Violet:
- If you're using a Hisuian Decidueye, then you'll want Scrappy. This will allow it to hit Ghost-type Pokemon with Fighting-type and Normal-type moves.
- Eevee's evolutions, Espeon and Sylveon, have Magic Bounce and Pixilate respectively. Magic Bounce will reflect status moves back at the opponent; Pixilate turns all Normal-type moves (such as Hyper Voice) into Fairy-type moves.
- Torchic, Combusken, and Blaziken have Speed Boost, which elevates their Speed by one stage at the end of each turn.
- Lokix has Tinted Lens as its Hidden Ability. This will increase the damage of its "not very effective" moves.
Hidden Abilities that are arguably worse than a Pokemon's regular Ability are:
- Klutz: The Pokemon cannot use its held item.
- Telepathy: Avoids moves used by ally Pokemon. Useless outside double battles.
- Plus and Minus: Doubles the damage if the ally Pokemon has the opposite Ability. Useless outside double battles.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
- Released
- November 18, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Game Freak
- Franchise
- Pokemon
- Platform(s)
- Switch
- Genre(s)
- RPG
