Why doesn’t Pokémon Legends: Arceus have breeding and eggs?

Breeding in the Pokémon series started in Generation II or Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal. It, along with held items, has been a mechanic in the game ever since. This was mainly used to obtain Basic or Baby Pokémon but is removed entirely in Pokémon Legends: Arceus. There has been no real explanation from the game developer, but there is a lot of speculation as to why this may be the case.

The Story

Pokémon Legends: Arceus is the earliest Pokémon game in terms of setting, taking place before the Sinnoh Region was established. Many characters are afraid of Pokémon and are only just raising and caring for them. Additionally, Pokémon being used in work becomes normalized. This can be seen with Mr. Mime in Request 21: Back Alley Mr. Mime that helps guard the front gate and whatever Pokémon players give the farmers during Request 27: Help Wanted: Plowing the Fields.

Many things are still left unknown to the people of Jubilife Village, and many of the game's Requests have the player filling up a Pokémon's Pokédex entry and showing it to people who are curious about it. The best example of this is Request 30: A Beautiful Rose, where Berra wants nothing more than to know about Roselia, only to be taken aback that the Pokémon is a Poison Type and can be very dangerous to touch.

Generation II

The Pokédex not being as widely accessible could also explain the absence of breeding in the game because there is no real way of knowing what Egg Group a Pokémon belongs to. In Pokémon Legends: Arceus, Pastures house all the Pokémon that the player catches and is usually filled with much more than just two Pokémon at a time. In previous games, Day Cares would take two Pokémon at a time and would still be surprised when a Pokémon Egg would appear.

In Generation II, characters are still researching Pokémon Eggs as well. Mr. Pokémon and Professor Elm task the player to find out the secret to Pokémon Eggs, and it is only after Professor Elm researches the Pokémon Egg and gives it back to the player that he discovers it will hatch when carried with a party of Pokémon. By the time the player reaches the Day Care, Pokémon Breeding is introduced as a new mechanic that people can then use to get Pokémon like Cleffable, Elekid, and Pichu.

Generation IV in the timeline takes place relatively late. Even though Generation II happens several years after Generation 1, it doesn't make much sense that Pokémon Legends: Arceus to have breeding if no one knows about it for several hundreds of years.

Related: How to get a full moon in Pokémon Legends: Arceus

Mechanics

One of the main reasons that players breed Pokémon depends on which game they are playing and what available options there are in each Generation.

Shiny Breeding

Players breeding Pokémon in hopes of hatching a Shiny version of the Pokémon has been a mechanic since Generation II. It had a much higher chance of happening in those games and would lower considerably in Generations following it. In Pokémon Legends: Arceus, there is an abundance of Pokémon living in their natural habitat. Not only that, but the Mass Outbreaks of Pokémon occur regularly, giving players ample time to Shiny Hunt for a specific Pokémon.

In Generation III, a Pokémon's Nature could be passed down to its offspring if they held an Everstone. After several Eggs, players can get a Shiny Pokémon with their desired Nature. Shiny Pokémon in Pokémon Legends: Arceus are extremely easy to farm for because of how many Pokémon appear on screen at a time. The time saved while Shiny Hunting is reduced considerably because players don't have to continuously battle Pokémon. The rates for finding a Shiny also increase when a Pokémon has a Pokédex Research Level of 10 and are reduced even further during a Mass Outbreak or with a Shiny Charm.

Breeding For Abilities

With the removal of Abilities, Pokémon Legends: Arceus is simplified, and the need to breed Pokémon for their other Ability and Hidden Ability is removed along with it. Generation V allowed players to pass on the Hidden Ability of female Pokémon to their offspring. While this mechanic could be useful for some Pokémon with strong Hidden Abilities like Ninetails with Drought, there is no need for it in the game.

Breeding For IVs

Individual Values, or IVs, are a hidden stat in previous Pokémon games that range from 0 to 31 in the mainline games and 0 to 15 in Pokémon GO. Breeding Pokémon to get a better range of IVs was possible when breeding a Pokémon holding a Destiny Knot. This would pass down three of the Pokémon's IVs to its offspring and could effectively be used to get a Pokémon with maximum Individual Values.

Pokémon Legends: Arceus removes Individual Values entirely, focusing on Effort Levels to maximize a Pokémon's stat's effectiveness. Farming for Grit doesn't take much time and can be done by fighting Alpha Pokémon or releasing large amounts of Pokémon in Pastures. This evens the playing field and makes it, so players don't have to worry about any hidden stats and be confident knowing that the strength of their Pokémon relies entirely on them.

Related: How to get Grit quickly in Pokémon Legends: Arceus

Breeding For Natures

Natures of Pokémon decide on which two stats are increased and decreased by 10 percent. Natures could pause in Generation III and onward if the parent Pokémon held an Everstone. With the removal of all the other systems in place, this is basically useless within Pokémon Legends: Arceus because of the abundance of Pokémon found and the lack of Egg Group information. To get a Nature that the player desires, they just have to keep catching their desired Pokémon until they find a Nature they like.

For more Pokémon guides, check out Where to find Hisuian Zorua in Pokémon Legends: Arceus on Pro Game Guides.