Do Tera types pass down when breeding in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet? Answered

The 3D Pokémon games all introduced a special battle mechanic that helps make your Pokémon duels a little more exciting. Generation 6 had Mega Evolution, Generation 7 had Z-moves, and Generation 8 had Dynamaxing. Generation 9’s mechanic is the flashy Terastallization, which allows your Pokémon to transform into one specific typing that they normally aren’t. The Pokémon also gets a damage boost if they use a move that’s the same type as their Tera type. Tera Raids allow you to get a wide variety of Terastallized Pokémon. But if you get a Flying-Type Pikachu and breed it, will your Tera type carry over?

Tera types typically take from the primary typing of a Pokémon. For example, a Pawmot, who is Electric / Fighting-type will traditionally be an Electric Tera type Pokémon. However, Tera raids will frequently allow for some wild (and sometimes suboptimal) combos, such as a Fairy-type Lucario or Fire-type Lechonk. As bred Pokémon often possess traits of their parent Pokémon, it’s fair to assume that Tera types may be passed down to their offspring as well.

Unfortunately, this is not the case. If you get a special Dragon-type Mimikyu and breed it, its offspring will not be Dragon-type or have any special Tera typing at all. We tested this using a Ditto and Mabosstiff with a Psychic Tera typing, but after four eggs, none of its offspring were Psychic Tera type. This does highlight the importance of utilizing Tera raids and making sure you get the Tera typing that you want for a particular Pokémon.

However, it’s not impossible for your Pokémon to have a different Tera type than what they were first caught in. Pokémon Scarlet and Violet have a mechanic where you can change a Pokémon’s Tera type. If you want your favorite Pokémon to be a Dragon-type, you don’t have to scavenge different raids for it. Follow this guide to change their typing yourself instead.