Pokemon Scarlet & Violet changed a lot when it comes to breeding and raising Pokemon, but one thing that stayed the same is the Destiny Knot. The held item is technically meant to be used in battle, but serves a second purpose that makes valuable to the point where everyone should make sure to get it.
Breeding in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet does away with daycare centers and instead funnels everything through picnics. This shakes things up in a big way, but not everything about breeding is going to be unfamiliar to veterans of the series.
The Destiny Knot remains a vital ingredient in the breeding formula. Here is where to find the item in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, and what it actually does.
Where to Get Destiny Knot
Players can purchase a Destiny Knot from the Delibird Presents shop in Mesagoza. The item is the last option available in the Battle Items section and costs $20,000 to purchase.
The item isn’t made immediately available. Players need to complete a certain number of objectives, such defeating gym leaders, in order to have the item come available at Delibird Presents. Once it’s available, players can buy as many as they would like. But given its relatively limited use in battle, players will likely be able to get by with just one.
What Does Destiny Knot Do in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet?
Destiny Knot serves two completely different purposes. In battle, it serves as a counter to the infatuation status effect. If the Pokemon holding a Destiny Knot becomes infatuated, the Pokemon it is infatuated with also becomes infatuated. Infatuation can be debilitating in battle, but is rare to the point that it doesn’t need to be countered.
What makes Destiny Knot a valuable item is its effect when breeding. If a Pokemon is holding a Destiny Knot when breeding, its offspring will inherit more IVs from its parents than it normally would. IVs are hidden statistics that determine how strong a Pokemon is in battle, with these statistics varying between each Pokemon.
Normally, bred Pokemon will receive three IVs assigned to random stats from their parents. If one of the parents is holding a Destiny Knot, the eggs will instead inherit five IVs from their parents.
This allows players to breed battle-ready Pokemon with little trouble. Players can cycle in Pokemon with higher IV totals to eventually receive a Pokemon that has stats that are optimal for battle. When breeding two Pokemon with perfect IVs and one holding a Destiny Knot, players effectively have a one-in-six chance of breeding another Pokemon with perfect IVs. While Hyper Training makes getting max IVs easier, there is still plenty of value in breeding powerful Pokémon.
Pokemon Scarlet & Violet are available now on Nintendo Switch.