How to Get Hidden Abilities in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

Hidden Abilities were introduced back in Generation V as a new alternative passive for many of the existing Pokemon, allowing some of them to be used in many new different, and innovative ways. Gen V is often regarded as having an excellent competitive scene and this feature was surely one of the reasons. 

But as the name implies, they’re always somewhat elusive when it comes to obtaining them, forcing you to go out of your way to get them. In case you’ve been looking for those, this is what you need to do for getting Hidden Abilities in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet.

How to Get Hidden Abilities in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

No ordinary Pokemon will have its Hidden Ability unlocked when you catch it, but you can give it to them by using an Ability Patch. If the species has a Hidden Ability available, this item will grant it immediately.

You can check a Pokemon’s ability by hovering it in the menu and selecting Check Summary > Moves and Stats. 

Related: How to Change Rotom Forms in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

You can also get them through breeding. As with other generations, the offspring of any Pokemon that has its Hidden Ability unlocked has a chance of having it itself. This is not 100% guaranteed for every egg it produces, but it does come in handy for getting Hidden Abilities easier.

Where to find Ability Patches in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

Ability Patches are rewarded for completing the 6-star special Tera Raid Battles you find across Paldea. Those are quite rare, so you might need to fight a few battles before you’re finally awarded your desired ability-changing item. 

Be aware that those same Battles also net you the Ability Capsules, which are similar in effect but essentially serve a different proposal. Some Pokemon can have two different Abilities (excluding the Hidden one), and the Capsule lets you freely change them. You cannot use it to remove a Hidden Ability.

And that’s it for the Hidden Abilities in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. If you’re adventuring into Tera Raids for getting them, you may be wondering how to use those Tera Shards you got, or how to get a Ditto for breeding Hidden Abilities in the future, and we got you covered on these issues here on Prima Games.

Related: Pokémon Scarlet and Violet: How to make a Dragon Shiny Sandwich (via PC Invasion)