Let’s be real for a second. You’ve probably spent hours hatching eggs or wandering around the Great Crater of Paldea, hoping that one specific Charcadet or Sprigatito finally shows up with its best kit. It’s frustrating. You see people on the ladder with Protean Meowscarada or Unaware Dirge, and you’re stuck with a starter that has a standard ability that doesn't do much in a competitive setting. Learning how to get hidden ability Pokemon Scarlet isn't just about luck anymore. In the old days, you had to wait for a special event or a weird Dream World mechanic, but in Gen 9, the rules have changed.
The game doesn't explicitly tell you where these things are. It’s kinda tucked away behind layers of RNG and high-level endgame content. If you're looking for a shortcut, there really isn't one that doesn't involve some serious elbow grease—or at least a very lucky raid drop.
The Tera Raid Shortcut: Where Hidden Abilities Actually Live
Most players assume you can just catch a random Lechonk in the wild and it might have its Hidden Ability. Nope. That's not how it works in Scarlet and Violet. Wild encounters are locked to standard abilities unless there is a very specific event running.
The primary source for these rare traits is the Tera Raid Den. But not just any den. If you’re hitting 1-star or 2-star raids, you’re basically wasting your time if your goal is an HA (Hidden Ability). You need to be looking at 4-star, 5-star, and 6-star raids.
Specifically, 6-star raids are the gold standard. These unlock after you finish the Ace Academy Tournament and beat a handful of 5-star raids across the map. When you finally get that call from Jacq warning you about the "black crystals," that's your signal. These high-tier raids have a high probability of featuring a Pokemon with its Hidden Ability already active.
Think about it this way: a 6-star Dragonite in a raid is almost certainly going to have Multiscale rather than Inner Focus. If you catch it, it keeps that ability. This is the most "organic" way to build a collection without burning through rare items.
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Why Ability Patches are the Real MVP
If you already have a Shiny Pokemon or a 6-IV beast that happens to have the wrong ability, you aren't stuck. You need an Ability Patch. Don't confuse this with the Ability Capsule.
The Capsule swaps between two standard abilities. If your Pokemon only has one standard ability, the Capsule does literally nothing. The Patch is the legendary item that "unlocks" the Hidden Ability.
Honestly, getting these is a massive pain. They are rare drops from 6-star and 7-star raids. We're talking a drop rate that feels like it's hovering around 1% to 5% depending on the event. During the 7-star Unrivaled Charizard or Mewtwo events, these were a bit easier to come by, but in the day-to-day grind? You'll be doing a lot of raiding before you see that purple-ish icon pop up in your rewards screen.
How to Get Hidden Ability Pokemon Scarlet Through Breeding
So, you finally got your hands on one Pokemon with a Hidden Ability. Now what? Most people want a whole team. This is where the breeding mechanics come in, and Paldea's picnic system is actually surprisingly efficient for this.
Here is the thing about breeding for HAs: the female Pokemon has a roughly 60% chance to pass down her Hidden Ability to the offspring. If you are breeding a male Pokemon with a Hidden Ability, it must breed with a Ditto to pass that ability down. If you breed a male HA Pokemon with a female standard ability Pokemon of the same species, the babies will never have the Hidden Ability. It’s a quirk of Pokemon genetics that has persisted for several generations now.
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- Female HA Pokemon + Male Anyone: 60% chance for HA.
- Male HA Pokemon + Ditto: 60% chance for HA.
- Male HA Pokemon + Female Standard: 0% chance for HA.
It’s easy to mess this up during a picnic. You set up your sandwiches, wait for the eggs to fill the basket, and then realize 20 minutes later that you used the wrong parent. Always double-check the "Summary" screen before you start the timer.
The Role of Ability Capsules vs. Patches
I see this mistake a lot on Reddit and Discord. Someone uses an Ability Patch to get a Hidden Ability, then decides they want the standard ability back.
In previous games, this was a one-way street. Once you went Hidden, you couldn't go back. But in Scarlet and Violet, you can actually use an Ability Patch again to revert a Pokemon from its Hidden Ability back to its standard one. It’s expensive, and honestly, a bit of a waste of a rare item, but the option exists.
The Mystery Gift and Event Loophole
Sometimes, the easiest way to learn how to get hidden ability Pokemon Scarlet is to just wait for Game Freak to give them away. Throughout 2024 and 2025, several Mystery Gift codes have provided starters with their HAs.
For example, connecting your game to Pokemon HOME for the first time usually triggers a gift of the three Paldean starters—Sprigatito, Fuecoco, and Quaxly—all with their Hidden Abilities unlocked. This is by far the easiest way to get Meowscarada with Protean, which is essential if you want to be even remotely competitive in the Master Ball tier of Ranked Battle Stadium.
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Also, keep an eye on the Poke Portal news. 7-star "Mightiest Mark" raids are guaranteed to have the Hidden Ability. When the Decidueye or Samurott raids come back around, those are your best opportunities to catch a perfect specimen that you can then breed for a whole box of HA babies.
Practical Tips for the HA Hunt
Don't just run into every den you see. Look for the dens that have a high "star" rating and focus on Pokemon that actually benefit from their HAs.
- Check the Serebii or Bulbapedia database. Some Pokemon have Hidden Abilities that are actually worse than their standard ones. Don't waste a Patch on something that doesn't need it.
- Use the sandwich power. While sandwiches don't increase the "drop rate" of an Ability Patch directly, "Raid Power" sandwiches increase the number of reward slots you get at the end of a raid. More slots = more chances for a Patch to appear.
- Trade with the community. Most long-term players have boxes full of "breedjects"—Pokemon with 5 IVs and a Hidden Ability that they didn't need because it wasn't a Shiny. Check the Link Trade codes or dedicated Discord servers.
The Delibird Presents Myth
Some early guides claimed you could buy Ability Patches at Delibird Presents after beating the game. This is false. You can buy Ability Capsules for 100,000 Poke Dollars once you've progressed far enough, but Patches remain strictly a raid drop or a high-level reward. If you're looking to spend money to solve your HA problem, you're out of luck. You have to earn these.
The most effective way to secure these abilities is to build a dedicated "Raid Slayer" Pokemon. Get yourself a Level 100 Iron Hands or an Azumarill with Belly Drum. Max out their EVs. Once you can solo 5-star and 6-star raids, the Ability Patches will eventually start flowing. It's a grind, but in the current state of Pokemon Scarlet, it's the only way to ensure your team has the competitive edge needed for high-level play.
Focus on unlocking 6-star raids by completing the post-game tournament and Jacq's subsequent requests. Once those black dens appear on your map, your access to Hidden Abilities becomes a matter of "when" rather than "if." Start with the Pokemon HOME connection to get your starters, then hit the dens for everything else.