Its officially January 21st, 2020, and already new games are hitting Steam that have the potential to become the next big thing. One of these games, known simply as Temtem, is a Pokemon-like creature collection adventure game, though with a massively multiplayer approach that goes a step further from Pokemon Sword and Shield's Wild Area. The game devs at Crema have poured a ton of effort into ensuring Temtem's mechanics are immersive enough to keep players' attention, which is particularly true when it comes to the mechanics of breeding.
As is the case with anything of depth, its easy for players to find themselves feeling lost when navigating the tides of new game mechanics. But players of Temtem should worry not; the game's breeding system is very accessible to first-time breeders, and will keep them engaged for months and hopefully years to come.
What is Breeding?
After Temtem players have chosen their starting temtem and spent some time adventuring, they will find themselves able to breed their creatures. In Temtem, breeding gives players another avenue to obtain a specific creature. Without getting too far into the details of the 'birds and the bees', so to speak, players looking to breed can begin with two Temtem parents that share a type in order to start breeding them. Once players have two, they can take them to a Temtem breeding center.
Things to consider when breeding Temtems include fertility, Luma (aka coloration & color variations of a species), and inherited moves. If players take these into consideration as they familiarize themselves with breeding, they should be able to tailor-make the Temtem of their dreams. Players should just cross their fingers that the creature doesn't end up a weakling, but then again, looks can be deceiving.
Breeding - What To Expect When Expecting
Breeding has long been a feature within the Pokemon franchise, and it looks like this feature is carrying over to Temtem as well. Naturally when players find themselves expecting a new Temtem, there are some things they should expect. These include expectations around how long it will take to breed, how much it will cost, and a curiosity as to how one should prepare for the breeding experience.
As for duration, when Temtem trainers find themselves breeding two Temtems of the same species, it will typically only take about 15 minutes before the breeding center yields a Temtem egg. However, it should be noted that if the two parents are not of the same species, then trainers will have to wait an extra 10 minutes for their egg, for a combined total of 25 minutes.
Stats & Fertility
Upon completion of a breeding session, Temtems can emerge from the breeding center with a wide range of stats. These stats can come from each of the parents and can result in a mix that can make for a very powerful Temtem. Players looking to ensure the transference of a key stat from parent to child will need to utilize DNA strand items. Mastering this practice will allow players to breed some truly powerful Temtems.
As for the math of Temtem genetics, the offspring has a 40% chance of inheriting the stats of a higher level parent, a 40% chance of getting an average of the stats between both parents, and finally a 20% chance of getting the lower level parent's stats. However, it should be noted that not every Temtem will be capable of breeding. This is because each Temtem comes with a fertility score, which will gives Temtem players an idea of how many eggs they'll be able to obtain before the Temtem in question can no longer reproduce.
This is all influenced by the fact that when two Temtems are placed into the breeding center together, the resulting offspring will have a fertility score that is influenced by the lowest level parent. Temtems lose one fertility when they breed. Therefore, if the lowest parent has a fertility score of six, then the resulting baby will hatch with a Fertility score of four.
But fertility isn't all Temtems can inherit from their parents within this massively multiplayer universe. Similar to the Pokemon universe, Temtems can inherit moves from their parents. This can be utilized to teach Temtems moves that they normally wouldn't be capable of learning, at least naturally. Therefore, understanding the breeding process can be utilized to create the perfect Temtem, complete with the right stats, plenty of fertility, and the best moves the game has to offer.
Luma Temtems
Colors matter, and when it comes to breeding Temtems, this rule holds especially true. Luma are shiny Temtem, and similarly to the shiny legendary Pokemon can be found prancing around proudly with their colorful, glittery and dazzling coats, showing off their beauty in a way that will make Temtem players eager to capture that gene and replicate it across their Temtem lineup. As for the probability of obtaining a Luma Temtem, the odds of a bred Temtem hatching as a Luma is roughly one in 6,000.
Though if players seek to breed a Luma Temtem, the chance of a resulting Temtem hatching as a Luma increases to 10%, which is substantial. If players are lucky enough to find themselves with two Luma Temtems, then the odds of the hatchling being a Luma skyrockets to 100%. However, with such beautiful art direction, Temtem players should have no problem snatching and breeding a beautiful creature.
Temtem will launch on Steam for early access starting January 21, 2020.