Complete Hybrid Breeding Guide

This guide aims to help you understand what hybrids are, the different types, and how to breed them. Let's get started!


What are hybrids?

Hybrids are result of your lionesses breeding with males of another species. Currently there are three types of hybrid mutations: Tigons, Leopons, and Jaglions.




What is a first generation hybrid?

It's critical to understand what a first gen hybrid is as they function differently from their non-first gen counterparts when it comes to breeding.

First generation hybrids are hybrids whose mothers are either NOT a hybrid or NOT the same hybrid as them. In most cases, they are born to ordinary lionesses.

- First generation Jaglions and Leopons will always have an "Unknown" father, while first generation Tigons always descend from an NPC tiger named Ashkarn.
- First gens will also always be denoted within the mutation field on their page, e.g. "Jaglion (First Generation)", "Leopon (First Generation)", and "Tigon (First Generation)".

There are two main ways to breed a hybrid; I will explain the pros and cons of both ways, and you will decide which to take.

1. First Gen Breeding

Did you know that every single breeding you do has a chance of producing a first generation hybrid? That's because first gens are considered a Random Mutation. Random mutations can spontaneously appear without either parent being mutated, e.g. bobbed tail, folded ears, some AMPs, and even lethals. Now of course, the chances of you getting a first gen hybrid from a random breeding are incredibly low, but there are ways to increase those odds.

For this method, you will need to use breeding items that increase the chances of Random Mutations: this includes Cotton Root Barks, Lion Meat, and GMO Cows.

- CRBs are the cheapest and most commonly used item for this method. They cost 1 GB in the Oasis (or you could get lucky and find a CRB'd NCL in explore) and give a small chance of producing mutated offspring. They also stack with the other two items as long as you use the CRB first.
- Lion Meat is the second option for this method. They can be purchased from several event shops, bought from the Gorilla Enclave, or even given as a reward for the "Claim 50 Lionesses" quest. They give a moderate chance of producing mutated offspring.
- Lastly is the GMO Cow. GMO Cows give the greatest chance of producing mutated offspring, but they are expensive and can only be purchased from the January event shop.

If for whatever reason you can not or do not want to use items, then your next best bet would be to breed lionesses with as low fertility levels as possible. The lower a lioness's fertility, the higher her odds are of producing mutations. Keep in mind though that these odds are extremely low.

Most players attempting this method do CRB Projects. CRB projects refer to mass breeding a large amount of lionesses, usually NCLs, under the effect of Cotton Root Barks at the same. These mass breedings can range anywhere from 5 to 500 lionesses.

Pros
- First gen hybrids have an increased chance of passing their mutation. First gen female hybrids have a 10% chance per cub to produce a hybrid, whereas subsequent generations (second and onwards) have a 5% chance per cub.
- First gens are incredibly valuable because of this. If you manage to breed one, you could sell its heats or even the hybrid itself for a hefty sum of GB.
- CRB projects can be fun- you never know what you're going to get.

Cons
- This method is not cheap. Lion Meats and GMO Cows are too costly for mass breeding and CRBs are only worth it using in large quantities.
- The mutation chances from CRBs is very low. Some players have used hundreds of them before every getting anything worthwhile.
- Piebalds and Patches roll before CRBs in the Mutation Roll Order, meaning whatever mutation you could have gotten from the CRB could be lost to a pie/patches pass.

Overall I would NOT recommend this method to new players or players wanting to get a hybrid fast. However, if you're looking for a challenge, breeding a first gen is one of the biggest achievements a Lioden player can accomplish!



2. Breeding From Other Hybrids

All female (non-first gen) hybrids have a 5% chance of passing their mutation. There is NO item that straight up increases this chance; there is, however, the humble Buffalo Scrotum.

Buffalo Scrotums guarantee a minimum of 3 cubs in a litter. Because the hybrid passing chance applies to each cub in a litter, more cubs means more chances of the pass to work. They can be purchased from the February and August event shops.

Buffalo Scrotums are the ONLY "necessary" item when breeding a hybrid. No Lion Meats, no Pennyroyals, no Lion Scrotums, none of these other things will improve the chance of a hybrid passing her mutation. Grain of Paradise is another item that increases the number of cubs in a litter, although it only guarantees 2 instead of 3.

Now some of you might be thinking "how am I supposed to breed a hybrid when I don't have one?" and the answer is you don't need to- other players are always selling hybrid heats year round.

2.5 Mini Hybrid Heat Buying Guide

Most players sell their hybrid heats in the Reverse Breeding forums, although some people raffle them off in Raffles. Their prices vary depending on the female's base, markings, heritage, etc..

You will often have the option to choose between a Full Heat or a Split Heat. Split heats mean you and the heat seller split the litter; you pick the cub you want the most first, then they pick a cub, then you, back and forth until all cubs are claimed. If you only care about getting a hybrid, I recommend doing a split heat because they are cheaper and the chances of multiple hybrids appearing in one litter are very low.

Another option you might have to choose between is Barked or Unbarked/Natural Heats. Barked heats require you to provide 20x Yohimbe Barks; Yohimbe Barks reduce a lioness' breeding cooldown by one day, so with 20 a lioness can be bred multiple times in the same day. Barked heats are very popular in February because the Feb event shop sells them. Because they don't age or take away hybrid's natural heats, many people sell barked split heats for free. Personally, I only recommend buying barked heats outside of February if the hybrid is a first gen and/or the heat is free. Otherwise you're better off selling those Yohimbe Barks.

Pros
- Much more reliable than attempting to breed a first gen from a CRB project.
- Heats are very cheap, or even free, during February. Many players freeze their first gens and breed them only for this month.
- The hybrid owner will be very grateful lol.

Cons
- Dirty hybrid heats usually sell for cheaper so you will have to decide if clean breeding is really worth it.
- You may not have the breeding items on hand, and out of season Buffalo Scrotums and Yohimbe Barks cost a decent bit more than in season.
- Although the chances are better than CRBs, there is a still a chances you can buy multiple heats and have them all fail

Now that I've explained the two main ways of obtaining a hybrid, let me tell you about the secret third way: just buy one.

Like you could just buy one. Right now. Go to the Trading Center. Clean pons are like less than 100 GB. The economy is in shambles. Money isn't real. Just go.