How To Get the Rose Incense in Pokémon Platinum

The Rose Incense is located on the ground Route 212. You can get to it by traveling just a short distance to the south of Hearthome City. But you will need a Pokémon that can use Surf to reach the incense’s exact location.

The Rose Incense is a Held Item with a couple uses:

If held by a Pokémon in battle, it boosts Grass-type moves by 20%
Outside of battle, you can use it during Pokémon breeding to produce Budew Eggs

Rose Incense Location (Step-by-Step)

The Rose Incense’s location on the Town Map.

The Rose Incense is found by crossing a small pond on Route 212. This route is south of Hearthome City’s southwestern entrance gate.

You will also need the Hidden Move Surf to cross the pond and reach the Rose Incense.

This means you won’t be able to collect the incense until after visiting Celestic Town and receiving HM03.

But whenever you’re ready to go after the incense, just Fly to Hearthome City and head south from the Pokémon Center.

Heading south from Hearthome City’s Pokémon Center.

Turn eastward at the green-roofed Poffin House on the corner.

Turning east at the Poffin House.

Then turn south again at the Fisherman NPC and follow along with the path here.

Circling around to the southwest.

Go all the way to the southwest corner of town where you should see two city gates.

Take the south gate to reach Route 212.

Exiting Hearthome City through the southwest gate.

On the other side of the gate, continue south on Route 212.

Heading south on Route 212.

Eventually some trees will split the path up a little bit.

Keep to the right until you reach a pond on the right-hand side, then circle around it.

Skirting the pond.

Keep going south until you reach the next pond (this should be to the west of the Pokémon Mansion).

Use Surf on the pond here to reach the Poké Ball on the ground in the grassy enclosure that’s blocked off by bushes.

This Poké Ball item has the Rose Incense.

Using Surf to reach the Rose Incense.

Obtaining the Rose Incense.

Note: This is the only Rose Incense you can get in Pokémon Platinum.

Using the Rose Incense

In-game description of the Rose Incense.

Uses In Battle

The Rose Incense is a Held Item that boosts the power of Grass-type moves by 20%. This means it has an effect identical to the Miracle Seed.

The incense is especially useful for Grass-type Pokémon that can take advantage of the bonus STAB damage.

But there are other items that boost power beyond the 20% afforded by the Rose Incense.

For example, the Life Orb will boost the power of all moves by 30%, regardless of type, but it sucks 10% of the holder’s maximum HP whenever they use a damaging attack.

The Choice Band and Choice Specs also boost power by a staggering 50%, but lock the holder into only using the first move chosen in battle.

While the Rose Incense pales in comparison as an in-battle Hold Item, it’s significantly safer and easier to use strategically than the Life Orb or Choice Items.

If you have a Grass-type Pokémon that direly needs to carry something, you could do worse than the Rose Incense.

Uses Outside of Battle

You can use the Rose Incense to breed a baby Budew at the daycare.

Here’s how it works:

Give the Rose Incense to any of these breeding pairs:

Two Roselias/Roserades of opposite genders
A Roselia/Roserade and a Ditto
Or any Pokémon from Roselia’s Egg Group + a Roselia/Roserade

When these Pokémon are placed in the Solaceon Day Care, giving one Roselia/Roserade the Rose Incense to hold can result in the Pokémon producing Eggs containing Budew, Roselia’s pre-evolution form.

Giving the Rose Incense to Roserade.

Getting Budew Eggs

Once a Pokémon is holding the Rose Incense, take both parents to the Day Care in Solaceon Town, northwest of the Pokémon Center.

Heading northwest of the Solaceon Town Pokémon Center.

Entering the Solaceon Day Care Center.

Give both of your Pokémon to the Day-Care Lady at the front desk.

Checking Roserade into the Day Care.

Then leave and travel around the overworld for a while.

After a bit, return to the Day Care and speak to the Day-Care Man outside. If your Pokémon have made an Egg then he will give it to you.

Receiving an Egg from the Day-Care Man.

You can also check your Pokémon’s Egg status on the Day-Care Checker Pokétch App screen, which will display a picture of an Egg if one is produced.

An Egg notification in the Day-Care Checker App.

To hatch an Egg, you have to carry it in your party while you take a certain number of steps.

For hatching Budew eggs, you’ll need between 5,140 and 5,396 steps in total for them to hatch.

But if you have a Pokémon in your party with the Flame Body or Magma Armor Abilities then that number will be halved.

Hatching a Budew.

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Nelson Chitty

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Nelson Chitty is a Venezuelan expat living in Argentina. He’s a writer and translator passionate about history and foreign cultures. His ideal weekend is spent between leisurely playing games of Civilization VI and looking for the next seinen anime to marathon.

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