TYPES OF KOI 1: progressive - starting with https://zenkoi2.fandom.com/wiki/Inazuma you gradually unlock new patterns by playing. it's the only kind you cannot receive from others unless you've unlocked the pattern already. there is total of 30 of these right now.

2: premium - these need to be purchased (or gifted). typically there are 2-3 new released per month and available in store. there's hundreds of these out there.

3: seasonal - reflect IRL events (new year, Christmas etc.). Old patterns typically come back in their 'season', but new ones also get added. Their presence alters the pond's appearance. You can get them by swimming with a progressive Koi and breeding. Koi that are out of season can either be gifted or unlocked by collecting Ascension Seals and then bought in shop, but that's quite expensive.

4: daily reward fish - every month (~30 daily logins) you get a free mystery Koi. there's (shockingly) 12 of these and they can also be gifted. It takes ~20-24 hours of gameplay to Ascend a full set. That does not take into the account time required to get all the Koi, which can be pretty hard without trading.

• Uraxor [Inactive]

/////////////////////////////////////////////// RARITY Rarity increases your chance of breeding a rare hatchling. Each point of rarity increases your chance by 2% for a maximum increase of 20%.

If you are swimming a rare fish and the mate is a rare, you have a 100% chance of breeding a rare hatchling regardless of your rarity points.

If you are swimming a rare fish and the mate is a common fish, you have an 8% base chance of breeding a rare hatchling. This is modified by 2% for each point of rarity for maximum of a 28% chance of breeding a rare hatchling.

If you are swimming a common fish and the mate is a rare, you have an 80% base chance of breeding a rare hatchling. This is modified by 2% for each point of rarity for a maximum of a 100% chance of breeding a rare hatchling.

If you are swimming a common fish and the mate is a common, you have a 100% chance of breeding a common hatchling regardless of your rarity points.

• SeigeRedux [Inactive]

/////////////////////////////////////////////// BREEDING

WHEN CAN I BREED? On the top left is your level, as you eat and expand your pond the leveling will be shown as a blue wheel, you can start breeding at level 4 and once the blue color reaches the halfway point on your wheel a mate will spawn in your pond (sometimes it takes a couple seconds). There is approximately a 20% chance a rare mate will spawn.

HOW DO I BREED? When a mate spawns in your pond swim after it and a ring will appear followed by a change in sound and music, fill the circle by just swimming with the mate and an egg will be created.

HATCH TIMES: Each pattern has a different hatch time, look for patterns with shorter hatch times if you want to complete some sets.

• raymond_ [Inactive]

/////////////////////////////////////////////// HATCHING THE COLORS: In each and every pattern there is 16 common and 16 rare, 4 base colors (shown in each pattern as a ring) and 8 secondary colors (shown in each pattern as the dot inside the ring, 4 in commons and 4 in rares) typically when breeding it's advised to swim by secondary colors over base colors. For example you are swimming with Inazuma, you need Shishiro, Kishiro, and Akashiro. It's easier to breed with a Kushiro and look out for the missing base colors instead of breeding (for example) an Akaukon and looking out for the secondary white color.

EGG SLOTS: There are a max of 8 egg slots, so you can only breed 8 eggs at one time

HATCH TIMES: Each pattern has a different hatch time, look for patterns with shorter hatch times if you want to complete some sets.

• raymond_ [Inactive]

/////////////////////////////////////////////// UNLOCKING KOI For progressive patterns, you only have a chance to unlock the next pattern after you have collected 5 of the current pattern you are on. For example, after you have 5 Inazuma indexed in your collection, Nidans will start appearing in your pond for your Inazuma to mate with. To officially unlock Nidan, you will have to mate with one and actually hatch one from an egg. Once you've hatched one, the pattern is considered fully unlocked and you may now receive gifts of that progressive pattern from your friends.

For Collector's patterns, you can either purchase to unlock or, more commonly here, unlock it through receiving a gift from a friend. Keep an eye out for patterns you want in free-for-adoption or offer up fish to trade for the patterns you want in trading .

• Ryuux

/////////////////////////////////////////////// ACENDING KOI FAST Tips For Ascending Koi More Quickly

Use the gem-button-tap method for eating the shield fish prey (for the brown prey on levels 5&6 that you have to swim at 1-4 times to eat, tap the gem-crafting icon at the moment you swim over them, and it'll take 2 bites for the price of 1.)

If you open a lotus flower with a gem in, check if you need that colour before collecting it. If you don't pick it up, it will reappear in a flower on the next level, which saves you up to 9 prey.

Definitely try to avoid your koi over-eating ... especially on higher levels, I focus on hunting the prey I need most of, and then just eat the lesser prey on the way.

Consider spending pearls on boosts (the '5m x 30' for best value) ... I use 3-4 speed and 1-2 agility on each koi now (especially clones!!)

If you're breeding your koi, keep an eye on which colours you're missing, and don't swim with mates who don't help (that is, work out beforehand if it's worth it, rather than doing the swim dance and then seeing which koi it offers at the end.)

Always use the automatic "swim towards the expansion symbol" option, but it can be quicker to manual-swim round spiky slow-down plants. Switch back to automatic swimming after (may take a few seconds for the automatic option to reappear.)

The last level (8) expansion symbol is usually really close to the level 7, so don't swim too far across the pond from it.

• coris

/////////////////////////////////////////////// DRAGON SPEED Each dragon has a fixed speed and agility. It's the same for every player, and cannot be changed / boosted. These dragons are recommended for essence collection:

"Easiest to get" dragon: Kishiro Inazuma

Other community recommendations you can try: Kukuro Inku, Mumido Toransu, Kuburu Zebura, Muburu Gekko, Maburu Oriito, Chomaze Shokku

• coris

/////////////////////////////////////////////// STRATEGY If you're just trying to breed them on your own, first of all, you generally need to be picky about your mates. Since there are only 8 egg slots (and presuming you wait for the eggs to hatch instead of spending pearls), there's some lag time between spawning an egg and finding out what it hatches. Although the Inazuma hatch time is very fast, so maybe it doesn't matter as much for this breed of fish

I think there are two strategies; you can either clone a rare for 5 pearls and then swim with it to get koi with the rare color, but one of the missing body colors. Usually in this case people would max out the rarity stat. Keep in mind that a clone always has stats of 7/7/7. You could also try buying a love boost which helps get more mates and rarer mates, I believe. You don't have to ascend a koi, so if you find a hatchling with a good rarity stat and is a color you need to make mates with, you could just keep swimming and swimming looking for the right mates.

Another strategy is to clone a common with the outside color you need, and then keep swimming until you find a rare. The chance of a rare mate spawning is lower (~10%), but the chance of a rare hatchling occurring is much higher once you get a rare mate.

• EAudrey

/////////////////////////////////////////////// GETTING PEARLS

• daily log-in rewards (occasionally you get pearls)

• daily ads (limited number per day)

• ascending koi (1 for each koi ascended)

• daily quests

• random gifts in flowers

• completing awards

• completing collections

• Ryuux

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