Pokémon Pokopia: Heat Rocks Location (Bubbly Basin Habitat Warmer Guide)

Heat Rocks are a consumable item in the Bubbly Basin DLC that temporarily raises the habitat comfort level for Fire-type Pokémon in your underwater town. When you place a Heat Rock in a habitat, it increases the environment score for that specific area, which directly contributes to your overall town environment level.

The environment level matters because it determines when new Pokémon move in and when you can rebuild key structures like the Pokémon Center. You need the environment at level three to progress the main DLC story, and Heat Rocks are one of the fastest ways to push Fire-type habitats over the threshold.

Here is the quick breakdown:

Without Heat Rocks, you are relying purely on finding Fire-type Pokémon and grinding their comfort levels through interactions. That takes significantly longer.

 

Free Heat Rock Locations in Bubbly Basin

There are exactly three guaranteed Heat Rock spawns in Bubbly Basin that reset every 24 in-game hours. These are static pickups, not random drops, so you can farm them daily if you know where to look.

  

Location 1: The Thermal Vents (Sector C)

Head to the southeast corner of the basin where the thermal vents bubble up. There is a cluster of rocks shaped like a half-circle. The Heat Rock is tucked behind the tallest vent, partially hidden by steam. Walk up to it and press A to collect.

Location 2: The Abandoned Dock

The broken dock on the western edge of the town has a collapsed crate. The Heat Rock is wedged between the crate and the dock support beam. You need to approach from the water side, not the land side, or the pickup prompt will not appear.

Location 3: Corphish’s Hideout

After Corphish moves into your town, check the small cave behind its house. There is a Heat Rock on the ground near a pile of shells. This one only spawns after you have reached environment level two, so it is not available in the early DLC hours.

 

3D Printing Heat Rocks: Materials and Costs

The 3D printer in Bubbly Basin is the only renewable source of Heat Rocks. You unlock it after rebuilding the Pokémon Center, which requires environment level three. Once unlocked, you can print Heat Rocks at a rate of one per print cycle.

Here are the exact material requirements:

The full print cycle takes 15 minutes of real time. You can queue up to three prints at once if you have the materials, but each one consumes the same amounts.

Total cost per Heat Rock: 3 Red Shards, 2 Magma Pebbles, 1 Glue Resin, 15 minutes.

If you are short on Red Shards, the fastest farm is breaking every red crystal in Sector B. There are eight crystals total, and each drops 1–2 shards. That gives you roughly 12 shards per day, enough for four Heat Rocks.

Magma Pebbles are the bottleneck. Magby only spawns in the volcanic cave area, and the 10% drop rate means you will spend time hunting. A more reliable source is checking the thermal vent spawns daily — there is a 50% chance a Magma Pebble spawns next to the Heat Rock in Sector C.

 

NPC Exchange: The Hidden Alternative

There is one NPC trade that gives you a Heat Rock, and it is easy to miss. After you reach environment level three and have at least six Pokémon living in town, talk to Mareanie near the eastern coral reef.

Mareanie will ask for a Pearl. Not a Pear, a Pearl — the item from wild Shellder or Clamperl. Give her one, and she hands over a Heat Rock plus a Heart Scale. This trade is repeatable once per day, but the Pearl requirement makes it less efficient than printing.

For most players, the daily pickups plus one print cycle is enough. Only print more if you are actively expanding multiple Fire-type habitats at once.

 

When to Start Farming Heat Rocks

You can access Bubbly Basin after completing the main story and obtaining Surf. The DLC starts at Bleak Beach — talk to Professor Tangrove and swim to the small island that appeared offshore. There, you meet Manaphy, who teaches you Dive after you collect five bunches of seaweed.

With Dive, you can reach the underwater door that leads into Bubbly Basin. But here is the catch: the gate inside requires Trainer Rank Master to open. If you are not at that rank yet, you will need to grind trainer battles before you can even enter the town.

Realistic timeline:

• Trainer Rank Master: 2–4 hours of trainer battles if you are close
• Rebuilding Pokémon Center: 3–5 hours of environment grinding
• First Heat Rock: Immediately after town access (static pickups)

So no, you cannot get Heat Rocks in the early game. You need to finish the main story, get Surf and Dive, reach Master rank, and rebuild the town center. That is a solid 8–12 hours of playtime after starting the DLC before the printer becomes available.

The three static pickups are available the moment you enter the town, so grab those first. They are enough to test whether Heat Rocks actually help your specific habitat setup before you invest in printing materials.

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