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Controls. By Ben Chard & Vincent Lau. Foreword. New to Sword and Shield. You can play this game using the standard Joy-Con controllers (attached or detached) or the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller.
- New to Sword and Shield
New to Sword and Shield - Controls - Getting Started -...
- Sword Versus Shield
Sword Versus Shield - Controls - Getting Started -...
- Pikachu
Pikachu’s Move List, Evolutions, IVs, Types, Weaknesses....
- Walkthrough
Walkthrough - Controls - Getting Started - Introduction |...
- No. 301 to 400
No. 301 to 400 - Controls - Getting Started - Introduction |...
- Pokémon
Pokémon - Controls - Getting Started - Introduction |...
- Review
Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield (which we’ll henceforth...
- Introduction
In the base version of Sword and Shield, the Wild Area is a...
- New to Sword and Shield
Aug 30, 2024 · This is an in-depth walkthrough for Pokémon Sword and Shield for the Nintendo Switch. This includes The Isle of Armor and The Crown Tundra, available as paid downloadable content with the Pokémon Sword and Shield Expansion Pass.
- Introduction
- General Information
- Spawn Increase
- Breeding |
- Encounter Slots
- Overworld Static encounters
- Scripted encounters
- Curry Hunting |
- Fossil Revival |
- Regina Trades |
Pokémon Sword and Shield offer both familiar and novel mechanics through which players can obtain a shiny. This guide's objective is to describe the shiny hunting methods found in these games in relation to each specific type of encounter. Additionally, peer-reviewed routines, teams, and guides for certain hunts will be highlighted throughout the s...
Shiny rates
The base rate for shiny encounters in Pokémon Sword and Shield is 1/4096. Having the Shiny Charm increases it to 1/1366 when not affected by mechanics like the Masuda Method (1/683 no Shiny Charm, 1/512 with Shiny Charm) when breeding or by the number encountered of a species through the presence of Brilliant Aura Pokémon. KOs (or captures) boost shiny odds through extra rerolls shown as Brilliant Aura Pokémon (source), empirical brilliant rates match the table on the official site, plus the...
Brilliant Aura
Brilliant Aura Pokémon are a new addition in the Sword and Shield titles. The official site states that "Finding brilliant Pokémon can lead to finding shiny Pokémon", and the relationship between them is explained in the "Shiny rates" section of this guide. Shiny hunters will find it beneficial to run into as many Brilliant Aura Pokémon as they can to maximize the effectiveness of their hunts. It is important to note that if there is more than one Brilliant Aura Pokémon in the overworld, only...
Star vs square shinies
There are two different types of shiny animations in Pokémon Sword and Shield, as opposed to the traditional singular animation from past generations. One has the classic star sparkle effect while the other shows squared bluish sparkles. The symbol key in this guide indicates which Galarian Pokémon are more likely to be star shiny (15/16) or square shiny (65521/65536). Here are two examples: The following Pokémon from past generations are more likely to be square shinies (65521/65536): 1. Fat...
KO respawn streaks
After every KO on an overworld grass encounter slot Pokémon, there is a 50% chance that the next spawn will be of the same form and species. This means that the possibility of encountering the same Pokémon afterwards will be 50% + 1/2 of the usual spawn rate. In the case of rare spawns like Lake of Outrage Dreepy or Old Cemetery Authentic Sinistea, this is the best method to utilize. Users are encouraged to save next to the spawn and to keep KOing until the spawned Pokémon isn't desired, only...
Abilities
Similarly to past generations, abilities have the effect of increasing the spawn rate of specific Pokémon types and gender by keeping a specific Pokémon in the first party slot, with some new additions to this generation. These abilities work by guaranteeing a 50% fraction of the spawn chance divided into the applicable slots, followed by the second 50% which is the original spawn rate divided by two. In the case of Cute Charm, it increases the chance by a guaranteed 66% but every overworld P...
Pokédex recommendations
These refer to the "Current Recommendations" section below the different collections inside the Pokédex menu icon. The list will prioritize those species who still haven't been registered. Recommendations will increase the encounter rates for Pokémon in the wild, be them from fishing, trees, overworld grass, or hidden grass encounters. This section can also be empty stating "Let's find some Pokémon!" if the recommendation lands on a previously registered set of species and the Pokédex hasn't...
Breeding remains one of the most popular methods to get competitively flawless shinies. This is mainly due to the high shiny rates and to the different items like Everstone and Destiny Knot which allow the offspring to maintain both the nature and 5/6 IV values from their parents, respectively. The main way to guarantee a good shiny rate is through...
Fishing |
Fishing spots can be found throughout lakes, rivers, and beaches in Galar. These will despawn if the player approaches with a bike and they represent a spawned Pokémon, meaning that the stats and shiny status are determined once the spot appears just like an overworld grass encounter. Fishing is commenced by pressing A while next to a spot; the player then has to wait and press A again once there's a bite. Example of a hunt:Route 2 Feebas (Dex Recommendation + Storm Drain) By rolling a Pokéde...
Overworld grass |
Grass patches in Pokémon Sword and Shield have two different types of encounters: overworld and hidden. Overworld grass Pokémon can be seen walking in and around the grass patches within a limited distance of them. They despawn after a certain amount of time or distance from the patch, and the models do not appear as shiny even if they are so. The behavior of the spawns affect the time they remain in the patch, and it is species dependent; some charge at you while others are indifferent or at...
Hidden [!] grass |
Within the grass patches in Galar, exclamation mark or hidden grass encounters represent a different way of finding Pokémon. These encounters use different spawn slots from those found wandering in the overworld and have a set amount of time before they disappear. In order to run into one, the player must walk through the grass until an exclamation mark appears; the grass will then rustle, and the player will be able to start the battle if they walk within a certain distance of it. These enco...
Swords of Justice - Camp method and SRs |
The Swords of Justice (SOJ) work differently than regular strong spawns due to how they're programmed to respawn if KOed or fled from. They will reappear with any action that reloads the area, such as reloading the game, flying from and back to the spawn zones, or by entering/exiting the campsite. The only other Pokémon that share this behavior are the Galarian Bird Trio, but they are shiny locked and thus not included in this guide. In order to find the SoJ for the first time, the player mus...
Strong Spawns - Den exploit SRs |
Strong Spawns are defined as Symbol static encounters that are always the same level/species/form and require a day skip to respawn. They have overworld models and are limited to movement within a radius of their spawn point. The spawns also vary with weather and they are not affected by Brilliant Aura bonuses. There is one way to reset for Strong Spawns:
One-Time encounters |
Some Galarian encounters are peculiar in the sense that they will take unpredictably long periods to respawn (from months to years) or simply never do so. Examples of these encounters include the Isle of Armor Wailord and the Route 5 Bridge Eldegoss amongst others. If players wanted to, they could SR and hunt for these Pokémon as long as the game save point is before their spawn time. Utilizing Eldegoss as an example, players could save their game before the left start of the bridge and run d...
Regis |
There are six Regis encounterable in the Crown Tundra: Regice, Regirock, Registeel, Regidrago/Regieleki, and Regigigas. All six Pokémon can be shiny and require different steps to encounter. The shiny hunting method for all of them except for Regigigas is the same: the player first unlocks the respective temple and then completes the puzzle inside. They can then save before interacting with the middle statue that commences the encounter and SR if the Regi isn't shiny. The puzzles are summariz...
Motostoke Gym Pokémon |
Within the Motostoke gym challenge, players are able to encounter a Sizzlipede, a Litwick, and a Vulpix. All three of these Pokémon can be shiny and are not locked to a specific spread in the overworld. The encounters are triggered by proximity, which makes saving right next to one and SRing until a shiny is found the best method to hunt them.
Glimwood Impidimp |
Within the Glimwood Tangle, there are several ledges which show mushrooms surrounded by Impidimp. If the player approaches one of these mushrooms and interacts, a hidden Impidimp will reveal itself and start an encounter. The best method to shiny hunt them is to save next to one and SR if the Impidimp is not shiny. Back to table of contents!
Campsite curry cooking is a mechanic introduced in Pokémon Sword and Shield. Players can cook for their team of Pokémon to increase their Friendship and Sociability values. Curry cooking also has a chance to attract a wild visiting Pokémon from that area's hidden grass slots, ignoring the original appearance rates. The attracted Pokémon has a guara...
Found in Route 6, Cara Liss allows the player to utilize fossils in order to revive Dracovish, Dracozolt, Arctovish, and Arctozolt. These fossils can be found through the Digging Duo near to the Bridge Field Nursery (most commonly through the Skill Brother), and different combinations of the four (Fossilized Bird, Dino, Drake, Fish) result in speci...
Found within the Isle of Armor, Regina will trade Pokémon from their original regions to the player in exchange for Galarian forms. All of her Pokémon can be shiny and will display so during the trade. She will offer: Kantonian Meowth, Ponyta (Shield only), Farfetch'd (Sword only), Exeggutor, Marowak, Mr. Mime, and Weezing; Johtonian Corsola (Shiel...
6 days ago · Sword Catch Collection Path. Thanks to Serebii, here’s a look at all the Collection Challenge parts, starting with the Sword Path ones: Note that several Pokemon here are Incense-triggered ...
6 days ago · Not only does this “choose a path” branching research result in different encounters and rewards as part of the quest, but the Sword Path and Shield Path choice also changes the Collection ...
This is a list of the Pokémon from the Galar region in Pokémon Sword & Shield. As usual there are many new Pokémon, but the region also includes old favorites too! Sword & Shield differ from previous games in that only Pokémon from the Galar Pokédex can be found in the game.
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Dec 1, 2019 · IGN's Pokemon Sword and Shield walkthrough and complete strategy guide includes tips and tricks for every gym and route, a list of Pokemon (Pokedex), how-to guides for your biggest questions,...
