Pokémon Sword & Shield

[Kuzu]

3 hours ago, Tornado said:

lol the expansion pack is exclusive to each version of the game?

Naw, you get it once and it counts for both versions.

[Zaysho]

1 hour ago, Kuzu said:

Naw, you get it once and it counts for both versions.

I had to look this up to be sure but it sounds like Nintendo themselves have commented that each version has its own version of the pass, and they even warn you to be careful with making the right purchase because it can't be refunded.

I think it would have been better if it was designed as a pass that can be applied to both versions though I don't know if that's possible or GF/TPC simply didn't want to do it that way for whatever reason.

[NegaMix]

Yeah, both the Pokemon and Nintendo websites show that the passes are separate for both games, which I still think is completely unnecessary and just there so that TPC can get even more money out of people who bought both versions.

...

Speaking of the games, I've been playing through Pokemon Sword these past few weeks via my brother's copy of the game. I'm about to start the league finals and, frankly, the game has been pretty dull so far. Aside from a couple exceptions, next-to-none of Galar's setpieces or characters have really grabbed my attention, and the almost non-existent plot doesn't help matters. It's all just so... boring.

Still, the many British-isms scattered throughout the game are neat.

[Your Vest Friend]

At this point buying the Pokemon games and DLC feels like a CYOA game, complete with narrative paths that lead to dead ends. 

[KHCast]

Oh boy

 

This prob will stir up the fanbase again

 

[Blue Blood]

Eh. I dunno... It might cause a bit of a swell for some people, but honestly this is what almost everybody concluded from the outset. The DLC was planned from the get-go. It was announced with a fairly extensive trailer less than two months after SwSh were released. There's no way it started only after the games went gold. Not to mention this is Pokémon on a home console for the first time. It was known that the games would sell ridiculously well, so the DLC was always going to be a thing from the early days of planning. Sell back the content that was selectively plucked from the base game. It's standard practice now. 

SwSh are tiny in terms of content and lack a post-game beyond the Battle Tower and the most simplistic of quests with the whole Swordward and Sheildbert story. Based on what we've seen so far, the Isle of Armour should and could have been part of the base game.

[KHCast]

Yeah I agree on that, I’m more saying I think the controversy is gonna stem from the fact that they admit they always intended to add them with the dlc, yet in the lead up to the game never addressed that and only ever said Pokemon would get cut, claiming it was because they wanted to polish models and focus on better graphics (something like that). Could be wrong though, maybe this won’t be a big deal to them. (god I really do hope I am wrong here, we don’t need a sequel to last years outrage)

[Sonictrainer]

So the Pokémon Company decided that they're not waiting for a Nintendo Direct to reveal news.

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We have Pokémon news.
You want Pokémon news.

Sounds to us like you should tune in tomorrow at 6 a.m. PDT for #PokemonPresents! What do you think, Trainers?

We'll definitely get a little bit of news about the DLC, but beyond that I have no idea what to expect.

[Sonictrainer]

Just a heads up that people were able to datemine the game to find out info on the rest of the DLC...

[Sonictrainer]

We have new information on the Crown Tundra DLC, Gigantamax Melmetal, a code for a free Ash Hat Pikachu, and more!

 

New Galarian Form: Galarian Slowking

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• Galarian Slowking
• Category: Hexpert Pokémon
• Type: Poison/Psychic
• Height: 5’11"
• Weight: 175.3 lbs.
• Ability: Curious Medicine

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A Shellder bite set off a reaction between the chemicals secreted by Galarian Slowpoke’s brain and the spices inside its body, causing Slowpoke to gain the Poison type as it evolved into Galarian Slowking. The Shellder’s intelligence also skyrocketed, giving the Shellder psychic powers that put other Psychic-type Pokémon to shame.

Galarian Slowking have been observed uttering incantations in order to communicate with each other. They also appear to chant mysterious spells when using moves in battle. Exactly what these Slowking are saying has yet to be fully understood.

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Eerie Spell is a Psychic-type special move in which the Pokémon attacks with tremendous psychic power. If hit, the opponent doesn’t only take damage—it also loses 3 PP from the move it last used.

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Galarian Slowking’s Ability, Curious Medicine, is a new Ability introduced with this expansion. When a Pokémon with this Ability enters the battlefield, allies’ stat changes are reset.

 

 

New Gigantamax Form: Gigantamax Melmetal

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• Gigantamax Melmetal
• Type: Steel
• Height 82’+
• Weight: ????.? lbs.  
• Ability: Iron Fist

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Melmetal can use its flexible and elastic liquid-metal body to land punches even when opponents keep their distance. What’s more, it can pack an even bigger punch by bringing the hex nuts in its arms together to make gigantic fists!

Melmetal can generate electricity using the flow of liquid metal in its body. That electricity charges up particles that Melmetal then fires from the hole in the hex nut in its abdomen. The resulting electric beam is powerful enough to vaporize an entire hill.

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Steel-type attacks used by Gigantamax Melmetal will change to G-Max Meltdown.

G-Max Meltdown is a superpowerful move that slams opponents with shock waves and swirling liquid metal. This move doesn’t only deal damage to opponents—it also prevents them from using the same move consecutively!

 

 

New Features: Dynamax Adventures

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In Dynamax Adventures, you’ll team up with three other Trainers to explore a Pokémon Den where Dynamax Pokémon are said to lurk!

Instead of your regular Pokémon team, you and your fellow Trainers will choose rental Pokémon to bring along into the depths of the den. If you encounter a wild Dynamax Pokémon during your exploration, you’ll need to work together with your three teammates in a Max Raid Battle! If you win the battle, you’ll have the chance to catch the Pokémon, and one Trainer on the team can swap the newly caught Pokémon in for the Pokémon they had before. But if you lose a battle, you’ll be ejected from the den!

Try swapping out your Pokémon as you explore so you’ll be prepared to face whatever comes next as you seek the Legendary Pokémon said to lurk in the depths. And if you want to delve even deeper into the den, Endless Dynamax Adventures may be the thing for you! Endless Dynamax Adventures let you keep on going until you lose a battle.

Give them a try if you want to test your mettle.

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With The Crown Tundra, you’ll be able to encounter every Legendary Pokémon that’s appeared in the main series of Pokémon games! Find Legendary Pokémon during your travels in the Crown Tundra or while you’re on Dynamax Adventures, and you’ll have a chance to catch them! Some Legendary Pokémon appear only in Pokémon Sword with the Pokémon Sword Expansion Pass, while others appear only in Pokémon Shield with the Pokémon Shield Expansion Pass.

 

 

New Features: Galar Star Tournament

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Once you progress far enough in your adventure in The Crown Tundra, you’ll be able to participate in the Galarian Star Tournament, held in the city of Wyndon! This tournament is Leon’s brainchild, intended to fire up the spirits of the Galar region. Once you accept Leon’s invitation, you’ll be able to pick a partner from among the many Trainers you’ve met throughout your adventures in Pokémon Sword or Pokémon Shield—as well as the Expansion Pass—and team up for a Multi Battle tournament! Depending on who your partner and your opponents are, you may glimpse new sides of some familiar faces!

 

 

New Items: Ability Patch

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In The Crown Tundra, you may get new items called Ability Patches. They’re hard to come by but worth the effort. If you use one on a Pokémon, its Ability will change to its species’ Hidden Ability, if it has one! With an Ability Patch and a helping of Max Soup from the Isle of Armor, you can bring out the Hidden Ability of the first partner Pokémon you chose at the beginning of Pokémon Sword or Pokémon Shield and give it the capability to Gigantamax as well.

 

 

Pokémon HOME & Pokémon GO Connection/Event Melmetal

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Connectivity between Pokémon HOME and Pokémon GO is planned to be up and running by the end of the year.

This link will let you send Pokémon you’ve caught in Pokémon GO to Pokémon HOME. From there, some of these Pokémon can be brought into Pokémon Sword or Pokémon Shield to join your Galarian adventures.

In order to bring certain Pokémon that were caught in Pokémon GO and then transferred to Pokémon HOME into a Pokémon Sword or Pokémon Shield game, the Pokémon must either be registered in the Pokédex of that game or have been obtained at least once in that game.

When preparing to transfer Pokémon from Pokémon GO to Pokémon HOME, please be aware that you must have completed the tutorial section of the mobile device version of Pokémon HOME. There are some special Pokémon that cannot be sent to Pokémon HOME from Pokémon GO.

Be aware that Pokémon transferred to Pokémon HOME from Pokémon GO cannot be returned to Pokémon GO. Further details on connectivity between these titles will come in future updates. Please visit the Pokémon HOME website for details on other titles that have connectivity with Pokémon HOME.

If you send a Pokémon to Pokémon HOME from Pokémon GO, you’ll receive the Mythical Pokémon Melmetal as a Mystery Gift in Pokémon HOME. This Melmetal is a special one that hasn’t been available before—this Melmetal can Gigantamax in any battle in Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield that allows it, such as a Max Raid Battle!

Please be aware that Pokémon HOME Mystery Gifts are only available on the mobile device version of Pokémon HOME, and the ability to connect to Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield is available only on the Nintendo Switch version of Pokémon HOME. Also note that you cannot feed Melmetal the Max Soup from The Isle of Armor, the first wave of content for the Pokémon Sword Expansion Pass and Pokémon Shield Expansion Pass. Depending on your OS or device, you may not be able to use certain features.

As an additional benefit, if you send a Pokémon to Pokémon HOME from Pokémon GO, you’ll be able to open the Mystery Box in Pokémon GO. Doing so will make the Mythical Pokémon Meltan appear on the map for a limited time. If you have previously used the Mystery Box, though, you must wait a certain length of time before you can use it again. Trainers who do not yet have a Mystery Box in Pokemon GO will be able to get one if they send a Pokémon to Pokémon HOME from Pokémon GO.

 

 

Event: Ash's Hat Pikachu Return (Mystery Gift Code for Original Cap Pikachu: P1KACHUGET)

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As we approach the October 22 release of The Crown Tundra, the second part of the Pokémon Sword Expansion Pass and Pokémon Shield Expansion Pass, players can receive a plethora of Pikachu, each wearing one of Ash Ketchum's iconic caps from Pokémon the Series. In fact, once you receive these Pikachu in your Pokémon Sword or Pokémon Shield game, take a look at the Pokémon's Original Trainer—yep, these are Ash's Pikachu!

Keep checking back here to find Mystery Gift passwords that will let you add these Pikachu to your team. You'll get Pikachu wearing some of Ash's caps from throughout the animated series, ranging from his classic chapeau from when he first set out on his Pokémon adventure to more recent designs—like those seen in the film Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You! and the current season of the TV show, Pokémon Journeys: The Series. See below for the passwords that have been revealed thus far.

Use these steps, along with one of the above passwords, to receive each form of Ash's Pikachu.

1. Launch your Pokémon Sword or Pokémon Shield game.
2. Select Mystery Gift on the X menu.
3. Select Get a Mystery Gift.
4. Select Get with Code/Password to connect to the internet.
5. Enter your password.
6. Watch as the gift arrives in your game. (Pokémon will appear in your party or your Pokémon Boxes.)
7. Be sure to save your game.

You do not need to have purchased the Pokémon Sword Expansion Pass or Pokémon Shield Expansion Pass to claim any of these forms of Ash's Pikachu, and you can receive each of these forms only once in a single save file. Also, please note that Ash's Pikachu cannot evolve. Likewise, Ash's Pikachu cannot be fed Max Soup, which is featured in The Isle of Armor (part one of the Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield Expansion Pass). Each of these passwords must be entered into your Pokémon Sword or Pokémon Shield game by November 30, 2020, at 6:59 a.m. PST, so don't wait, Trainers!

 

The Ash's Hat Pikachu (Original Cap) is Level 25 and knows the moves:

• Thunderbolt
• Quick Attack
• Iron Tail
• Electroweb

 

Complete Game with DLC - November 6th

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Starting Friday, November 6, you’ll be able to purchase a bundle pack consisting of the Pokémon Sword or Pokémon Shield base game as well as that game’s corresponding Expansion Pass.

This bundle pack contains the same game content you would receive by purchasing either Pokémon Sword or Pokémon Shield (physical or downloadable version) and the corresponding Expansion Pass separately. All included software comes preloaded on a single game card.

For those of you who haven’t yet started an adventure in the Galar region, here’s your chance to experience everything it has to offer!

If you purchase the Pokémon Sword + Pokémon Sword Expansion Pass or Pokémon Shield + Pokémon Shield Expansion Pass bundle, you’ll be able to receive one hundred Poké Balls as a special purchase bonus to help add Pokémon to your team as you adventure throughout the Galar region!

To claim your one hundred Poké Balls, you’ll need to enter a special code. You can do this by accessing the X menu and selecting Mystery Gift, then Get a Mystery Gift, then Get with Code/Password.

You will also receive codes for the Pikachu Uniform and Eevee Uniform that were previously offered as special purchase bonuses for purchasing the base game and corresponding Expansion Pass separately.

 

 

[Marcello]

The music video was easily the best part of it. The rest was pretty eh, but the music video was really cool. 

[Sonictrainer]

41 minutes ago, Marcello said:

The music video was easily the best part of it. The rest was pretty eh, but the music video was really cool. 

Yeah, there's a ton of references in the music video

 

[Sonictrainer]

To celebrate the release of the Crown Tundra, there has been several promotional artwork of past & present Legendaries by different artists.

Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres, & Mewtwo

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Lugia & Ho-oh

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Groudon & Kyogre

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Dialga & Palkia

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Reshiram & Zekrom

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Xerneas & Yveltal 

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Solgaleo & Lunala

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Zacian & Zamazenta

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Kubfu & Urshifu

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[Perkilator]

So, FINALLY, Zarude is going to be distributed overseas, but there’s a catch.

From the Pokémon website:

“Add the Rogue Monkey Pokémon to your Pokémon Sword or Pokémon Shield game this December. Sign up for the Pokémon Trainer Club newsletter, opt in to email marketing by November 20, and then watch for a special email with a password to add the Pokémon to your game.”

[Blue Blood]

Lol fuck that noise 

I've long since lost interest in Game Freak hiding chunks of their games behind limited time events, with convoluted "Mystery Gifts" and passwords. Why can't Pokémon game a just be normal? I'm almost convinced franchise exists just to wind me up.

[Sonictrainer]

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James Turner: It’s the Pokémon Sword & Shield 1 Year anniversary!! I hope everyone has had a wonderful year in Galar!!

 

[Salamander]

I quite enjoyed the Crown Tundra.  Similar to the Isle of Armor, it's amazing how much more compelling the open-world areas become when they're designed in what is in fact a less open way; rather than just one big open field like the mainland Wild Area, it's just so much more fun tootling around these places when the way forward is crooked, non-linear, full of squirrely passageways, branches, dead ends, competing attractions.  I also felt that the "legendary hunt" format was great for making the open-endedness of the Crown Tundra meaningful; there was potentially something to find down every route, with no arbitrary roadblocking or pointless areas.

The main story itself was a fun novelty in how heavily it involved an actual Pokemon directing us around, though it suffered badly from the stop-and-go pacing of the main games, where occasionally you'll be sent on pointless diversions or end a cutscene only for the next to start five steps away.  And the games really need to get their act together with their cinematography - why is it they can pull off something like that wonderful introductory movie for the Galarian legendary birds, but in most cutscenes characters can't walk in a curve?  One more respect in which I feel the designers still haven't evolved past the 2D games (which still feel like the more complete products).

I also felt it was interesting that, as in the Isle of Armor, there was a pseudo-version-exclusive dichotomy where there were two versions of the starring Pokemon, but you actively chose which one you wanted.  It made me wonder if they were anticipating and experimenting with approaches for if they ever drop the two-version gimmick for the series.

In conclusion: I still prefer by far the confined, top-down puzzle dungeons of the 2D games, but I feel I could come around to this direction of the series if they handled the main map like this and just made sure to do proper gyms.  Their storytelling and cutscene direction continues to need serious work, though.

[Sonictrainer]

On 1/15/2020 at 11:01 AM, Marcello said:

I like how they didn't bother to give anyone a British accent

Well...they just revealed Gloria in Masters...and her voice sounds....

 

[Zaysho]

That's the wrong accent

 

[septimus01]

Even though they didn't do Scottish meme voice, I'm just glad they've given her some form of British accent. 

I was expecting them to not bother trying at all after the amount of American accents they gave everyone in Twilight Wings.

[Ellipsis-Ultima]

Maybe when Victor is eventually added to the game they'll give him a Scottish accent.

[Sonictrainer]

25th Anniversary News & artwork are slowly being revealed

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The toys.  
The games.  
The cards.  
The series. 
The memories.  
 
This one goes out to everyone who started out catching Pokémon…but ended up catching feelings instead.   
 
We’re kicking off our 25th anniversary celebration by taking a walk down memory lane! Drop a comment below if you spot anything familiar…

 

[KHCast]

So I finally have picked up Sword, since it was used at GameStop for like $40 and there was a sale where I got it an extra 30% off. It’s about what I expected so far, fairly simple nothing crazy. Not sure if I’ll get the dlc yet.

 

I’ve mostly been chillin in the wild area for almost 2 days now since I screwed myself out of Pokémon respawns cause I messed with the clock a few times without knowing about the penalty, and I’m stubborn and wanna catch Pangoro myself lol.

 

Hop isn’t MUCH of an annoying shit. Can’t stand the other rival Bede tho.

 

Music I’m loving tho for sure. The clothing shop music? Fuck I can’t believe I avoided it for this long, it’s so catchy!

 

 

[KHCast]

So question. I got the dlc, and am doing Isle of the Armor...do I NEED to do 3 raid battles in order to spawn the mushrooms, after the trial one, or is it random? Looking it up, I saw some say it’s guaranteed after 3 raids, but I’m not sure. But they haven’t been spawning yet in any of the locations after I did 2 of them 

[Sonictrainer]

3 hours ago, KHCast said:

So question. I got the dlc, and am doing Isle of the Armor...do I NEED to do 3 raid battles in order to spawn the mushrooms, after the trial one, or is it random? Looking it up, I saw some say it’s guaranteed after 3 raids, but I’m not sure. But they haven’t been spawning yet in any of the locations after I did 2 of them 

After you've done the trial, at least 1 Max Mushroom will spawn after doing at least 3 Max Raids.

So if you do 9 Max Raids, you'll usually find 3 Max Mushrooms growing near each other in one of several areas on the Isle of Armor.

I'm not sure if Dynamax Adventures work the same way though...