With the release of Pokemon Sword and Shield fast approaching, Nintendo has released their first batch of tips and information about the game. These include the ever-present boxes, finding rare pokemon and more. For those interested, you can find the details below:
■ Handy Features to Help You on Your Adventure
There are many new features in Pokemon Sword and Shield that are designed to make your adventure even easier to enjoy. We’d like to show you a few examples.
Pokemon Boxes
You can deposit Pokemon you don’t want on your team in your Pokemon Boxes. In Pokemon Sword and Shield, you’ll be able to access your Pokemon Boxes in various towns and facilities—but also while you’re on the road or even when you’re exploring in the tall grass! You’ll be able to swap Pokemon into and out of your team whenever you want, so try experimenting with all sorts of different Pokemon.
Just be aware that there are a few places—such as the mission areas where you take on Pokemon Gyms—where you won’t be able to access your Boxes.
Autosave
Saving diligently has always been part of a Pokemon adventure, but now there’s an autosave function to help you out! The autosave function will automatically save your progress during your adventure at various points, such as when you enter a town or a building.
This function is automatically turned on when you begin your adventure, but you’ll be able to turn it off if you want to have more control over when your progress is saved. Even with autosave on, you’ll still be able to save manually, too, just as you can when autosave is off. Go to the Options menu to choose how you’d like to save, so you can set up an experience that suits your style!
—A message will appear in the upper-right-hand corner of the screen when your progress is being automatically saved.Nicknames
Pokemon Handy Features Article
If a Pokemon you received in a trade doesn’t have a nickname, you’ll now have the chance to give it a nickname—but only once! Speak to the man standing behind the left-hand counter in any Galar region Pokemon Center—this jack-of-all-trades is sure to help you out!
Note that, just as in previous titles, you won’t be able to change the name of a traded Pokemon that already has a nickname.
We’re proud to announce the first official competition for Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield!
Sign-Up Period:
Friday, November 15, at 00:00 UTC, to Thursday, December 5, at 23:59 UT
Competition Period:
Friday, December 6, at 00:00 UTC, to Sunday, December 8, at 23:59 UTC
Battle Format:
Single Battle
Eligible Pokémon:
Pokémon obtained in Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield
Certain special Pokémon will not be allowed.
Register three to six of your Pokémon to your Battle Team.
All Pokémon in this competition will automatically become Lv. 50 for the duration of each match.
Ranking Results Announcement:
December 2019
Notes:
Membership in the Nintendo Switch Online (paid) service is required for Online Competition participation.
You’ll be able to join the competition by opening the X menu in your game and selecting VS, Battle Stadium, and then Online Competitions. There’s no need to register on the Pokémon Global Link.
In the Galar Beginnings competition, you’ll be able to make your Pokémon huge by Dynamaxing them—or even have their form change by Gigantamaxing them! These effects will last for only three turns per battle, so be sure to use them wisely!
Pokemon First Battle Announcement
WE NOW KNOW THE BEST TIMES TO MEET GIGANTAMAX BUTTERFREE AND OTHER RARE POKÉMON!
In Max Raid Battles, four Trainers team up to take on a wild Dynamax Pokémon. But in extremely rare cases, a Gigantamax Pokémon can appear instead of a Dynamax Pokémon. Normally, your chances of encountering a Gigantamax Pokémon are very, very small. However, we’ve discovered that certain Gigantamax Pokémon become more common during specific time periods!
Pokemon Best Times Article
From Friday, November 15, 2019, until early January 2020, players will be more likely to encounter Gigantamax Butterfree in Max Raid Battles.
During this same period, players of Pokémon Sword will also be more likely to encounter Gigantamax Drednaw and players of Pokémon Shield will be more likely to encounter Gigantamax Corviknight!
And it seems there may even be other Gigantamax Pokémon that could appear more often than usual, so be sure to give Max Raid Battles a try!
We suspect that the Gigantamax Pokémon you’re likely to encounter will change over time, too, so stay tuned!
MINTS
Mints are items that will make their first appearance in these games. They’ll impact which stats of your Pokémon are likely to grow faster than usual! Each Pokémon has a Nature, and this Nature can impact which of the Pokémon’s stats are likely to grow faster or slower than average. Using a Mint on a Pokémon seems to change these stat-growth patterns! However, a Pokémon’s Nature itself won’t change even if you use a Mint.
SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS
Nutritious drinks like Protein and Iron raise a Pokémon’s base points, which in turn help raise that Pokémon’s stats. Until now, there has been a limit on how many of these items could be used on a Pokémon. However, in Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield, you’re now able to max out a Pokémon’s base points using only these supplements!
If two Pokémon are of the same species but one has more base points, the Pokémon with more base points will grow to be stronger!
EXP. CANDIES
Normally, your Pokémon earn Exp. Points through battles. But if you use an Exp. Candy, you’ll be able to give your Pokémon Exp. Points directly! You can earn these Candies in Max Raid Battles, so collect a bunch and level up your Pokémon in a flash!
EGG MOVES
Sometimes, a Pokémon hatched from an Egg will know unusual moves called Egg Moves. These Egg Moves are moves that the Pokémon wouldn’t normally be able to learn through more common means, like leveling up or using TMs. In these games, if you leave two Pokémon of the same species at the Pokémon Nursery together, an Egg Move that one of them knows can be passed on to the other Pokémon!
It appears that a Pokémon can only learn an Egg Move this way when it knows three or fewer moves.
Pokemon new features article
While we still have some time before Pokemon Sword and Shield‘s Nov. 15 release, it’s exciting to see all the changes coming to the series.