Many players with the new Crown Tundra DLC Expansion for Sword & Shield are reveling in delight that their favorite Pokémon are available once again. This new icy tundra to the south of Postwick is full of familiar faces from generations past and even some new wild spawns of Pokémon already in the base game that you don't typically see, like Dragapult and Polteageist.
Alongside all of these familiar faces are some Pokémon that you might not know can be found in the Crown Tundra. Some of them require some other steps to appear, while some are just a bit hidden from the beaten path.
10 Poipole
Through a series of steps, players can make Poipole pop up in the Max Lair lobby, where it will agree to join their team. First, they'll need to complete all three Legendary Clues with Peony. They'll then find a mysterious fourth clue, which will unlock the ability to encounter Ultra Beasts in Dynamax Adventures.
After catching five Ultra Beasts, Poipole will appear in the Max Lair. Interact with it and it will agree to come along with you. Level it up while it knows Dragon Pulse and it will evolve into Naganadel.
9 Hoenn Starters
The Hoenn starter Pokémon — Mudkip, Torchic, and Treecko and their evolutions — are not in the Crown Tundra Pokédex, but you can get them in Galar now. They can be transferred up from past games, as they don't spawn in the wild.
However, there is another way to get them. They are available as encounters in Dynamax Adventures. This means you can catch them there, then choose them as your one Pokémon to take home. This might mean sacrificing taking a Legendary, but you can always encounter those again.
8 Spiritomb
Spiritomb is one of those Pokémon that's always a pain to encounter, and that still rings true in the Crown Tundra. Players will need to find a strange gravestone near the Dyna Tree Hill that will tell them to "spread my voice."
Then, connect to the internet and talk to 32 other players. Return to the gravestone, and Spiritomb will be there waiting for you. The game doesn't keep track of how many people you've talked to, so you'll need to do it yourself.
7 Cosmog
The lovable little companion to Lillie in Sun & Moon, Cosmog, has made an adorable return in Generation VIII as part of the Crown Tundra Expansion.
Head to one of the houses in Freezington where a woman will be looking for a responsible trainer to take care of her Cosmog. After you save the village from Glastrier or Spectrier, she'll let you take the Cosmog. Level it to 43 for it to evolve into Cosmoem, and then level 53 for it to evolve again. In Sword, it'll evolve into Solgaleo, and in Shield, it'll evolve into Lunala.
6 Lileep
It isn't Legendary or a huge fan-favorite like some of the others that are already mentioned on this list, but Lileep is a Pokémon that isn't obviously available in the Crown Tundra. Like many other Fossil Pokémon, including Aerodactyl, Archen, Tirtouga, and its Gen III counterpart, Anorith, Lileep has returned, but it won't spawn in the overworld.
To find a Lileep, you'll need to fish at a fishing spot in Giant's Bed or Giant's Foot. It has a 10% chance of appearing while fishing, so it may take a few tries. Evolve it into Cradilly at level 40.
5 Final-Stage Pseudo-Legendaries
With the return of Metagross, Salamence, Dragonite, and Garchomp, all the pseudo-legendary Pokémon are finally reunited in Galar. Most of their base forms can be found very easily around the Crown Tundra (Gible and Bagon are version exclusives, though).
But, players might not know they can find a wild Dragonite, Garchomp, Salamence, or Metagross in the wild. Salamence and Garchomp spawn in Tunnel to the Top and Path to the Peak in Sword or Shield, respectively; Dragonite appears in Ballimere Lake, and Metagross spawns in the Snowslide Slope.
4 Regigigas
Two of the big announcements in the Crown Tundra are the new members of the Regi trio, Regidrago and Regieleki, bringing it to a quintet. The original three, Regice, Regirock, and Registeel have an associated quest as well, tasking the player with hunting them down, solving their puzzles, and catching them.
There was no obvious word on Regigigas, though, who serves as the master of the trio (now quintet). But, Regigigas can be caught. Bring all five Regis to the unused den in the Giant's Bed and a raid will begin against the large Normal-type titan. You can only select one of the new Regis, so you'll need to borrow the other from a friend.
3 Electivire
Some Pokémon that are very irritating to evolve are those that require a trade with another player. Electabuzz is one of those Pokémon — it needs to be traded while holding an Electirizer. This can be a pain for people who don't have someone readily available to trade with, and even if they do, it's still kind of tedious.
Luckily, Electivire can just be caught in the wild in the Crown Tundra, eliminating the need for this trade. Head to Giant's Bed, Three-Point Pass, Ballimere Lake, or the Frigid Sea in a thunderstorm, and Electivire can spawn on the overworld.
2 Magmortar
Magmar and Electabuzz are counterparts, and they both received evolutions in Generation IV. Electabuzz will evolve into Electivire when traded holding an Electirizer, while Magmar will evolve into Magmortar in much the same way: traded while holding a Magmarizer.
Luckily, you can avoid having to do this trade as well, as Magmortar will spawn in the wild, too. It'll appear in intense sun in Giant's Bed, Snowslide Slope, Ballimere Lake, Frigid Sea, or Slippery Slope.
1 Keldeo
The Legendary Golems, the new Galarian Legendary Birds, and Calyrex all receive clues that will point the player in their direction, but the Swords of Justice are a bit more hidden. Their encounter quest can be started by finding a set of footprints, prompting Sonia to task the player with finding more. Once each set is found, the player can encounter Terrakion, Virizion, and Cobalion.
Once they've all been caught, the player can actually find their fourth member, Keldeo, though the game doesn't really prompt this, so some may miss it completely. Head to a small island in Ballimere Lake where you'll find a solitary cooking pot. Cook a batch of curry here with Terrakion, Virizion, and Cobalion in your party, and you'll summon Keldeo.