The quest to find the Galarian Legendary Birds in the Crown Tundra DLC for Pokemon Sword & Shield is more involved than anyone realized, as players will have to hunt them down in the wild in order to catch them,
Articuno, Moltres, and Zapdos are the three Legendary Birds of Kanto, who debuted in Pokemon Red & Blue. In the first Pokemon games, they were hidden in specific dungeons. Articuno was found in the Seafoam Islands, Moltres resided in the Victory Road, and Zapdos nested in the Power Plant. These were static locations, as wandering Legendary Pokemon didn't become a thing until Pokemon Gold & Silver. The Legendary Birds are receiving Galarian forms in the Crown Tundra. Galarian Articuno is a Psychic/Flying-type Pokémon, Galarian Moltres is a Dark/Flying-type Pokémon, and Zapdos is a Fighting/Flying-type Pokémon.
It's not just the design of the Galarian Legendary Birds that is different in the Crown Tundra. According to VG247's preview of the Crown Tundra, the Galarian Legendary Birds have their own sidequest, which involves visiting a mystical tree and watching a battle that takes place between the birds.
The Galarian Legendary Birds then scatter. The player then has to hunt them down in the wild. Each of the Galarian Legendary Birds has its own unique gimmick when tracking them. Once encountered, Galarian Zapdos is a level 70 Pokemon and is likely just as difficult to catch as its Pokemon Red & Blue counterpart.
Hunting Legendary Pokemon around the world is a gimmick that is often associated with the Legendary Beasts of the Johto region, as the player had to randomly battle them in the wild. Legendary Pokemon are a major part of the Crown Tundra and catching them is one of the most highly-anticipated parts of the game. The existence of Pokemon Dens suggested that most of the Legendary Pokemon would be encountered in random battles, but it seems that special care was given to the new versions of the Legendary Birds.
The Crown Tundra DLC for Pokemon Sword & Shield will be released on October 22, 2020.
Source: VG247