Understanding Pokemon Sword and Shield weather symbols is an essential part of successfully completing your Pokedex in the series' latest mainline catch 'em up. While previous Pokemon games have dealt with weather in one way or another, Pokemon Sword and Shield takes sunshine and rain to the next level. Essentially, there are certain Pokemon who will only show up in the Wild Area if specific weather conditions are met, meaning you'll need to be on your A-game when it comes to recognizing which Pokemon are available where — and perhaps more importantly, when.

Don't fret, though — although the range of weather conditions in Pokemon Sword and Shield is pretty varied, we've put together a handy guide to make sure you can read Pokemon Sword and Shield weather symbols accurately and easily. Here's everything you need to know about understanding weather symbols in Pokemon Gen 8.

Pokémon Sword And Shield Reading Weather Symbols

Reading weather symbols in Pokemon Sword and Shield might seem daunting at first, but it's actually remarkably easy once you get the hang of it. In total, there are nine different weather symbols in Pokemon Sword and Shield, all of which you can see below.

Pokémon Sword And Shield Weather Symbols Guide

Here's all you need to know about every single weather symbol in Pokemon Sword and Shield.

Pokemon Sword and Shield Weather Symbols Meaning

From left to right, here's what each weather symbol represents:

  • Clear, normal weather 
  • Cloudy/overcast weather
  • Rain
  • Thunderstorm
  • Snowing 
  • Snowstorm
  • Intense sun
  • Sandstorm
  • Fog

Each of the above weather symbols represents the weather in a specific section of the Wild Area at any given time, and each individual region is home to different Pokemon depending on the weather conditions.

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For example, if you want to catch Dreepy — the first form of the powerful pseudo-Legendary Dragon/Ghost-type, Dragapult — you'll need to head to the Lake of Outrage in the northwestern corner of the base game's Wild Area. However, Dreepy won't be available there all the time — you'll specifically need to visit this location when it has either overcast weather, or is experiencing heavy fog or a thunderstorm. If you arrive when any of the other six conditions are in effect, no Dreepy (not that your odds are that good when you visit in the correct weather, either — Dreepy has 1% chance to spawn as a non-overworld encounter in overcast conditions, meaning you'll never see its sprite in the overworld and have to specifically target exclamation mark encounters, with the same conditions increasing to just 2% in heavy fog and thunderstorms).

Sword And Shield Fog Weather Pokémon

There are certain Pokemon that only appear in heavy fog, a weather condition that is only unlocked after having already beaten Pokemon Sword and Shield. As a result, these late-game Pokemon are exceptionally rare — here's a list of all 26 of them.

Pokemon Sword And Shield Pokemon That Only Spawn In Heavy Fog

  • Aegislash
  • Azumarill
  • Blissey
  • Clefairy
  • Clefable
  • Duosion
  • Gothita
  • Gothitelle
  • Gothorita
  • Hatenna
  • Indeedee
  • Kadabra
  • Kirlia
  • Meowstic
  • Milcery
  • Milotic
  • Mimikyu
  • Morelull
  • Musharna
  • Reuniclus
  • Sableye
  • Solosis
  • Sylveon
  • Togekiss
  • Togetic
  • Wigglytuff

As you can probably tell, rare Fairy-types seem to have a penchant for appearing in fog, while several Ghost and Psychic-types can also be found.

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