E3 is upon us, and with it, some more juicy Pokémon Sword and Shield-related information. Amidst the chaos of this major gaming event and the whirlwind of announcements surrounding it, it can be difficult to hone in on what major details have been revealed about the highly anticipated Gen VIII Pokémon titles.
Though Nintendo touched upon Sword and Shield during its E3 Direct, the bulk of the details currently known had been previously revealed about week earlier, with their Pokémon-specific Direct. After analyzing this showcase, along with Nintendo's E3 and Treehouse presentations, we've compiled a list of some of the most notable and exciting Sword and Shield details you may have missed.
10 "The Wild Area" Will Be A Massive Open-World Field With Tons Of Freedom
While much of Pokémon Sword and Shield will play in a more traditional, linear fashion, complete with a fixed camera, the game will contain an open-world area as well. This massive environment will span across multiple cities in the Galar region, and will seemingly function more like a sandbox or MMO.
You'll be able to explore a number of areas with control of the third-person 3D camera, catch a variety of Pokémon (even fish for them), and team up with others wandering the area for Raids. You'll not only find the widest variety of Pokémon here, but the Pokémon spawns will be changed depending on the weather, ensuring a unique experience each time you venture out.
9 Dynamic Weather Conditions
In addition to the typical strategies you'll need to work with, you'll also have to be mindful of the game's weather, which will change as you play. These conditions can work to the advantage or disadvantage of various Pokémon depending on their type.
Whipping out an Electric-type might prove effective in rainy conditions, but the rain may be detrimental for a Fire-type. You can even be hurt with more extreme weather conditions like hail during a battle. Additionally, as is the case in Pokémon GO, the weather will affect what type of Pokémon you will encounter.
8 More New Varieties Of Pokémon
In addition to Pokémon spanning the prior 7 generations, the game's setting, the Galar Region will be home to a vast and colorful array of new Pokémon as well. These include the Grass type Gossifleur, the cute sheep Wooloo, and Corviknight - a Flying/Steel type who can transport the player around the Galar region. We also got a look at the epic new Legendaries, Zacian and Zamazenta.
At E3 2019 itself, we were given a glimpse of two new Pokémon: Yamper and Impidimp. The first is an obligatory adorable dog Pokémon, while the latter is a Dark/Fairy-type, the first of its kind. Yamper is an Electric-type that sports the all-new ability Ball Fetch, which allows it to collect the first failed Poké Ball thrown in a battle if it isn't holding an item.
7 Your Pokédex Is A Souped-Up Smartphone
Similarly to Pokémon Sun and Moon, your Pokédex is now essentially a smartphone that comes equipped with a Rotom. This is a Ghost-Electric hybrid who can take over and augment various electronic devices.
One of the key items your Pokédex can juice up is your trusty bicycle, which you can use to make it even more effective in travel. Thanks to Rotom, your bike will be able to move you around even quicker, and morph into a water bike that can allow you to coast across bodies of water in a similar fashion to the Surf HM.
6 Dynamax Pokémon Can Be Battled And Caught In Max Raids
One of the biggest new features (pun not intended) of Sword and Shield is the Dynamax function, which is sort of the game's souped-up version of Pokémon X and Y's Mega Evolution. Players can bust out a Dynamax ability for a Pokémon of their choice once per battle. This ability allows the player's Pokémon to grow into a giant for 3 turns, and will greatly beef up their attacks during this time.
The Pokémon you'll face here will default to this state. They'll be tough to take down, and will often use multiple moves per turn, in addition to shields. You'll also want to take care as to which player gets to use this coveted ability, as it can only be used once per Raid battle.Players have the opportunity to catch the Pokémon they fight during a raid, which will often trigger their appearance in the wild.
5 Pokémon Home Will Be A Centralized Pokémon Hub
While Nintendo and Gamefreak have dabbled in a centralized database to universally store Pokémon - the 3DS' Pokémon Bank, a reworked and universal cloud-based network called Pokémon Home is being developed, and will be released in 2020.
Rather than being confined to the 3DS, this app will be functional on the Nintendo Switch, as well as both Android and iOS software. While functionality with Pokémon GO and Pokémon Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee will be limited to deposits only, Sword and Shield will be the first to allow for withdrawals and deposits.What are the limitations of the software? We'll have to wait and find out more.
4 Can Team Up With Up To 3 Other Players
While those Dynamax Pokémon certainly look intimidating, players shouldn't fear them too much. You can simply team up - either locally or online - with up to 3 other players, and combine your forces to take down a foe during a Raid.
When getting set up for a Max Raid battle, each of the 4 players involved may choose one Pokémon to take on the Dynamax. You'll want to choose wisely, as you cannot swap Pokémon once you've begun. Traditional multiplayer features will still be accessible too, including linking up for trades and Link Battles either locally or online.
3 Random Encounters As Well As Map Encounters
Many fans had been wondering whether or not Sword and Shield would adhere to the more traditional random encounters prominent in old Pokémon games, or if map-based encounters will replace this system. As it turns out, we'll get the best of both worlds.
In recently released Nintendo Direct and Treehouse footage, we've also seen a smattering of random encounter fights as well. These appear to be indicated by an exclamation mark that pops up in areas like tall grass. At that point, a player may choose to initiate the random battle by staying put or moving towards that marker.
2 Poké Ball Plus Support - Sort Of
Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee players, fear not! You will, in fact, be able to use that Pokéball Plus accessory in the upcoming Sword and Shield! You know, that plastic thing that resembles a toy more than a controller?
Sadly, you won't be able to use this device as a direct means of control - and most everything else - as was the case in Let's Go! Still, it will be supported in a minor capacity. While the exact details are still sketchy, it's been revealed that you'll be able to use these as a sort of storage unit for your Pokémon, which will yield rewards and/or perks of some kind.
1 Release Date And Bundles
As revealed at the June 5th Pokémon specific direct, the worldwide simultaneous release date has been announced for November 15th, 2019.
If you simply gotta catch 'em all, you can opt for the Double Pack, which will launch at the same time. There is no apparent benefit for picking up the double pack, at least for the Americas or Japan. The European release will reportedly include a golden steelbook case.