Pokémon Sword and Shield brought the main series kicking and screaming onto our televisions at last (or not; this is Nintendo Switch we’re talking about after all). While it may not have pushed the home console as hard as it could have, it’s a huge step up for the series. As the grand scope of the Wild Area suggests, the Pokémon world is expanding in new and exciting ways.
It’s no surprise, then, that an array of new, essential items await players in Galar (along with some that are just as useful as ever). Here are some of the most important ones, along with where you can get your hands on them.
Update by Chris Littlechild, June 18, 2020: The time is upon us, Pokémon fans. It may feel like an eternity since Game Freak first revealed that Sword & Shield would be receiving an expansion pass (as opposed to the seemingly obligatory third installment), but now we finally get to see what all the fuss is about for ourselves. The first part of the DLC, The Isle of Armor, has just been released.
As is to be expected, there are several exciting new items available in the expansion, one of which allows the Generation VIII starters to Gigantamax (along with existing Pokémon with Gigantamax forms some fans had been unable to track down)! As such, we've updated this list with some choice picks from the Isle of Armor, as well as a couple of other existing items that definitely deserved a spot too. Enjoy!
15 Max Soup
As we know, then, the new Isle of Armor expansion finally allows players to acquire the Gigantamax forms of Cinderace, Inteleon, and Rillaboom, complete with incredible new G-Max moves (G-Max Fireball, G-Max Hydrosnipe, and G-Max Drum Solo respectively). How are they unlocked? Through Max Soup!
To access the Master Dojo’s kitchen and make Max Soup, you’ll first need to have completed the second trial of the Master Dojo. Then, you’ll need to have gathered three Max Mushrooms (which can spawn after Max Raids in the Forest of Focus, Courageous Cavern, Warm-Up Tunnel, and Brawler’s Cave). With your preparations complete, simply choose a Pokémon that has a Gigantamax form (if your particular Pokémon of this species doesn’t, of course), feed it the soup and it will be able to Gigantamax! This is a real gamechanger.
14 Nature Mints
Game Freak has been taking baby steps towards making it more user-friendly to breed competitive Pokémon for some time now. The latest feature they’ve added to help with that? Mints that change a Pokémon’s nature when consumed.
The Adamant Mint, Timid Mint and so on will give a Pokémon the corresponding effects to its stat growth (an Adamant nature give a 10% bonus to Attack for a 10% decrease to Special Attack, for instance). They can only be acquired in the post-game, purchased at the Battle Tower for 50 BP each. Making it into Great Ball tier and beyond in online competitive play will also reward you with a very limited number of them.
13 Exp. Charm
Another fresh new item from the Isle of Armor, the EXP Charm is a key item that boosts experience the party receives in battle. Similarly to the Exp. Share, it’s a handy little source of extra experience, always welcome in an RPG.
If the team you brought along to the Isle of Armor isn’t as powerful as the one you completed the main story with (or if you haven’t yet), they’re sure to appreciate this powerful Key Item. It’s available very early in the DLC and impossible to miss, awarded to the player by Honey’s son Hyde, an aspiring inventor who created it himself.
12 Weakness Policy
Previously, the Weakness Policy was a bit of a niche item. It gives the holder a +2 in Attack and Special Attack when they’re hit by a move they’re weak to, but… well, you can see the problem here: a lot of the most powerful Pokémon are rather frail and don’t want to be hit super effectively.
With the Dynamax/Gigantamax mechanic, though, the huge HP buff means that such super effective attacks are infinitely more survivable. Shenanigans like using weak priority moves on allies in doubles works wonders too. As such, the Weakness Policy is a lot more viable on a range of Pokémon than before. It’s available at the Battle Tower for 20 BP, but be warned: it’s still not an item you can just slap on any Pokémon, and requires some strategy to work at its best.
11 Armorite Ore
Unsurprisingly, the Isle of Armor has added a wealth of new items to the game. We’ve already taken a look at the Exp. Charm and Max Soup (Gigantamax shinies here we come), but there’s another item exclusive to the expansion and it could be even more important: Armorite Ore.
This new material serves as a sort of secondary currency, a precious commodity with a variety of uses. It can be exchanged for all-new moves from the Master Dojo’s Move Tutor (very exciting in and of itself), traded with Digging Ma and Pa (who are also new to the expansion) and spent with a number of other NPCs besides. As you begin to conquer the trials at the Dojo, you’ll be awarded with some, but spend it wisely: it’s proven quite tough to come by so far!
10 Poké Dolls
Far from a new addition to the series, the Poké Doll has existed since the humble days of Pokémon Red and Blue (and Green). Its function, as always, has been to allow the player to instantly escape from a battle with wild Pokémon, handy for times when simply running would be risky.
In Sword and Shield, a small number of Poké Dolls are given to the player when they venture into the Wild Area for the first time, and for good reason: if you tangle with some of the super-strong Pokémon that dwell here in the early game, you’ll be in trouble. After earning your second gym badge, you’ll be able to buy that at any Poké Mart. The Pickup Ability also has a chance to give you one.
9 Exp. Candies
Earlier in this rundown, we mentioned the Exp. Charm, a brand-new Key Item introduced in the Isle of Armor expansion. Interestingly, though, experience points aren’t really the be-all and end-all in Pokémon Sword & Shield. At least, acquiring them in a conventional way isn’t.
If you’ve taken part in a lot of Max Raids, you’ve probably accumulated a lot of Exp Candies. These super convenient items that instantly award experience to the Pokémon you give them to and are available in different sizes: small, medium, and so on. You’re able to feed as many as you like to a Pokémon, so a level one critter can instantly shoot up 50 levels or so! When it comes to breeding Pokémon, these items are truly invaluable.
8 Technical Records
Back in the early days of the franchise, there were certain mechanics that just weren’t user-friendly. Single-use TMs, for one thing, was a real pain. It was some generations later that this issue was finally rectified, but guess what? Limited-use TMs are (sort of) back in Generation VIII.
Along with regular TMs, TRs (Technical Records) were introduced in the new game. This is where you’ll find valuable moves like Earthquake, Ice Beam, Flamethrower and so on. They’re limited in this way because Game Freak wants you to collect Watts and exchange them for TRs from the Watt Traders around the Wild Area. Either that or engage in Max Raids. Each Raid victory will earn you rewards, including TRs relevant to the type of Pokémon you battled (Water-types may give you Scald, for instance).
7 Wishing Pieces
Needless to say, dedicated competitive battlers will want to earn as wide a range of TRs as possible. To do so, you’ll want to hit the Max Raids (you gain a large number of Watts simply by interacting with a Pokémon Den if you’re playing online).
That’s where the Wishing Piece item comes in. With these, you can ‘reactivate’ a vacant den to challenge another Dynamax Pokémon. You can purchase one for 3,000 Watts from any Watt Trader. Our good friend Ball Guy will also give you one for your first Champion Cup Tournament win in the post-game.
6 Fossils
Fossils are another kind of valuable item that has existed in the series since Generation I. Back then, Kabuto/Kabutops and Omanyte/Omastar were the only Fossil Pokémon (not counting Aerodactyl), but so many have been introduced since.
A total of four Fossil Pokémon are available in Galar: Arctozolt, Arctovish, Dracozolt, and Dracovish. To obtain them, you must visit the Revival Machine on top of the mountain on Route 6. Each requires two different fossils to be combined (splicing a Fossilized Bird and Fossilized Dino together, for instance, will result in an Arctozolt). There are limited fossils available on Route 6 and at the Dusty Bowl in the Wild Area, but your best chance of grabbing multiple of them is the Digging Duo on Bridge Field. Be aware that some fossils are much rarer than others, depending on the version you’re playing.
5 Dynamax Candies
As you’ve surely noticed, the Big New Gimmick™ of Sword and Shield is the Dynamax/Gigantamax mechanic. Players have been using the heck out of this outlandish new feature, but have you been taking care to use Dynamax Candies too?
Each of these candies increases a Pokémon’s Dynamax level by one (maxing out at level 10), adding 5% to its max HP when Dynamaxed with each level gained. To get yourself a healthy stack of them, you’ll need to hit those Max Raids again, as Dynamax Candies are a common reward for completing them.
4 Leftovers
Whether you’re casually making your way through the main story or taking part in heated competitive battles, Leftovers is always a fantastic item to have. Since Generation II, it’s been keeping Pokémon in the battle by restoring one-sixteenth of their HP at the end of each turn.
It’s an item that all serious battlers will want to grab as soon as possible. In Sword and Shield, a guaranteed Leftovers awaits you in the Giant’s Seat area (search beneath a tree to the northeast). Wild Muchlax and Snorlax will also be holding them, and many berry trees have a chance to drop Leftovers as you shake them.
3 Choice Items
Speaking of essential competitive battling items, you won’t want to leave home without the Choice Band, Choice Specs and Choice Scarf either. They boost a Pokémon’s Attack, Special Attack and Speed respectively by 50%, but only allow it to use the first move it selects until it switches back out.
Dynamaxing overrides this, causing the Pokémon to lose the item’s benefit but allowing them to choose moves again. They’re better than ever, in short, so here’s where to get them: the Choice Band is on Route 2 near Professor Magnolia’s house (your bike will need to be able to traverse water to grab it). The Choice Specs are in Spikemuth, hidden in the corner of the stage where you battled Piers. The Choice Scarf is given to you by Frank in Ballonlea, after giving him the Old Letter (remember being given that in Hammerlocke?). Alternatively, they can be bought at the Battle Tower for 25 BP each.
2 Bottle Caps/Gold Bottle Caps
Bottle Caps are key to a new mechanic introduced in Pokémon Sun and Moon: Hyper Training. This technique allows the player to instantly max out a Pokémon’s IVs (individually), providing that Pokémon has reached level 100. A certain NPC (at the Battle Tower in Generation VIII) will raise one of said Pokémon’s stats to 31 (effectively) for a Bottle Cap, or max all of its stats at once for an elusive Gold Bottle Cap.
Bottle Caps can be bought at the Battle Tower (25 BP), rarely found by the left member of the Digging Duo, occasionally from the Pickup Ability, for reaching higher ranks in competitive play, or just as rarely from more challenging Max Raid Battles. As for Gold Bottle Caps, reaching the coveted Master Ball tier will earn you one, or there’s a very low chance that the left member of the Digging Duo will find one for you.
1 Master Ball
Finally, it's the coveted Master Ball, perhaps the most valuable item in the whole series. We all know what this does: it’s the most powerful ball in existence, capable of capturing any wild Pokémon without fail (in most circumstances, it’s been slightly finicky over the years).
Needless to say, then, it’s super rare and you only tend to be given one per playthrough, during the course of the story. This time around, Professor Magnolia will give you the Master Ball in Postwick after you dethrone Leon as Champion. The only other way to acquire a legitimate one is to get the top prize in the Roto Lotto (matching all five numbers).