The Pokemon Company hosted a special presentation this morning detailing the new Sword and Shield expansion, The Crown Tundra, and other things. Players have already spent more than enough time in the first half of the game’s expansion pack, Isle of Armor, but we now have more details and next month’s release date for The Crown Tundra (TCT). Head below for all of the details from today’s presentation and a closer look at the all new wintery tundra region.
New Sword and Shield expansion
As we expected, today’s presentation focused mainly on The Crown Tundra Sword and Shield expansion. TCT will be taking trainers to an all-new winter wonderland area of the Galar region featured in the base game (full review here) filled with evergreens and snow capped mountains.
While it’s not exactly what hardcore fans were hoping for, the most exciting feature coming by way of TCT is the ability to catch even more Pokemon. More specifically, every single Legendary Pokemon from the previous mainline games can now be caught via Dynamax Adventure Raids. While we already knew some new Legendaries would make an appearance, this is great news for long-time fans looking for a dose of nostalgia.
More Pikachu!
Nintendo is also handing out special in-game Pikachu to Pokemon Sword and Shield expansion pass owners. They are essentially different forms of Pikachu wearing Ash’s iconic headgear. More details from Nintendo right here and below:
Players can receive a plethora of Pikachu, each wearing one of Ash Ketchum’s iconic caps from Pokémon the Series…Keep checking back here to find Mystery Gift passwords that will let you add these Pikachu to your team.
Pokemon HOME and Pokemon GO
On top of a new Galarian Star Tournament where players can challenge famous trainers. The Pokemon Company also announced some interesting cross-support with the paid subscription Pokemon HOME app, the Pokemon GO mobile game, and the Sword and Shield expansion/main game. Planned to be up and running by the end of the year, this connection will allow you “to send Pokémon you’ve caught in Pokemon GO to Pokemon HOME.” Subsequently, some of these Pokemon can then be sent to Sword and Shield “to join your Galarian adventures!” As you can see in the trailer video above, those who take advantage of this feature will be able to open “the mystery box in Pokemon Go” to put the mythical Melmetal somewhere on your map as well as receive a special Gigantamax Melmetal for Pokemon Home.
Sword and Shield expansion release date
The Crown Tundra Sword and Shield expansion releases on October 22, 2020. It’s available as part of the $30 Expansion Pass alongside the already released Isle of Armor add-on. Although, for those that don’t already own the game, Nintendo will be selling a bundle with the main experience and the expansion pass starting on November 6, 2020.
9to5toys’ Take
One of the biggest criticism of Pokemon Sword and Shield at launch was the somewhat stunted Pokedex. Players were hoping for a much more extensive list of catchable creatures, and while that’s not exactly what we are getting with TCT, the addition of all past Legendaries is a nice touch. The new tournament and wintry area also inject the experience with loads of fresh content and further flesh out the new Galar region nicely.
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