Pokémon With Rare Moves Can Be Found In Sword And Shield’s Wild Area

With Pokémon Sword and Shield‘s release date fast approaching, Game Freak has been increasing the pace of its reveals for the Switch exclusives. That includes, among several new trailers and strange publicity stunts, hands-on previews. Embargo periods for the latter have now been lifted, however, and a hefty number of new details have started flooding onto the internet. Some of the most notable reveals to have emerged so far have to do with Sword and Shield‘s sprawling Wild Area and the special types of Pokémon that call its countryside home.

As per the write-up provided by Eurogamer, the site reveals how on extremely rare occasions, Pokémon with faint yellow auras have a chance of spontaneously wandering into the player’s path. Far more than just cosmetic flair, the sheen serves to signify that the ‘Mon in question possesses several unique traits.

Besides boasting the potential to have a vastly higher level – one example provided details a run-in with a level 50 Pokémon when the player’s strongest team member was a level 6 Pidgey – than its potential captor, these elusive specimens will often have maximum IVs (hidden stat values that dictate a Pokémon’s combat strength) and even potentially have access to Egg moves right off the bat. As competitive players will know all too well, the chances of finding either in wild Pokémon is usually slim to none, with laborious hatching and breeding marathons usually the only surefire method available.

In essence, it appears Game Freak has recognized the grind-heavy nature of forming a competitive-ready team for tournaments and is finally offering an alternative avenue to somewhat alleviate the process. Whether Eurogamer’s discovery means the traditional breeding method is being removed in favor of random Wild Area encounters remains to be seen, but it’ll likely have both to provide choice if nothing else.

Are the changes detailed above for Pokémon Sword and Shield enough to entice you into competitive play though, or are you strictly in it for the campaign and nothing else? Let us know in the usual place below!