The latest Pokemon Direct revealed a ton of information for the first-ever DLC expansions for the Pokemon franchise.
Instead of a new version of the game, as was traditional for the handheld titles, Pokemon Sword and Shield will instead be getting two major DLC packs, titled The Isle of Armor and The Crown Tundra.
The direct revealed tons of information on both DLC packs, which will be sold as a single Expansion together for $29.99 on the Nintendo eShop. Much of the information includes massive teases to brand new Pokemon, Galarian variants, and new Gigantamax forms. Some of the most notable standouts include Gigantamax forms for the Galar starters and the remaining Kanto starters, Galarian forms for the Legendary bird trio, and two new Regi Pokemon.
The biggest stars of the show were three brand new legendary Pokemon. First was the Fighting-type Kubfu, who will be the main legendary found in The Isle of Armor. Kubfu evolves into Urshifu, a Pokemon that has two distinct forms based on it's fighting style, a Fighting/Dark-type known as Single-Strike style and a Fighting/Water-type known as the Rapid-Strike style. The second legendary is a Psychic/Grass-type known as Calyrex, which is found in The Crown Tundra, though little is known about it beyond its name and function as being the former Legendary king of the whole Galar region.
Other additions outside of the Pokemon include dozens of new clothing options, new characters to meet on your adventures, and a ton of returning features from previous Pokemon games, with The Isle of Armor seeing the return of apricorns and all new Tutor moves, while The Crown Tundra will include an online co-op mode to help capture a number of Legendary Pokemon. Both games will also introduce pure open-worlds this time, with both DLC's being a giant Wild Area that is promised to be larger than the area in Sword and Shield.
Finally, 200 Pokemon that will be reintroduced into the game. The last part has been met with some criticism, mostly due to the NationalDex controversy that plagued Sword and Shield before release. Thankfully, players will be able to transfer all Pokemon added into the expansions without purchasing them for themselves, either from Pokemon Home or through friends with the DLC. The only negative is that the DLC needs to be purchased individually for each version.
Both DLC's are scheduled for release this year, with The Isle of Armor scheduled for a June 2020, and The Crown Tundra for the Fall. To help promote the game, a new patch into Sword and Shield will give players a chance to capture a Galarian Slowpoke; one of the new Pokemon introduced in the expansion.
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