Ahead of Pokémon Sword and Shield’s release next week, The Pokémon Company has released two more trailers about game mechanics that reveal some new information about changes to the gameplay coming in the next main Pokémon game.
The first trailer is an overview that mostly covers information seen in previous trailers, but does show one new game mode. Trainers can let their Pokémon help out corporations and universities in exchange for rewards such as experience points.
The next trailer is an “Items and Features” overview and showcases entirely new information pertaining to raising Pokémon. The trailer starts by introducing mints that, when used on a Pokémon, can change its nature to the nature specified by the mint. In the trailer, they show a Modest Mint being used on a Pikachu to make it become Modest nature. How to get mints is currently not known.
The Pokémon supplements from previous games have returned, but have changed slightly. It seems that now they function similar to the stat candies of Pokémon Let’s Go, increasing your Pokémon’s stat a little, with the cap of ten per stat being You can also choose how many you want to use one your Pokémon before you use them.
There has also been a change to the passing of Egg Moves. Now, if a parent Pokémon has an Egg Move and breeds with one of the same species that does not have the move, the other parent Pokémon can learn the Egg Move from the first (as well as the hatched Pokémon still having the Egg Move). This means that Pokémon caught in the wild can now learn Egg Moves if bred with another of its species that have them.
Like Pokémon Let’s Go, Pokémon Sword and Shield’s Pokémon storage Box can be accessed from the field. Candies also make a return, this time in the form of Experience Candies that can be used to level up a Pokémon. It is unknown how to get these candies.
One more tidbit revealed online is that trainers can now change a traded Pokémon’s nickname if it doesn’t already have one.
The Pokémon Company Twitter also announced some events coming with Sword and Shield’s release. The first is the increase in finding Gigantomax Butterfree in Max Raid Battles for all players until January 2020. Pokémon Sword players will also see an increase of Gigantomax Dreadnaw Max Raid Battles while Pokémon Shield players will see an increase of Gigantomax Corviknight Max Raid Battles, also until January 2020. There is also the first Pokémon Sword and Shield online competition announced. It is called Galar Beginnings, and registration is from November 15 until December 5, with battles from December 6 to 8.
Are you excited about these gameplay changes? If so, which new feature is your favorite? Let us know in the comments below!
Pokémon Sword and Shield release next week for the Nintendo Switch.
