Nintendo has released more information about the second part of the Pokémon Sword and Shield expansion: Crown Tundra. This trailer expanded on the new features revealed in previous trailers, and shows off even more of the Tundra. The main new piece of information is that Crown Tundra is now set to release on October 22, 2020, three weeks ahead of its original planned release in mid-November.
There will also be physical versions of Pokémon Sword and Shield bundled with the Expansion Pass releasing on November 6, 2020.
The Crown Tundra is an uncharted snowscape, and you lead an expedition team exploring the harsh landscape created by Peony, a fellow explorer. Just like the Isle of Armor expansion, Pokémon previously unobtainable in the Galar region call this area their home, including Absol, Altaria, and Nidoking, all shown in the trailer.
Legendary Pokémon also call the Crown Tundra their home, and this trailer reveals that all previous Legendary Pokémon will be found in the expansion. Your main way of encountering Legendary Pokémon is through Dynamax Adventures, a feature new to this DLC. In this mode, you and up to three other trainers explore the depths of a Dynamax den, battling multiple Dynamax Pokémon along the way, and battle a Dynamax Legendary Pokémon at the end.
Trainers each bring three Pokémon that they rent before the adventure, but have to pick one before each of the battles starts. You can swap out rental Pokémon for any caught during the Dynamax Adventure. Your Pokémon are not restored between battles, so it will be a real test of mettle to battle through all the way to the end!
The other new feature unlocked after you finish exploring the Crown Tundra is the Galarian Star Tournament, which is a multi-battle tournament featuring the Gym Leaders, Champion, rivals, and other prominent trainers from around Galar. In this mode, you team up with a trainer of your choice and battle teams of two other trainers.
There are also some new items and Pokémon coming in the Crown Tundra. This trailer offered the first full look at Galarian Slowking, first teased in the initial DLC announcement, but partially obscured. Like Galarian Slowbro, it is a Poison/Psychic type and has a new ability called “Curious Medicine”, which resets all of a Pokémon’s stat changes when it enters battle. It also has a new move, “Eerie Sound”, which causes opponent Pokémon to lose 3PP from its last move.
This DLC will also introduce another quality of life improvement item, called the “Ability Patch”. This item will let you change a Pokémon’s ability to its hidden ability. It is currently unknown how players will acquire them.
To celebrate the release of the Crown Tundra DLC, there will be special codes revealed to get different variations of Pikachu with Ash’s hat in Pokémon Sword and Shield. The first code is P1KACHUGET, and it nets you a Pikachu in Ash’s Original Cap.
The trailer also revealed a bit about Pokémon Home. The update that will allow Trainers to transfer Pokémon from Pokémon GO into Pokémon Home, and then further into Pokémon Sword and Shield. Trainers who transfer Pokémon into Pokémon Home from Pokémon GO will be able to use the mystery box to encounter Meltan, just like when transferring to Pokémon Let’s Go Eevee and Pikachu. For the first transfer, players will also receive a mystery gift in Pokémon Home of a special Melmetal that can Gigantamax when brought into Pokémon Sword and Shield, which is the first legal release of this Gigantamax form.
The Crown Tundra DLC will be available to players on October 22, 2020. The Japanese and European release is listed as October 23, meaning the DLC’s launch time will be late on Oct 22.
Are you excited for the Crown Tundra DLC? Which part excites you the most? Let us know in the comments below!
