Pokémon Sword and Shield approach almost one full year since their release with their newest piece of content, The Crown Tundra. This new additional DLC for Sword & Shield promises to bring back a horde of Pokémon from the series' past, including many fan-favorite Legendary Pokémon that have gone missing in the current generation of titles. However, a brand-new item that is being introduced in The Crown Tundra provides a capability that fans of the franchise have wanted for some time, while also continuing a trend of Pokémon's Generation VIII titles.
Throughout the history of the franchise, Pokémon's main post-game activities have fallen under two categories. On one hand, the games tend to provide players with new content once the player becomes the Champion, with new dungeons and storylines opening up as well as new Pokémon becoming available to capture. However, there is also player-made content such as "Shiny hunting" and training Pokémon to be fit for competitive battles against other players. While there have always been particulars in how this is managed, Pokémon Sword and Shield have taken steps to simplify the competitive landscape.
After clearing the main story and becoming the Champion, players are able to participate in the Battle Tower in Wyndon, opening several new vendors and a new currency called "Battle Points." These points are earned through the Tower and can be spent on items to change a Pokémon's nature or even swap to their alternate ability. However, perhaps their biggest use is the ability to "Hyper Train" a Pokémon using Bottle Caps sold at the Battle Tower. Hyper Training allows players to raise the Individual Values of each statistic to its best. As post-game content, the Battle Tower alleviates much of the RNG elements that plagued the competitive scene of Pokémon in the past, and the DLC followed suit with more QoL changes.
How Isle of Armor & Crown Tundra Simplify Pokémon's Competitive Scene
The Isle of Armor DLC for Pokémon Sword & Shield added a few other ways in which Pokémon's competitive balance was made easier for newcomers and experts alike. During one of the DLC's main story missions, players are introduced to the concept of "Max Soup", a special soup made from Max Mushrooms that are found along the island. This soup allows a Pokémon that has a Gigantamax form to utilize it in battle once it's fed. Prior to this, players would have to rely on luck in capturing a Gigantamax-enabled version of a Pokémon or, in the case of the Starter Trio, participate in events that would grant them as rewards.
Isle of Armor also added a way for players to secure deals on the in-game vitamins used to boost the Effort Values of each stat. By exchanging watts at the Dojo, players will be able to upgrade the Dojo with various new features. At a certain point in the upgrade process, the Dojo will add a vending machine which will allow players to buy vitamins in bulk at a discounted price. This makes the climb to statistic perfection much more accessible, as buying a bulk amount of 25 through the Dojo cuts the price spent in half. With the QoL changes brought on by Isle of Armor, the next DLC looks to make one important addition.
The Crown Tundra DLC is confirmed to be bringing with it the brand-new Ability Patch item, which will allow Pokémon to switch to their Hidden Ability automatically and forego their previous Ability. This item further reduces the RNG elements of breeding and capturing the perfect Pokémon as previously, the only ways to obtain a Hidden Ability were through various elements of RNG in capturing or breeding, special events, or specialized methods such as the transference of Pokémon from the Virtual Console versions of Generation I and II titles.
The Crown Tundra addition of the Ability Patch acts as a completion of the various ways Generation VIII of Pokémon has served to simplify the process of making a team "competitive-ready." Whether a player is a newcomer or an expert to the competitive scene, the suite of QoL changes made to the game make the once-daunting task of preparing a Pokémon team for high-end PvP into an easier, more relaxed experience. For all of its flaws, Pokémon Sword and Shield have brought many changes to the series that fans can appreciate for generations to come.