Pokémon Sword and Shield's The Isle of Armor and The Crown Tundra DLC added new areas, game mechanics, and storylines to the Galar region, expanding the original content of the Switch's first mainline Pokémon games. However, alterations made to catching mechanics for certain Legendary Pokémon in The Crown Tundra turned out to be more frustrating than fun.

While a good number of Legendaries were introduced to Galar via Dynamax Adventures in The Crown Tundra, nine must be caught as part of the main storyline in order to complete the DLC. Players automatically encounter Calyrex during the main narrative while uncovering the secrets behind Peony's Legendary Note #1, which also leads to catching Calyrex's horse, Glastrier or Spectrier. The Regis and Galarian Legendary Birds take more effort to acquire.

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There are five Regis around The Crown Tundra's map, though only four can be caught per save file. Players can find Regirock, Regice, and Registeel in different temples, each requiring a small puzzle to open, and can choose either Regidraco or Regieleki in a shared, final temple. The puzzle solutions range in simplicity from whistling in front of the door to having the Pokémon Cryogonal at the head of the party, and all three original Regis are needed to open Regidraco or Regieleki's temple door.

Required Legendary Pokémon Hunts Slow Down The Crown Tundra

The landscape of the Crown Tundra in Pokemon Sword & Shield: The Crown Tundra DLC

Capturing the Galarian forms of Articuno, Moltres, and Zapdos requires a more tedious task. After meeting the birds at the Dyna Tree, players need to track them down across Galar. Articuno can be found in the Crown Tundra itself, Zapdos is in the main game's Wild Area, and Moltres is in The Isle of Armor's map. Players need to first block them as they run or fly around the overworld. Moltres and Zapdos take minimal strategy to intercept, but capturing Articuno can take hours, thanks to its frustrating mechanics. First, players have to find where Articuno spawned, and it then creates two clones. Only by selecting the real Articuno from the three will the player finally be able to battle the Legendary bird. To add to this, each Legendary Pokémon can be exceptionally difficult to capture, making the battles themselves frustrating, too.

None of these capture requirements would be too arduous on its own, but getting all nine Legendaries is the only way to complete the primary storyline for The Crown Tundra, and both The Isle of Armor DLC and The Crown Tundra DLC must be completed before players gain access to the Galarian Star Tournament. For players particularly excited about the new endgame battle activity, this means hours of pointless Legendary hunting before being able to participate. Pokémon Sword and Shield's mandatory Legendary hunts bog down what would otherwise be an exciting DLC.

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