Quick Links
Pokémon Sword and Shield's first expansion, The Isle of Armor, brought many fan favorites back to Galar, including Rockruff, an adorable Rock-type that can evolve into one of the three distinct forms of the Pokémon Lycanroc. To secure Rockruff's evolution in Sword and Shield, Trainers will need to level it up under very specific conditions.
Players looking to get all three Rockruff evolutions in Sword and Shield will need to level it up between 6 AM and 7 PM for Midday, between 7 PM and 8 PM for Dusk, and between 8 PM and 6 AM for Midnight. Pokémon Sword and Shield's lack of a traditional day-night cycle makes evolving Rockruff into Midday Form and Dusk Form Lycanroc slightly more complicated, however.
All Rockruff Evolutions In Pokémon Sword & Shield
Unlike Pokémon such as Eevee and Gloom, each of Rockruff's evolutions is still called Lycanroc. Though they are all considered the same Pokémon, the forms differ in appearances, stats, and movesets. Below are all three of Rockruff's evolutions in Sword and Shield, their specific features, and how to get them:
|
Rockruff Evolution |
Evolution Needs |
Special Features |
|---|---|---|
|
Midday Form Lycanroc |
Get Rockruff to level 25 or above while the sun is up. |
Midday Lycanroc has the highest base speed of all three forms, but only by two points above Dusk Form. It and Dusk Form get access to the signature Pokémon move Accelerock, and it can have the Keen Eye, Sand Rush, or Steadfast Ability. |
|
Midnight Form Lycanroc |
Get Rockruff to level 25 or above while the sun is down. |
Midnight Lycanroc is significantly slower than the other forms but has higher HP, Defense, and Special Defense, and it can have the Keen Eye, Vital Spirit, and No Guard Ability. |
|
Dusk Form Lycanroc |
Get Rockruff with the Own Tempo Hidden Ability to level 25 or above between 7 PM - 7:59 PM. |
Dusk Form Lycanroc's stats are almost identical to Midday Form's, but it gets the Tough Claws Ability. |
A Rockruff with Own Tempo can be obtained by luck in Max Raid Battles or through breeding, but using the Ability Patch item on a non-Own Tempo Rockruff will also do the trick. This item is exclusive to Sword and Shield's The Crown Tundra and can be obtained from the Max Lair Dynite Ore trader for 200 Dynite Ore.
Rockruff Evolution Times in Sword & Shield
To evolve Rockruff to Dusk Form in Pokémon Sword and Shield, players will need to pay attention to what section of the game they are currently in and what the actual time in real life is. Before beating Galar Champion Leon, the games' routes and towns are locked to specific times of day, depending on the point players are at in the story. In the Wild Areas and after the main story, the time changes based on the Nintendo Switch's clock. According to Bulbapedia, the games follow this schedule:
Morning: 6:00 AM - 9:59 AM
Day: 10:00 AM - 6:59 PM
Evening: 7:00 PM - 7:59 PM
Night: 8:00 PM - 5:59 AM
Want to see all Rockruff's evolutions in Sword and Shield for yourself before deciding which Pokémon you want to get? Check out all three forms of Lycanroc in the video from AverageSiege below!
-
Pokémon Sword and Shield
- Released:
- 2019-11-15
- Developer:
- Game Freak
- Franchise:
- Pokemon
- Genre:
- Adventure, RPG
- Platform:
- Nintendo Switch
- Publisher:
- Nintendo, The Pokemon Company
- ESRB:
- E
- How Long To Beat:
- 25 Hours
