Today’s 15-minute long Pokémon Direct has revealed a lot of new information on the upcoming Pokémon Sword & Shield games, including the new Dynamax feature, seven new Pokémon, a host of characters, and more. You can see the full presentation in the video above.
This post, along with the site’s Pokémon Sword & Shield section, will be updated throughout the day with all of this information and more.
The main points to note for now are the following:
- Dynamax is a new mechanic that causes a Pokémon to be SUPER-SIZED for three turns, once per battle, increasing their power and also turning all of their moves into special Max Moves. The Normal-type Max Move, Max Strike, also lowers the Speed stat of the opponent it hits.
- Pokémon Gyms are returning to the Pokémon series and matches there are broadcast on television sets throughout the Galar region. Milo, a Grass-type Gym Leader, was also revealed, who uses the Pokémon Eldegoss and is capable of Dynamaxing, as with all Gym Leaders.
- The Wild Area is an open-world area where the player is free to move around and find Pokémon roaming around in the wild. The player can control the camera whilst inside and can also find a variety of Pokémon and items, some of which depend on the weather or location.
- Max Raid Battles are events that can take place inside of the Wild Area, where you can team up with up to three other Trainers to fight against a wild Dynamax Pokémon. These are meant to be very strong fights and the wild Pokémon will stay Dynamaxed throughout the entire fight, but only one Pokémon across the entire player-controlled party can go Dynamax, so players need to coordinate carefully who among them should Dynamax.
- Seven new Pokémon were revealed — two of which are the mascot legendary Pokémon of Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield respectively.
- Gossifleur is a Grass-type Pokémon that has Cotton Down or Regenerator for its ability. Cotton Down lowers the Speed stat of other Pokémon in that battle when it is hit.
- Eldegoss is the evolution of Gossifleur. It is also a Grass-type and has the same abilities. Its evolution method is currently unknown.
- Wooloo is a Normal-type Sheep Pokémon that has either Fluffy or Run Away for its ability.
- Corviknight is a Flying/Steel-type Raven Pokémon that can help transport people from town to town. It has either Pressure or Unnerve for its ability.
- Drednaw is a Water/Rock snapping tortoise Pokémon with either Strong Jaw or Shell Armor for its ability.
- Zacian is the legendary Pokémon of Pokémon Sword and resembles a dog holding a sword in its mouth.
- Zamazenta is the legendary Pokémon of Pokémon Shield and resembles a dog with shields as a mane.
There’s a lot more information than can be fit into a single update post, so be sure to check out the Pokémon Sword & Shield section for updated coverage throughout the day, and check below for a few in-game screenshots.
