As many probably expected, when the mainline Pokemon series hit the Switch with Pokemon Sword and Shield, it was a pretty big success. The latest entries in the series climbed up the charts fast and will wiggle themselves into one of the top selling of the franchise. It also mixed up things with releasing expansions instead of an updated version(s) of the base title. The first was Isle of Armor, and now we could be getting details on the next.

It was announced that a live stream would come tomorrow that would include an update about the expansion pass. You can see the link to the stream for when it goes live below. Nothing else is really said, but the odds are probably pretty good we’ll get a release date for the next expansion pass, The Crown Tundra.

Pokemon Sword and Shield are both available now for Nintendo Switch. Isle of Armor is available now, and you can see the latest teaser for The Crown Tundra through here.

Pokemon Sword and Shield’s first expansion The Isle of Armor adds several region-specific versions of established Pokemon, allowing for even more variety in line-ups. So how do you get them? You’ll need to talk to randomly generated in-game traders, each with their own purpose. These traders will spawn in the Isle of Armor’s Wild Area.

Look for the NPCs wearing white shirts. These will trade you Pokemon of the same species and provide a region-specific Pokemon in return. Here are the different Pokemon you have to trade to gain a region-specific version.

• Kanto Meowth – Trade Alolan Meowth for it
• Kanto Farfetch’d – Trade Galarian Farfetch’d for it
• Kanto Corsola – Trade Galarian Corsola for it
• Kanto Ponyta – Trade Galarian Ponyta for it
• Kanto Mr. Mime – Trade Galarian Mr. Mime for it
• Unovan Darumaka – Trade Galarian Darumaka for it
• Hoennian Zigzagoon – Trade Galarian Zigzagoon for it
• Unovan Stunfisk – Trade Galarian Stunfisk for it
• Kanto Weezing – Trade Galarian Weezing for it
• Alolan Exeggutor – Trade Kanto Exeggutor for it
• Alolan Marowak – Trade Kanto Marowak for it

How to get Armorite Ore

A new currency to earn in The Isle of Armor is Armorite Ore which can be traded for Watts. You can also give it to an NPC in exchange for teaching certain special moves to your Pokemon. While Armorite Ore can be found throughout the world, like other items, it’s completely up to chance.

Completing Max Raid Battles will also provide one Armorite Ore upon each completion and are the most reliable sources. Another reliable method is to locate an NPC named “Ore Digger Lady”. She appears in specific locations and you can save your game before speaking to her. She’ll proceed to dig and will let you know when a piece of Armorite Ore. From there, you can instruct her to keep digging and gain more Armorite Ore.

The catch is that her shovel could break and if it does, you won’t get any Ore. Here are the various places where you can find the Ore Digger Lady. For more detailed locations, check out the video guide below:

• Potbottom Desert
• Stepping Stone Sea, on island with two trees South of the Tower of Water
• Loop Lagoon
• Workout Sea, near the Ditto Den
• Workout Sea, South of the Loop Lagoon
• Insular Sea
• Warp Up Cave, to the left on a path
• Courageous Cave
• Dark Tower, before the last staircase
• Dark Tower, near the stairs
• Brawler’s Cave
• Field of Honor

After completing the main story for The Isle of Armor in Pokemon Sword and Shield, you’ll unlock Restricted Sparring. Think of this as an end-game activity that tests your knowledge of battling under restricted conditions. To participate, speak to the girl blocking the dojo’s entrance.

Restricted Sparring has specific rules. You need to choose three Pokemon of the specified type. Dual-type Pokemon can be used here which is good. There are five battles against trainers and you can only heal twice in between battles. Consumables won’t respawn in these battles until using restore so it’s best to use Leftovers and Choice items. Due to the restricted healing, you should also stay away from Life Orbs or anything else that will reduce your max health.

Dynamax and Gigantamax are allowed once per battle but restrictions on consumables are eliminated when used. The key to Restricted Sparring is that your opponents’ Pokemon could be a type that’s strong against yours. Diversify your movesets and try to cover any weaknesses. Also try to emphasize more on Pokemon with higher speeds and attempt to take down opponents before they can get a turn off.

Each trainer defeated in Restricted Sparring will give 3 BP each. At the fifth battle, you’ll receive 20 BP plus a one-time prize of 30 BP. Continue the process and you’ll once again receive 3 BP each for battles six to nine. At the tenth battle, you’ll receive 20 BP again. There are also specific challenges you can complete, with a first time completion providing 30 BP.

One important caveat: Though the two free heals will recharge after each battle, past the fifth battle, this will no longer be the case. So you’ll have to keep fighting without any additional heals. Unless you’re feeling super-confident in your team composition, it’s best to start over from the first battle rather than continuing on after the fifth.

How to Catch Bouffalant

Bouffalant is a returning Pokemon and exclusive to The Isle of Armor expansion. You’ll find it in the Soothing Wetlands where it has a 5 percent change of showing up. This is irrespective of the weather. With a base 95 HP, 110 Attack and 95 Defense, it’s quite the powerhouse to have.

Its abilities include Reckless, which powers up any moves that causes recoil damage; Sap Sipper, which increases attack if it’s hit by a Grass-type ability; and Soundproof, which makes it immune to any sound-based abilities. Bouffalant is strong against Ghost-type Pokemon and weak against Fighting-type Pokemon.

The Pokemon Company have, out of nowhere, announced that they will be sharing new Pokemon news tomorrow with a “Pokemon Presents” broadcast. It will air at 6 AM Pacific Time, and as per the description of the Japanese broadcast on YouTube, will be roughly 11 minutes long, and share information on several things, including Pokemon Sword and Shield’s expansions.

The first of those two expansions, The Isle of Armor, is launching tomorrow, so we can expect new promotion for that – probably a trailer – while new details might also be announced for the second expansion, The Crown Tundra, which is set to release this Autumn.

What else can we expect beyond that? Well, that’s all guesswork right now. A new Detective Pikachu game was announced for the Switch a year ago, as was a new mobile Pokemon title that is being developed by Tencent’s TiMi Studio (the developers of Call of Duty Mobile)- so we could hear something about those. Updates on Pokemon Sleep and Pokemon Home might also be incoming.

Is there also a possibility of an entirely new Pokemon game? It’s unlikely, but who knows? At least we don’t have to wait long to find out- stay tuned to GamingBolt, and we’ll bring you all the updates from the broadcast tomorrow.

https://twitter.com/Pokemon/status/1272877200505782273

Along with numerous other announcements, Nintendo also released some new information on the Expansion Pass for Pokemon Sword and Shield. It confirmed that the first expansion, The Isle of Armor, would release by June end. In this expansion, players will encounter Gigantamax versions of Rillaboom, Cinderace and Inteleon.

They also have some powerful G-Max abilities. Gigantamax Rillaboom’s G-Max Drum Solo can summon roots from the ground to damage foes; Gigantamax Cinderace’s G-Max Fireball will see it kick a powerful fireball at an opponent; and Gigantamax Inteleon’s G-Max Hydrosnipe will shoot water from its fingers to cause massive damage. Players can also expect new backgrounds, effects, and frames for League Cards.

Those who purchase the Expansion Pass by August 31st will receive an in-game bonus in the form of Leon’s cap and tights. The items will become available after The Isle of Armor launches. The Crown Tundra is still slated to release by Fall 2020 – stay tuned for more details in the meantime.

Game Freak announced recently that Pokemon Sword and Shield would be receiving two expansions this year. The first is The Isle of Armor out in June, followed The Crown Tundra which releases in Fall. Each expansion will bring their own set of new Pokemon including new Legendaries.

According to the official Pokemon site, The Isle of Armor will see the addition of two Legendaries – Kubfu and Urshifu. These are designated as Wushu Pokemon with Kubfu being classified as a Fighting type. Players can evolve it into Urshifu and choose one of two styles – Single Strike or Rapid Strike. The former is a mix of Fighting and Dark type while the latter is a Fighting and Water type.

Urshifu possesses the ability to Gigantamax in both styles and can utilize a new ability called Unseen Fist. For The Crown Tundra, players meet Calyrex, a King Pokemon that’s a Psychic and Grass type. Armed with Unnerve, Calyrex is apparently able to see “every pass, present and future event”. That should be fun when it comes to competitive balance.

The expansion pass for Pokemon Sword and Shield is currently available to pre-purchase for $29.99. Nintendo also recently announced Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX, a remake of the Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS titles, for release in March on the Switch.

Nintendo promised new details for Pokemon Sword and Shield, and that reveal turned out to be the Expansion Pass. Instead of releasing an enhanced version of both titles as has been done in the past, the Expansion Pass will include new adventures. This allows players to utilize their save data.

The Expansion Pass, available to pre-purchase for $29.99, will include two expansion packs – The Isle of Armor and The Crown Tundra. Each will offer new Legendaries, new Pokemon (over 200 new Pokemon are coming), new areas and more outfits and customization options. Each expansion will be slightly different depending on the version played.

The new locations will also be bigger than the current Wild Area. The Isle of Armor is out in June 2020 while The Crown Tundra arrives in Fall 2020. More details will doubtless be revealed in the coming months so stay tuned. In the meantime, check out our review for Pokemon Sword and Shield here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRUWgM31BRQ