Sword & Shield **Official news only** DLC Crown Tundra 22nd October

This concern is exactly why I made sure to get magearna before the dlc dropped!

I guess in principle there's only a few additionsl mons to catch and transfer, but the trick is going to be that you probably need to transfer kubfu in home before evolving it, otherwise if you forget you might need to start a new account just so you can snag a new kubfu. Plus, the original distribution was already pretty buggy, decent chance something breaks again if they try to add new requirements.
Frankly, that part shouldn't be too difficult. You're able to access the DLC locations as soon as you can access the Wild Area, and every indication is that you get Kubfu very early into Isle of Armour; so it shouldn't be too hard to just make a new Switch Account save file, speed through the beginning of the game, and hence get a second Kubfu in... 3-4 hours, estimate?

The bigger concern for me would be Zarude, which not only has the usual Japanese-exclusive movie pre-order event frustration any new mythical has; but also with Covid shutting down movie theatres we have no idea how that one's going to go.


That said, this post was more an idle curiosity than a "I'm worried about this" thing. Just interested really!
 
Things that would be nice:
-Cosmog & Type Null can show up in the Dynamax Adventures
-Poipole is in the DLC
-Poipole is available in quantities more than 1
-Somewhere in the DLC lets you evolve Pikachu & Exeggcute (& Cubone, if it's here) into Alolan Raichu, Exeggutor & Marowak

I'm pretty sure Alolan Raichu is in the same bucket as the musketeers: technically not legal for official competition play (battle spot and stuff should be fine obvs) because you can't like...get one with the mark. All Pikachu turn into normal Raichu. Bit of an oopsie, there.
Meanwhile if only Solgaleo & Lunala are in the Dynamax Adventures, then Cosmog/Cosmoem never get the mark either. Which matters far less because they're gimmick mons (oh no, Solgaleo & Lunala wont have access to non-z-move Splash!) but still worth a chuckle from me.
 
Things that would be nice:

-Somewhere in the DLC lets you evolve Pikachu & Exeggcute (& Cubone, if it's here) into Alolan Raichu, Exeggutor & Marowak
Not to mention Koffing and Mime Jr. I think it would also be great to have the non-Galarian and Alolan variants of Pokémon running around in these DLC Islands for easy access; and for Alolan forms specifically it would fit in very well thematically with how tropical the Isle of Armour feels!
 
Not to mention Koffing and Mime Jr. I think it would also be great to have the non-Galarian and Alolan variants of Pokémon running around in these DLC Islands for easy access; and for Alolan forms specifically it would fit in very well thematically with how tropical the Isle of Armour feels!
I'd point that tecnically you can get a gen 8 kanto mr-mime from an in-game trade.

I don't think there's an equivalent for Alolan Raichu, though.


That said, I do assume we will get some "way" to get the Alolan versions, in same fashion they did for Kanto versions in USUM (performing the evolutionary method in ultraspace resulted in Kanto evolution).

My expectation is still that by the time "nat dex VGC" is around, which should tecnically be a bit after Crown Tundra releases, we'll have the entire pokedex back, and even Ultrabeasts should be available in some way, potentially via Max Raids as this seems to be the way to distribute non-native pokemon this gen.

In fact, considering the extra-terrestrial nature of the Dynamax phenomenon, I don't really see a reason to not use it as "distribution method" anyway.
Plus, differently from the previous methods (Hoopa rings, Ultraspace), it actually allows for multiple of same legendary to be caught in same cartridge, solving one of the biggest issues of this distribution: inability to obtain multiples, resulting in need to gen / clone.
 
Not to mention Koffing and Mime Jr. I think it would also be great to have the non-Galarian and Alolan variants of Pokémon running around in these DLC Islands for easy access; and for Alolan forms specifically it would fit in very well thematically with how tropical the Isle of Armour feels!
I did forget about normal Weezing so thats on the list too

Mr Mime actually avoids this issue entirely. You get a Kantonian one via trade and since you need an incense to get Mime Jr via breeding, you can just breed for normal Mr Mimes with the ever stone method (THIS IS STILL SO DUMB)
 
I did forget about normal Weezing so thats on the list too

Mr Mime actually avoids this issue entirely. You get a Kantonian one via trade and since you need an incense to get Mime Jr via breeding, you can just breed for normal Mr Mimes with the ever stone method (THIS IS STILL SO DUMB)
Mr. Mime absolutely gets around this issue, but there still should be a way for Mime Jr. to evolve into normal Mr. Mime even if it's less important than the other Kantonian/Alolan evolutions.
 
Mr. Mime absolutely gets around this issue, but there still should be a way for Mime Jr. to evolve into normal Mr. Mime even if it's less important than the other Kantonian/Alolan evolutions.
Personally I'd just have 2 pikachus/koffings/exeggcutes/cubones/mime jrs internally and then just assign one to the regular and one to the regional. Add a new mark on the screen so you can keep track, too

This way we don't need to go out of our way to include areas to evolve these jerks into their normal forms, alolan forms and eventual galarian forms the next game.
 
Personally I'd just have 2 pikachus/koffings/exeggcutes/cubones/mime jrs internally and then just assign one to the regular and one to the regional. Add a new mark on the screen so you can keep track, too

This way we don't need to go out of our way to include areas to evolve these jerks into their normal forms, alolan forms and eventual galarian forms the next game.
I see where you're coming from but that seems terribly unintuitive (having to have to check what "region" your pokemon is from before breeding or evolving it).

I think the "location based" approach is fine. After all, those regional evolutions are result of actual evolution, and a "pikachu" would never evolve into an alolan variant if he's not fed like they do in alola, and a koffing would not evolve in a galarian weezing without the specific pollution conditions of the galar region.

However, several of those "evo method" can easily be condensed: for example, Cubone could just evolve based on time of the day, Raichu could evolve based on a held item (not like there's no sweets in the Galar items right?), etc.

That said... I'll still say, location based evo is fine for now, we know at some point they will have to """retcon""" it anyway like they did with some pokemon in this gen that now evolve via Stone where previously needed to level up in specific area. I wouldn't be surprised if they end opting for independant evolutionary items (held or actively used).
 
I agree with Kurona about the fact that IoA's setting screams "Alola compatible".

While regional variants are one of the best ideas GF has had in the last few years (and somehow GF still fails to leverage properly), the issue of "regionally locked" divergent evolution arose immediately when non-Alola evolutions could not be obtained outside of Wormholes, and Everstone-less parents gave suddenly birth to regional offsprings (while this is a nice nod to the actual "the chicken or the egg" question from a scientific perspective, it is still stupid ingame and for breeding purposes).

All you need is an Area that is dedicated to it and it is somewhat believable and not as convoluted as "go into another dimension!":facepalm: . They even did something similar in Emerald with the Safari Zone dedicated to the mons that were still missing from the combined RS-FRLG roster. A tropical area would also make sense with Galar and colonialism.

The more they stick with Regional variants (and they should, it also makes sense from a development standpoint), the more the need for dedicated areas will arise.
 
I see where you're coming from but that seems terribly unintuitive (having to have to check what "region" your pokemon is from before breeding or evolving it).

I think the "location based" approach is fine. After all, those regional evolutions are result of actual evolution, and a "pikachu" would never evolve into an alolan variant if he's not fed like they do in alola, and a koffing would not evolve in a galarian weezing without the specific pollution conditions of the galar region.

However, several of those "evo method" can easily be condensed: for example, Cubone could just evolve based on time of the day, Raichu could evolve based on a held item (not like there's no sweets in the Galar items right?), etc.

That said... I'll still say, location based evo is fine for now, we know at some point they will have to """retcon""" it anyway like they did with some pokemon in this gen that now evolve via Stone where previously needed to level up in specific area. I wouldn't be surprised if they end opting for independant evolutionary items (held or actively used).
I'm just saying the conceit for these evolutions goes out the window the microsecond you bred a Pikachu in alola and then it evolves into a normal raichu once you step into an alternate world or *checks notes* non-alolan soil. Or you send over a Koffing and BAM Galarian Weezing, even though they specifically only mutated in this form during the industrial revolution: the modern Galar doesn't have these pollution problems, but the genetics carried on.

Likewise it is not very intuitive that a Kantonian Ninetales always 100% gives birth to Alolan Vulpix in the Alola region unless it's holding an everstone despite not having gone through the years and years of genetic adaptation

It is far more intuitive to me that it be innate to the Pokemon and not the region being the default. The breeding thing always gets me too, especially since they're already separate forms internally with set relations.
 
The more they stick with Regional variants (and they should, it also makes sense from a development standpoint), the more the need for dedicated areas will arise.
I expect them to take the same """""approach""""" as the new stone evos: stick with locations for a couple games then retcon it once realizing that it's not sustainable with more and more zones required.
Cause one thing is sure, GF never learns :D
 
I agree with Kurona about the fact that IoA's setting screams "Alola compatible".

While regional variants are one of the best ideas GF has had in the last few years (and somehow GF still fails to leverage properly), the issue of "regionally locked" divergent evolution arose immediately when non-Alola evolutions could not be obtained outside of Wormholes, and Everstone-less parents gave suddenly birth to regional offsprings (while this is a nice nod to the actual "the chicken or the egg" question from a scientific perspective, it is still stupid ingame and for breeding purposes).

All you need is an Area that is dedicated to it and it is somewhat believable and not as convoluted as "go into another dimension!":facepalm: . They even did something similar in Emerald with the Safari Zone dedicated to the mons that were still missing from the combined RS-FRLG roster. A tropical area would also make sense with Galar and colonialism.

The more they stick with Regional variants (and they should, it also makes sense from a development standpoint), the more the need for dedicated areas will arise.
The breeding is another big thing for me, I gotta say. Breeding my Vulpix-A in SwSh should not result in a Vulpix-K -- you could maybe argue lore reasons for it, but frankly it's not a good enough justification for me especially when breeding already has so many variables to consider and if I'm competitively breeding I'll want both my Pokémon to be holding an item anyway. They did make the 'keep this regional variant' item the Everstone, sure, but what if I want to pass down the nature from the other Pokémon or vice versa?

It just overcomplicates things and it'd be best to just make it so that Vulpix-A always breeds Vulpix-As, and Vulpix-K always breeds Vulpix-Ks. And then just have areas for the branching evolutions. These are very simple solutions and systems I'm suggesting and they've always applied to things like Shellos, and it's so weird that Pokémon feels the need to overcomplicate things beyond that.
 
In fact, considering the extra-terrestrial nature of the Dynamax phenomenon, I don't really see a reason to not use it as "distribution method" anyway.
Plus, differently from the previous methods (Hoopa rings, Ultraspace), it actually allows for multiple of same legendary to be caught in same cartridge, solving one of the biggest issues of this distribution: inability to obtain multiples, resulting in need to gen / clone.
I agree, one of the things that I thought USUM did fantastically was to actually let us get an infinite number of (SM-only) ultra beasts, and it's a shame they didn't do so for the legendaries for exactly this reason. Especially from a VGC-perspective with the now-possibility that the GS cup switches metagames throughout the season, meaning that the optimal sets could change as the metagame changes. Sure, now we can re-purpose mons with nature mints (and annoyingly limited ev-reducing berries), but it would be nice to just have multiple copies for multiple sets. I am not going to hold my breath for this, though. :(

Personally I'd just have 2 pikachus/koffings/exeggcutes/cubones/mime jrs internally and then just assign one to the regular and one to the regional. Add a new mark on the screen so you can keep track, too

This way we don't need to go out of our way to include areas to evolve these jerks into their normal forms, alolan forms and eventual galarian forms the next game.
I agree; it makes much more sense from an in-universe logic perspective. The everstone thing makes no in-universe sense and definitely felt like a hacky workaround. I like Worldie's suggestion that the cleanest way to solve the issue in-game that still has some sense of in-universe logic might be something like an "Alola stone" or "Galar stone" that could evolve mons into their regional forms. (Sinnoh stones and Unova stones are already a thing in Pokemon go...)
 
Another interesting question is whether or not the data for Kantonian Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres will be in the games, given that it seems unlikeky they'll be available in Crown Tundra.
 
Another interesting question is whether or not the data for Kantonian Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres will be in the games, given that it seems unlikeky they'll be available in Crown Tundra.
I don't see why they wouldn't?

e: Be inthe data/transferrable, I mean. Obviously up in the air on if you'll ever be able to obtain them without transfer
I see little reason for it to be different from how the Kanto/Alolan forms were handled.
They'll be in the game albeith not obtainable without transfers (thought, might even be obtainable).

In fact I do think that the 3 Galar birds will be available in the wild (in their own mini event) like Regis, and their Kanto version should be available via raids.

Remember, the only exception to this situation is Slowpoke, and that was because they did not want to have Slowbro/Slowking data in so they only ported Galar Slowpoke in the code.
 
Every regional variant so far has had their other variants' data included in the game. You can't get Alolan Meowth or Unovan Stunfisk in SwSh, but you can transfer them up just as you can Bulbasaur or Solgaleo. No reason this wouldn't apply to the bird trio too.
hell all the Cap Pikachu are also here, too

The only forms excluded are Megas & Ultra Necrozma, for more obvious reasons
 
The only forms excluded are Megas & Ultra Necrozma, for more obvious reasons
There is this interesting fact that currently on Home, megas have their own learnset. It's weird, I don't think it really means anything but I just find weird that for some reason megas have separated IDs.
(then again, I believe graphic difference forms for a lot of pokemon also have separate IDs...)
 
There is this interesting fact that currently on Home, megas have their own learnset. It's weird, I don't think it really means anything but I just find weird that for some reason megas have separated IDs.
(then again, I believe graphic difference forms for a lot of pokemon also have separate IDs...)
I believe it's simply leftover data, like how the Soot Sack technically still exists in the SwSh data. Heck, you could probably still find the Z-crystal and Mega Stone data still in there.

I still want Megas to come back but I don't think this is that.
 
There is this interesting fact that currently on Home, megas have their own learnset. It's weird, I don't think it really means anything but I just find weird that for some reason megas have separated IDs.
(then again, I believe graphic difference forms for a lot of pokemon also have separate IDs...)
iirc the only things that dont internally have their own separate ID/listing are G-Max forms and Gender.

As such there are 8 or 9 separate Pikachus

e: Also this is not just a "Home' thing, this is an all-the-games thing
 
Look at it this way, if there's a major issue with downloading the Expansion you won't be effected or GF will have it fixed by the time you can download and play it. :psysly:
This feels a bit sad to say, but you made a very good point here. It is something I had been thinking about earlier as well, but I didn't have it in mind when I made my previous post. Both of the most recent releases have had some sort of major issue upon their release, so I have been wondering if the DLC is going to have some kind of issue as well? S/S had this thing where the games could ruin your SD card if you had one inserted in your Switch (I never really understood it exactly though, and I don't think it affected me either) while Home had a ton of issues from what I have read. But if I have understood things correctly, most of the issues with Home have been fixed by now. I'm unsure about the SD card issue though, was it ever reported that it got fixed? If not, and it is still an issue, then that's very bad. The Home issues never mattered to me though because I didn't get Home and I still haven't gotten it, not sure if I ever will get it either. While there are some pretty solid reasons to get it now, I'm not sure if it is enough for me. HA Galar starters is cool, but what's the point if I'm never going to use them? And there's the Magearna too which would be a major selling point for me seeing as Magearna is one of my top three favorite mythicals... if it wasn't for the fact that it cannot be transferred to any game at the moment, meaning it is stuck in Home until later, or possibly forever.

And since I'm making another post here, there's one more thing I wanted to say. I said in my previous post that I was planning to go on hiatus a few days before the release of the Isle of Armor, but I changed my mind a little about that. I decided to start my hiatus now instead. I think I need a break from the forums, one reason is that my interest for them have fallen a bit lately. The forums have also started make me feel stressed since I tend to spend a lot of time here, time that I'd rather spend on other things that I consider more important and things that I find more enjoyable. Being on hiatus for over three months during the pre-release for S/S felt really great too now that I look back at it. So my hiatus begins now, which means that this will be my last post here for a while. I'll be back at some point when I have played through the Isle of Armor.
 

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