Topic: Pokémon Sword and Shield: AKA This year's Fallout 76 apparently. /clickbait

[pokepal148]

So I picked this up because I am weak I decided to be open minded and give this game a chance instead of dismissing it outright. I am having a really good time with this game at the end of the day. I am now two gym badges in and it's a hoot.

[BeautifulShy]

I have been watching some walkthroughs of Shield by a few of my fave streamers and I like the little details the game has.   I also like that there is one area dedicated to previous gen pokemon.

[nickmitch]

I'm also two badges in and am having a blast.  I feel almost overwhelmed with how many interesting new Pokemon the game hits you with at the beginning.  But the exp share and having remote access to the box makes it really easy to have a rotation of Pokemon instead of a set team.

I've been able to avoid a good amount of spoilers, so the surprises are actually nice.  I think I prefer not knowing the starter evolutions now.  But I'm worried I'll never see Scorbunny.

On that note, I'm having trouble deciding if I should look up Pokemon, evolution methods, and movesets or if I should let myself be surprised.  I peeked at one thing just to make sure a certain Pokemon didn't evolve via trade, but I think I'll chill out for now.

[BeautifulShy]

As far as movesets I would say let yourself be surprised.  Check what each move does when the pokemon tries to learn it ,to be sure, to see if you like it but know that moves can be relearned as you level up.  Talk to everyone and you might find NPCs who are helpful.

I checked and there is some new evo methods which are pretty unique. Some of the item descriptions clue into evolutions and you could figure things out from there.  So for evos I say just see what you can figure out and just play the game like normal in the mean time. 

So yeah just enjoy the game and delve into the other stuff later if you want to.

[BeautifulShy]

So I have been looking into the game a bit more and I have noticed there are lots of quality of life additions added in the game and there is also the TRs(Technical Records) which were previous gen TMs going all the way back to the first gen and I like that that is in there because aside from this the only way to get those older TMs is to transfer them from the 3DS eshop Gen 1 and 2 games into the newer games but this makes it so that everything is built in to get the best experience one can get with Sword and Shield. 

[nickmitch]

Thanks!  I think I'll do that! I've been talking to all the NPCs and just letting myself be surprised.

The TRs were a nice surprise.  It's cool to have a way to grind for those types of things as opposed to other games where there's one in the whole game, and you just have to find it.  It's a good balance between the OG single-use TMs and something you can use repeatedly.  The exp candies are also kinda nice, but they do make rare candies look redundant.

[BeautifulShy]

Which starter did everyone start with and which version are you playing?

Also what is you fave new Galar native pokemon?

[NWR_insanolord]

I went with Grookey. This might be the first time I ever picked the grass starter, I just wasn’t much of a fan of the others’ designs. 

[nickmitch]

I went with Grookey. This continues my trend of always picking the grass starter; they have the best designs.  Also, Sword.

[Stratos]

I'm completely waffling on this one. I was really put out by the whole Dexit series of issues, but the game looks like it could be fun, and I want a full new Pokemon game for Switch.

I've settled on holding out to see what the next game is, because if they do an "Ultra" Sword/Shield or a 3rd version with more/all of the missing old monsters then I'll happily get that one instead. If they never do that I can probably get Sw/Sh at a decent discount. I'll just buy a copy of Ultra Sun since that is going for close to $20 and I never played one of the Alolan releases.

I do think there are some nice designs this gen, but also some misses. I have almost always gone for the fire starter, but this time I would definitely go Grooky. The starters this gen feel rather weak in design (judging from the final forms alone, even the poorest gens in my eyes have good first-tier designs).

If I were to rate starters, I would probably go 1 > 4 > 2 > 6 = 7 > 8 > 3 > 5

How do you all feel the starters stack up to previous gens?

...and I feel indecisive again as I look over the list of available monsters. May just cave and pick it up if there is a good enough deal. Already seen some nice sales come out in one form or another.

[BeautifulShy]

That sounds like a solid plan Stratos. For context though Sun and Moon were released on Nov 17th 2016 and the initial announcement of Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon was on June 2017 and those games were released on Nov 17th 2017. So you may be waiting a while for a possible second version.

I do know Sword and Shield pokedex has 400 pokemon which if I am not mistaken is about 50 less than half of the current pokemon. 890 pokemon is the current total.  That is more than enough for me for one game to be expanded upon at a later date.

As to the starters and just based on looks here is how I would rank them.
1, 4, 7, 6, 8, 3, 2 then 5

There is a double pack of the two games but from what I have seen you can get the majority of the pokemon for your game and with Max Raid Battles you can get pokemon that is in the other game by playing with others. There really is only a few gyms and a few items and a few exclusive pokemon which you likely can't get without connecting with someone with the other version than you.

When I do get the game and a Switch sometime next year I will likely get Shield.   

[Stratos]

Thanks for the timeline reminder. While other games and Pokemon Go and Ultra Sun should tide me over, I may still cave at the right price.

Though, seeing all the Gen 5 monsters in Go makes me realize I never gave that game a do-over and is one of the few I never finished. So maybe I'll go back to that one as well.

And am I reading your rankings correctly? Gen 1 is your least favorite? Or am I looking at it backwards?

[BeautifulShy]

Thanks for the timeline reminder. While other games and Pokemon Go and Ultra Sun should tide me over, I may still cave at the right price.

Though, seeing all the Gen 5 monsters in Go makes me realize I never gave that game a do-over and is one of the few I never finished. So maybe I'll go back to that one as well.

And am I reading your rankings correctly? Gen 1 is your least favorite? Or am I looking at it backwards?

Yeah from what I have seen Pokémon Go is a lot better than when it was when it first released back then.

Unless I messed things up with the symbols and I mixed the greater and less than signs it should go left to right like yours as my fave to least fave. 

[Stratos]

Yeah, Pokemon Go has gotten a lot better. My wife and I got back into it this summer and there is a lot more to do. The community day events are great and get a lot of turnout at our local parks. If you are considering checking it out again, December is really the best month as the community day is over two days and will feature all of the previous community day monsters from the past two years (so better chances at shiny versions).

I ordered a Pokeball Plus along with Ultra Sun so we'll see if this makes it easier to play or if it will just be a glorified Switch controller.

[Mop it up]

I've been into this game more than I thought I would be, and it's mainly because of the raids. It's nice to have some semblance of co-op in a Pokémon game, it's been fun to get a group together and take down as many max Monz as we can find. I've even held back on catching them in the wild so that there's more reason to take on all the raids and catch them through that method. This is also where it would have been nice to have the full 'Dex in the game, since it would mean even more reason to keep playing the raids, but there's still enough here to get a good amount of play time out of it.

[BeautifulShy]

Yeah, Pokemon Go has gotten a lot better. My wife and I got back into it this summer and there is a lot more to do. The community day events are great and get a lot of turnout at our local parks. If you are considering checking it out again, December is really the best month as the community day is over two days and will feature all of the previous community day monsters from the past two years (so better chances at shiny versions).

I ordered a Pokeball Plus along with Ultra Sun so we'll see if this makes it easier to play or if it will just be a glorified Switch controller.

In regards to Pokeball Plus and Sword and Shield there is a nice surprise, With a brand new Pokeball Plus and mystery gift you can connect to the games with the Pokeball Plus and get a Mew.

Hope you enjoy yourself in Ultra Sun.

[nickmitch]

A Pokeball plus is pretty good with Go.  I like using it since I suddenly have an excess of Pokeballs, and it's nice to burn through those to make room for recovery items which I need more of to do Team Rocket stuff.

I just finished the main story in Sword, and am almost done the post-game.  I'm just over 50 hours, and that feels about right.  I know people complain about the shortcomings of the post-game, but it was really only needed because the main games weren't as long.  I'll probably still be playing the game for a while to do more raids and fill out the 'dex, which will put me at (at least) 60 hours, which (again) feels right to me.

While the difficulty left something to be desired, the game picks up towards the end, which was satisfying enough.  I was down to my last Pokemon in the battle with the Champion, but that may have had more to do with how I planned my team.

Overall, I really liked it.  It looks great on the TV, the wild area is loads of fun, max raids are cool, and the new designs are fantastic.  Story could've been better, but at least they were trying some new things.

Edit: I wanted to follow up on a thing mentioned earlier in the thread.  I think I talked to all the NPCs, but I don't think anyone explained any of the obscure evolution methods (unless I missed it).  There should really be something in the game to guide you on that.  Again, maybe I missed it, but I'd have been pissed if I didn't look up how to get Farfetch'd to evolve and just waited on it to level up.  Some evolutions are fine, specifically the item based ones that seem obvious once you think about it.  For example, there was one item that I thought was a curry ingredient until I saw it in the other pocket of the bag.

[nickmitch]

Update: Currently sitting at 367 on my 'Dex.  There's one or two Pokemon in the game that I can actually catch (I think), so I'll be relying on trades to finish up.  The surprise trades have not been great for me, but I did get a coveted Japanese Ditto.  I got a buddy with Shield, and we plan on doing some trading this weekend, so I should be good.

Still pretty satisfied with the game overall, but there is one issue where I haven't seen every Pokemon in the 'Dex, so there were a couple of holes where I had no idea what the Pokemon was and had to look it up online by number.  The one frustrating thing is where there's one or two Pokemon that spawn in ONE part of the Wild Area and only during ONE weather type.  So, it feels like I just have to wait and get lucky?

Also, more Pokemon in the 'Dex would've been nice.  I'm ok with the cuts in general, but I do think stopping at 400 was bleh.

[Stratos]

So with the announcement of the DLC and expansion of the pokedex, I am more ready to pick this up. I'm going to be looking for a discount though, because I don't want to drop $90 on a single pokemon game. Also hoping they pull a Smash and announce a second wave of DLC with the rest of the missing dex. My big question is which monsters are confirmed to be returning. If my favorites are in, then I'll be changing my tune for sure, even if the dex is still incomplete.

It would actually be interesting if they switch to a DLC formula instead of an annual game formula. Release a $60 game, then release a $30 DLC or two over the next two years would ensure they continue their high revenue stream without being overstretched on the next title, though I imagine a lot of people would not be happy with it.

[BeautifulShy]

Quote from Stratos

My big question is which monsters are confirmed to be returning. If my favorites are in, then I'll be changing my tune for sure, even if the dex is still incomplete.

Here is the updated list of pokes in the game after the expansion pass.  https://serebii.net/swordshield/galarpokedex.shtml

These are the pokes who are returning through the expansion pass. 
https://serebii.net/swordshield/expansionreturning.shtml

[Stratos]

Wait, we know of ALL the returning mons? I thought it was only a list of mons cobbled together from datamining and trailer analysis?

~

That's only about 84, so I'm presuming this is incomplete.

[BeautifulShy]

Wait, we know of ALL the returning mons? I thought it was only a list of mons cobbled together from datamining and trailer analysis?

~

That's only about 84, so I'm presuming this is incomplete.

It is more a matter of what was shown in the Pokemon Direct that showed the Expansion Pass and just adding those to the initial 300 pokes in the main game at launch. So use the 1st link for a complete list.

[nickmitch]

The list of returning Pokémon isn't complete. There are 200+ returning. List shows confirmed returns.

[Stratos]

Just gimmie Scyther. Galarian Scyther would be neat if it gets him in the game.

[relicgear92]

Just a heads up to anyone playing Pokemon Sword and Shield. Pokemon Home is already available. You can now transfer Gen 1 and Gen 7 starters plus various Legendary and Mythical Pokemon.

[nickmitch]

I've been wondering how people were getting Jirachi and Venusaur in the game. I played some raids online with people using Pokemon who weren't in the game.

[BeautifulShy]

Yep Pokémon Home became live the other day.

[relicgear92]

I've been wondering how people were getting Jirachi and Venusaur in the game. I played some raids online with people using Pokemon who weren't in the game.

There are legit Jirachi from previous games because of past Mystery gift giveaways such as the 20th Anniversary event during Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire era. Those Jirachi can be transferred to Pokemon Bank and then Pokemon Home to Pokemon Sword and Shield. Although I have to warn you about some illegitimate Pokemon circling around Surprise trade. They might cause a crash to your game.

[nickmitch]

I've heard about the surprise trade issue, and that's pretty disappointing.  I thought GF had a check for illegitimate Pokemon?  Isn't there a little symbol you should see when checking the Pokemon's summary?

[Mop it up]

I believe there have always been certain Hackémon setups which can get around the checks.

[nickmitch]

Oh dang. 

Well, in any event, the new Pokemon to be announced on Pokemon Day 2020 has had its silhouette revealed on serebii.net.

[BeautifulShy]

Bumping this topic since I have Pokemon Shield now.  I have been planning out teams for each starter and for the Psychic/Fairy type on my team.   Going to start with Cinderace.

[Adrock]

Nintendo won’t refund if you have purchased the wrong DLC for Pokemon Sword & Shield

Yikes. Not a great look, Nintendo.

More importantly, why aren’t there more failsafes for stuff like this? There’s a warning message if I remember correctly. However, some extra lines of code to check the account’s previous purchases and/or save file then disable the option on the UI is not a lot of work from an IT standpoint. 🤷‍♀️ Sure, Nintendo can make money due to people’s negligence. Customer satisfaction is probably worth more in the long run.

[nickmitch]

This is a bad move by Nintendo.

To their credit, when you're in SwSh, the link to buy the DLC that's in the pause menu takes you to the correct version in the eShop, and the versions are labeled "Sword Expansion Pass" and "Shield Expansion Pass".  When they announced the DLC, I remember there being some confusion over this issue, but I think they clarified at some point.  So, I assume they knew this would be an issue.

[Stratos]

That isn't clear enough to say "Sword Expansion" and "Shield Expansion" because there will be people out there thinking they can get both. Consumers may also think they should get the opposite pass of the game they bought so they can get the other version's content added to their game. Users need strict guidance or they will always find the outlier options.

I have heard stories online of people getting the refund/switch when they call support. A similar thing happened when Switch Online released and they said you could not get a refund to upgrade from the single to the family plan, but people called in and they made an accommodation (I was one person who did that). I suspect if you call and are persistent you can get them to fix it even if they say they "can't". But the typical consumer to fall for an expansion pass miss-purchase may not have the same persistence and confidence to drive a successful change.

[Ian Sane]

I bought the expansion pass for my brother for his birthday as an online purchase worked well during the pandemic.  I hope I bought the right thing.  It was a code from Best Buy and I don't think it specified Sword or Shield specifically.  He probably got to pick when he redeemed the code in the eShop.

Not offering a refund is just being a dick.  What incentive is there for Nintendo other than to pocket the cash of someone that didn't read the fine print?  The fact that there are two things to buy is stupid.  You should have to buy one and when you install it should recognize which game you have and download the correct content or ask you at the time which game you have.  Hell, why not make it so that if you pick the wrong one and try the load the game it says "It appears you have the DLC for Sword but you have Shield.  Do you want to switch to the correct DLC for the game you have?"  This is penny pinching ****.  This is the grocery store owner refusing to refund you on expired baby food without a receipt and risk losing your business permanently over a few bucks.

[nickmitch]

I think they're separate so that people who bought both Sword and Shield would have to buy the DLC twice as well.  They're not selling an "Ultra Sword" or a "Shield 2" this time around, so the best way to get double dippers to double dip again is to split the DLC.  Not saying I agree with the move, but that's my suspicion.

That isn't clear enough to say "Sword Expansion" and "Shield Expansion" because there will be people out there thinking they can get both. Consumers may also think they should get the opposite pass of the game they bought so they can get the other version's content added to their game. Users need strict guidance or they will always find the outlier options.

I'm not sure I'm fully sympathetic with people trying to game the system in that way.  If you're able to understand that there are separate versions, why would you think one version of the DLC would work with the non-corresponding version of the base game?

If someone buys the wrong version because they weren't reading carefully, got confused, or were buying a gift and weren't sure which to get, then I find that understandable.

[Mop it up]

This is why it's best to buy DLC through games themselves, not the eShop, when given the option anyway.

Not trying to excuse anything here (no refunds on digital has always been scummy), just explaining a way this can be avoided.

[Stratos]

That isn't clear enough to say "Sword Expansion" and "Shield Expansion" because there will be people out there thinking they can get both. Consumers may also think they should get the opposite pass of the game they bought so they can get the other version's content added to their game. Users need strict guidance or they will always find the outlier options.

I'm not sure I'm fully sympathetic with people trying to game the system in that way.  If you're able to understand that there are separate versions, why would you think one version of the DLC would work with the non-corresponding version of the base game?

Its not people gaming the system, its less knowledgeable consumers thinking that is how it might work. Nintendo needs to put safeguards in place if they want to keep customers happy and considering every other store (including theirs if you push hard enough with support) has a work around to help consumers that make mistakes they should get with the program and make it possible.

[Ian Sane]

I think they're separate so that people who bought both Sword and Shield would have to buy the DLC twice as well.  They're not selling an "Ultra Sword" or a "Shield 2" this time around, so the best way to get double dippers to double dip again is to split the DLC.  Not saying I agree with the move, but that's my suspicion.

I agree with that suspicion.  But how many people honestly buy both Pokemon games?  The idea is that you trade with friends not buy two games that are almost identical.  And in this scenario, Nintendo has made more money from someone double dipping than they would from selling them two DLCs.  This small minority of double-dippers isn't worth the bad PR that comes from being strict about refunds.  Really Nintendo can have the exact same setup but say "if you bought the wrong version, contact our support team and they'll change the version or provide a refund if you bought both by mistake".  Done.  Double-dippers don't get to buy only one DLC and people that got confused don't get upset with Nintendo.

[pokepal148]

I've been gearing up my old Pokemon Bank Celebi as my new capture slave since Parasect is still locked out of Sword and Shield. It's really fortunate that Sword and Shield makes it easy to max out a pokemon's EVs and IVs because otherwise I probably wouldn't be investing in it.

[nickmitch]

I use a Venusaur with sleep powder and a wide lens for capturing. Not as good as spore, but it does the job.