Everything You Need to Know About the Pokémon Sword & Shield Expansions

When Pokémon Sword and Shield released in 2019, they faced a mixed reception from fans. While many were delighted to finally have a main Pokémon game on a home console, some aspects angered players. The chief complaints included a lack of detail in the visuals and a number of missing creatures from previous titles.

Fortunately, Game Freak and Nintendo have gone some way to fixing these problems. The announcement of two expansion packs in June was unexpected but also welcomed by fans. Especially when it was revealed they would reintroduce many of the missing Pokémon. The first DLC, The Isle of Armor, has already released and The Crown Tundra is due out this. Here’s everything you need to know about the new Pokémon Sword and Shield expansions and what to expect from future DLC.

The packs introduce brand new legendary Pokémon

Both The Isle of Armor and The Crown Tundra are introducing new legendary Pokémon. The first expansion includes a fighting-type in the form of Kubfu. This creature can evolve into two separate forms of Urshifu depending on how it is trained. Meanwhile, the second expansion coming this fall will have a legendary called Calyrex. This psychic and grass-type Pokémon once ruled the Galar region in ancient times.

There are also new ordinary creatures and regional variants

As well as including new legendaries, the two expansions are also making a fresh batch of Pokémon available. One such example of a regional variant is the Galarian Slowpoke, which can later evolve into other Galarian forms. The Crown Tundra will also have special Galarian forms of the Kanto legendary birds. Each of these has a unique type compared to their original versions, such as Articuno being psychic rather than ice-type.