• A new LGBTQ+ forum is now being trialed and there have been changes made to the Support and Advice forum. To read more about these updates, click here.
  • Hey Trainers! Be sure to check out Corsola Beach, our newest section on the forums, in partnership with our friends at Corsola Cove! At the Beach, you can discuss the competitive side of the games, post your favorite Pokemon memes, and connect with other Pokemon creators!
  • Due to the recent changes with Twitter's API, it is no longer possible for Bulbagarden forum users to login via their Twitter account. If you signed up to Bulbagarden via Twitter and do not have another way to login, please contact us here with your Twitter username so that we can get you sorted.

SwSh Sword & Shield: Expansion Pass

So I've completed the three major story arcs and also caught the Musketeers, done a few Dynamax Adventures, and participated in the first Galarian Star Tournament. (It was definitely fun, but will probably be more so on subsequent playthroughs when I'm taking my time rather than blitzing through it as fast as I can.) Sooooo, thoughts time!

- Like I said before, the atmosphere is amazing, and the geography of the Crown Tundra is on a whole other level compared to the Isle of Armor and especially the Wild Area (frankly, there's not even really a comparison there, the Tundra makes the Wild Area look pathetic - but like I've been saying since SwSh came out, that's how it always goes with Game Freak; they start by dipping their toes into an idea and then they gradually improve upon it). Looking back, you can certainly see how they steadily experimented with increasing the complexity of these open areas' layouts, but honestly I still wasn't expecting this big of a leap from IOA to CT. The Tundra feels huge and easy to get lost in. I'm really excited to see what kind of influence this has on later games. I do have one gripe, though - it was kind of understandable with the water segments of IOA because it's literally in the middle of the ocean, but here, if you go to the Frigid Sea, it's very easy to butt up against these invisible border walls that keep you from going out into the distant, inaccessible reaches of the sea. It's kind of immersion-breaking, because there's not even a consistent wall of ice floes to "act" as an in-universe barrier.

- I like how they've split the difference between giving old Legendaries a story arc and throwing them in as rewards for a bonus content feature like Soaring/Wormholes/DA. People sometimes say they miss having old Legendary Pokémon integrated into the setting of a new region, but it was inevitable that as the roster of Legendaries continued to swell, that would eventually become unmanageable, hence wormhole/presumably non-canonical Dynamax Adventures sort of solution. I think it would be pretty preposterous to try to cram every old Legendary into some bespoke corner of the Galar region, because at some point I feel like that starts to compromise Galar's own sense of identity. But focusing on just a couple of specific sets - the adapted Birds, the Regis, and the Musketeers; especially since all of those are on the softer side of lore affiliations - helps those Legendaries to feel more organic within the setting while still retaining a feeling of importance and uniqueness. I also like the different methodology for each set. The birds bring back the roaming concept (And how! It's soooooo much cooler when you can actually see them in the world, and I like how Zapdos and Moltres skip off to the previous open-world areas), the Regis stick with the "meet specific criteria to trigger an encounter" routine (surprised there wasn't a Relicanth/Wailord Easter egg, and that Regigigas seems relegated to Dynamax Adventures), and you have to track down the Musketeers in an IOA Diglett- or Zygarde Cell-like quest. (And completing that also allows you to encounter a Keldeo(!), in a manner that would have been the talk of the town 10 years ago, but is unfortunately kind of undermined by the nature of the Internet.)

- All that being said, I did not miss these low catch rates. In that regard, I very much appreciate Dynamax Adventures, which make obtaining a Legendary feel like a challenge but in a different way, where if you can withstand the test of endurance, you're guaranteed to catch it. I haven't actually managed to defeat a Legenedary through DA yet, although I did get extremely close on Zygarde, but I'm eager to keep trying. I definitely like how you can choose to go after a specific Legendary if you've already encountered it once before. The RNG part of USUM's wormholes was just awful, and this addresses that problem nicely. Also, it seems like there are good rewards for DA besides the Legendaries - not just the Ability Patch, but you can also find the Hoenn Starters, Alola Forms, and Gigantamax Pokémon in there as well. Plus, the catching animation has been trimmed down a bit and there are mercifully no barrier phases. Those work for individual Max Raids, but would have been way too brutal here.

- On the other hand, the round of the Galarian Star Tournament that I did... I mean, as expected, the character interactions were lovely, but I sincerely don't know what the TPC representatives could have meant when they described this as the "hardest challenge." DA is way more difficult; this is just a slightly harder version of the post-game tournament we already had, and I'm... not sure what the reward is really supposed to be, either. Maybe you get more interesting stuff on repeat attempts, but I doubt it - all I received for winning the first go-around was the GST uniform, $1,000,000, and 3 Net Balls from Ball Guy ._. Congrats to Klara <3/Avery for officially becoming a Gym Leader though!

- The Calyrex arc was pretty cool. Felt bizarre (but in the good sense of being really novel and unexpected) to have a Legendary Pokémon communicating with you quasi-verbally throughout. It does make me feel more connected to Calyrex once all is said and done, though I feel a bit sorry for Peony, lol, always being used as a sock puppet. Peony was pretty fun too, and like everyone else, has some interesting backstory notes in his League Card profiles.

I'm sure I'll think of more to say!

Oh yeah, and they finally added V-create to Victini's natural level-up pool! Been waiting on that for forever. Now to wait and see if Nidorina and Nidoqueen finally have an Egg Group...
 
Last edited:
Is there anywhere I can read the stories of the Crown Tundra arcs? At least the new Pokemon like Calyrex+Horses, Legendary Bird forms and Regis.

How has Calyrex's ability been handled?
 
- On the other hand, the round of the Galarian Star Tournament that I did... I mean, as expected, the character interactions were lovely, but I sincerely don't know what the TPC representatives could have meant when they described this as the "hardest challenge." DA is way more difficult; this is just a slightly harder version of the post-game tournament we already had, and I'm... not sure what the reward is really supposed to be, either. Maybe you get more interesting stuff on repeat attempts, but I doubt it - all I received for winning the first go-around was the GST uniform, $1,000,000, and 3 Net Balls from Ball Guy ._. Congrats to Klara <3/Avery for officially becoming a Gym Leader though!
Dynamax Adventures are rental only, right? Maybe that's why they excluded it?
Although even then...I haven't started CT yet but I doubt the Star Tournament is harder than Restricted Sparring.
 
Is there anywhere I can read the stories of the Crown Tundra arcs? At least the new Pokemon like Calyrex+Horses, Legendary Bird forms and Regis

idk if anyone's posted like a write-up or something but I'll give it a go

There isn't really a "story" to the Regis, they're just scattered in four temples across the Tundra, and each one gives you a clue about how to open the door. For Regice, you need to walk with a Cryogonal; for Regirock, you have your lead Pokémon hold an Everstone; and for Registeel, you just press the left stick to whistle. From there, you enter the ruins and then step on the floor tiles (as in Platinum), and interact with the statue to trigger the encounter.

To open Regieleki and Regidrago's door, you simply have to have the other three Regis in your party. Then you have to make a choice as to whether you want Regieleki or Regidrago, which is done by lighting up the floor tiles to match the eye pattern of the one you want. Done and done.

The birds are introduced in a cutscene which shows them gathering around the giant red tree and fighting each other, before noticing you and running off. Again it's not really a "story" per se because they are roamers. As I mentioned, Articuno stays in the Tundra, and when you encounter it, it creates mirages to confuse you and you have to interact with the right one. Zapdos dashes around the southern part of the Wild Area and you have to chase it. Moltres flies around the Isle of Armor and you... I dunno, kinda have to predict where it's going to be and wait in its path? This one was hard for me and took a lot of attempts.

Calyrex on the other hand does have a storyline. Early on, after learning about the town of Freezington and how they used to have a tradition of honoring the "King of Bountiful Harvests," you are introduced to a wooden statue depicting a figure atop a horse, but the statue is broken and missing the figure's crown. Turns out that Peony has been using the huge crown as a pillow, lol. You take it and put it on the statue, and then spot Calyrex in a nearby alcove. Calyrex uses its psychic power to seize control of Peony and speaks to you through him. It thanks you for repairing the statue and explains that its power has waned and its memory has faded, and asks you to find out if the people of Freezington still remember it (they don't; it's been so long that they think it's a fairy tale). From there, you work with Calyrex to complete a series of tasks. First is to obtain a certain kind of carrot, which Calyrex remembers being favored by its steed (it can't recall much about the steed, and the legends are conflicting about whether it was white or black). You can buy carrot seeds from a local in Freezington in exchange for Dynite Ore.

Once you have the seeds, you bring them to Calyrex, and it shows you a choice of two fertile plots where the carrot can be grown using its power to make vegetation bloom. One plot is in an icy field, the other is next to a graveyard. Depending on which you choose, you'll either get an Iceroot Carrot or a Shaderoot Carrot. Once the carrot is grown, you catch a fleeting glimpse of Glastrier or Spectrier, which has been attracted by the sent of the carrot, but couldn't pinpoint the location, so it heads to Freezington.

Worried that the horse will run wild and destroy the town, Calyrex says you have to hurry back to battle it. You do so, and knock it out, and it runs away, but leaves behind a strand of its mane. Calyrex thinks it should find a way to control the horse, and after a little more brainstorming and investigation, you conclude that it can do that if it has Reins of Unity, an artifact from the olden days of Freezington which is made using that strand of mane as well as a special flower produced by Calyrex. Calyrex only has enough power to produce a single petal, and the mayor of Freezington tries to craft the Reigns according to what information he has left, but isn't skilled enough. Enter Peony, who I guess knows his way around a rope and also sews all his daughter's clothes himself, and boom, you've got the Reigns.

Calyrex tells you that it remembers spending time with the horse in the old castle atop the mountains. You make your way there and place the carrot in a basket by the horse's old stable. The horse shows up to eat the carrot and Calyrex leaps on top of it with the Reigns, and manages to get it under control. You then battle the fused Calyrex at Lv80 and can catch it.

How has Calyrex's ability been handled?

Base Calyrex just has Unnerve, while the fused forms basically just have a new Ability called As One which has the effect of both Unnerve and the steed's Chilling/Grim Neigh (a Moxie clone). So your opponent can't eat Berries and you'll get a stat boost for KOing them.
 
@Esserise

I haven't dabbled too much into the DLC yet (Battery and some other stuff I had to do) but are there any team roster/person roster changes for the Galar All-Star Tournament?
 
spoilers (23rd October - 23rd November)
Hello, are you enjoying Crown Tundra? This is a reminder to keep all DLC spoilers inside this thread or in this one until 23rd November, that way we can prevent accidental spoilers.

Thanks (y)
 
Last edited:
@Esserise

I haven't dabbled too much into the DLC yet (Battery and some other stuff I had to do) but are there any team roster/person roster changes for the Galar All-Star Tournament?

I'm actually just starting to look into that since I see the teams have been datamined. I haven't been able to examine it closely yet but think the only notable team change is that Klara/Avery have added a Galarian Slowking to their team (in both the GST and the daily rematch at the Master Dojo), while their Trainer class has been updated to Gym Leader. There definitely weren't any surprises on the teams I battled last night. Everyone is also at higher levels than they are in the normal tournament. Most are at ~72, but Leon and Mustard hit 80.

Apparently Sordward and Shielbert can participate, so that's funny. It seems you can unlock more partners by participating in it more times.

Edit: In all fairness, while it wasn't hard hard, Raihan and Piers did put up a solid fight. I would imagine the GST might be tougher for kids and more casual players. But unfortunately there is kind of a baked-in edge in your favor, because the opponents each use 3 Pokémon, while you have access to your full team in addition to the 3 brought by your partner. So it is essentially a 9-on-6 advantage. You could choose put a self-imposed limit on yourself, though, and in all honesty, I think I did end up using 4 of my Pokémon against Raihan and Piers, so if it had been an even match, I'd have lost.
 
Last edited:
idk if anyone's posted like a write-up or something but I'll give it a go

There isn't really a "story" to the Regis, they're just scattered in four temples across the Tundra, and each one gives you a clue about how to open the door. For Regice, you need to walk with a Cryogonal; for Regirock, you have your lead Pokémon hold an Everstone; and for Registeel, you just press the left stick to whistle. From there, you enter the ruins and then step on the floor tiles (as in Platinum), and interact with the statue to trigger the encounter.

To open Regieleki and Regidrago's door, you simply have to have the other three Regis in your party. Then you have to make a choice as to whether you want Regieleki or Regidrago, which is done by lighting up the floor tiles to match the eye pattern of the one you want. Done and done.

The birds are introduced in a cutscene which shows them gathering around the giant red tree and fighting each other, before noticing you and running off. Again it's not really a "story" per se because they are roamers. As I mentioned, Articuno stays in the Tundra, and when you encounter it, it creates mirages to confuse you and you have to interact with the right one. Zapdos dashes around the southern part of the Wild Area and you have to chase it. Moltres flies around the Isle of Armor and you... I dunno, kinda have to predict where it's going to be and wait in its path? This one was hard for me and took a lot of attempts.

Calyrex on the other hand does have a storyline. Early on, after learning about the town of Freezington and how they used to have a tradition of honoring the "King of Bountiful Harvests," you are introduced to a wooden statue depicting a figure atop a horse, but the statue is broken and missing the figure's crown. Turns out that Peony has been using the huge crown as a pillow, lol. You take it and put it on the statue, and then spot Calyrex in a nearby alcove. Calyrex uses its psychic power to seize control of Peony and speaks to you through him. It thanks you for repairing the statue and explains that its power has waned and its memory has faded, and asks you to find out if the people of Freezington still remember it (they don't; it's been so long that they think it's a fairy tale). From there, you work with Calyrex to complete a series of tasks. First is to obtain a certain kind of carrot, which Calyrex remembers being favored by its steed (it can't recall much about the steed, and the legends are conflicting about whether it was white or black). You can buy carrot seeds from a local in Freezington in exchange for Dynite Ore.

Once you have the seeds, you bring them to Calyrex, and it shows you a choice of two fertile plots where the carrot can be grown using its power to make vegetation bloom. One plot is in an icy field, the other is next to a graveyard. Depending on which you choose, you'll either get an Iceroot Carrot or a Shaderoot Carrot. Once the carrot is grown, you catch a fleeting glimpse of Glastrier or Spectrier, which has been attracted by the sent of the carrot, but couldn't pinpoint the location, so it heads to Freezington.

Worried that the horse will run wild and destroy the town, Calyrex says you have to hurry back to battle it. You do so, and knock it out, and it runs away, but leaves behind a strand of its mane. Calyrex thinks it should find a way to control the horse, and after a little more brainstorming and investigation, you conclude that it can do that if it has Reins of Unity, an artifact from the olden days of Freezington which is made using that strand of mane as well as a special flower produced by Calyrex. Calyrex only has enough power to produce a single petal, and the mayor of Freezington tries to craft the Reigns according to what information he has left, but isn't skilled enough. Enter Peony, who I guess knows his way around a rope and also sews all his daughter's clothes himself, and boom, you've got the Reigns.

Calyrex tells you that it remembers spending time with the horse in the old castle atop the mountains. You make your way there and place the carrot in a basket by the horse's old stable. The horse shows up to eat the carrot and Calyrex leaps on top of it with the Reigns, and manages to get it under control. You then battle the fused Calyrex at Lv80 and can catch it.



Base Calyrex just has Unnerve, while the fused forms basically just have a new Ability called As One which has the effect of both Unnerve and the steed's Chilling/Grim Neigh (a Moxie clone). So your opponent can't eat Berries and you'll get a stat boost for KOing them.
Thanks for the write up! It’s really appreciated. I’ll probably post my comments after I process this a little, and watch a play through.
 
@RK9 Looks like the teams are...

Mustard: Mienshao, Kommo-o, Urshifu (opposite your choice)

Bede: Mawile, Galarian Rapidash, Hatterene

Marnie: Morpeko, Scrafty, Grimmsnarl

Leon: Aegislash, Dragapult, Charizard

Kabu: Torkoal, Arcanine, Centiskorch

Nessa: Golisopod, Toxapex, Drednaw

Piers: Skuntank, Toxtricity, Obstagoon

Allister: Dusknoir, Cursola, Gengar

Raihan: Flygon, Goodra, Duraludon

Bea: Hawlucha, Falinks, Machamp

Shielbert: Sirfetch'd, Bronzong, Klinklang

Hop: Dubwool, Zamazenta/Zacian (Sword/Shield), Starter

Melony: Mr. Rime, Galarian Darmanitan, Lapras

Gordie: Shuckle, Tyranitar, Coalossal

Avery: Galarian Slowbro, Alakazam, Galarian Slowking

Klara: Galarian Slowking, Scolipede, Galarian Slowbro

Peony: Perrserker, Aggron, Copperajah

Sordward: Sirfetch'd, Golisopod, Bisharp

Opal: Galarian Weezing, Togekiss, Alcremie

Milo: Shiftry/Ludicolo (Sword/Shield), Cherrim, Flapple/Appletun (Sword/Shield)

Also, apparently Sordward, Shielbert, and Opal are all in the high 60s rather than low 70s. That said, it also seems that the levels for the regular singles tournament have been increased a bit.

ngl I was kinda hoping Rose and Oleana would make a comeback in the GST.
 
Oof. Seems Spiritomb may be gated behind online access? There's a tombstone near Bellimere Lake that says to "spread my voice," and if you talk to 50 people who appear in your world while online, Spiritomb will appear by the tombstone. Nice call-out to DP, but pretty inconvenient for people without NSO, unless it turns out you can also get it from Raids (no word on that yet I think).
 
Oof. Seems Spiritomb may be gated behind online access? There's a tombstone near Bellimere Lake that says to "spread my voice," and if you talk to 50 people who appear in your world while online, Spiritomb appear will appear by the tombstone. Nice call-out to DP, but pretty inconvenient for people without NSO.
Well, it was also inconvenient there... If my best friend in school didn't have Diamond I would have been massively screwed.
 
There is, I guess, some evidence of there being a gift Victini and Poipole in the game? But no one seems to have found out how to get them.

If I had to take a stab at the conditions needed, maybe Victini is a reward for catching all the Legendaries in Dynamax Adventures (“victory” theme and all that) while Poipole could be a reward for catching all the UBs?

Well, it was also inconvenient there... If my best friend in school didn't have Diamond I would have been massively screwed.

Yeah but that doesn’t mean we gotta’ go back! :p
 
Oof not going to lie, those teams got me disappointed. Wished they'd get new Pokémon now that new Pokémon got put in through the DLC.

THanks regardless.

Poipole's method has been found, it's just Victini's that hasn't been.
 
Poipole's method has been found, it's just Victini's that hasn't been.

Oh it has? What is it? I’ve been trying to keep up with everything but there’s just so much :X3:

I know. I'm just saying that we're still screwed, no matter what. Unless you're playing ORAS IIRC.

Or B2W2 - you can get one in a trade from Curtis/Yancy there. It can also be found in some Ghost-type Friend Safaris, as well as peripherals like the Pokéwalker, Dream Radar, and now GO (where it has been distributed very rarely but will be a little more common this year).

ORAS is by far the easiest and most accessible option, however.
 
Also I guess I was wrong about there not being a special way to get Regigigas? I've read something about bringing all five Regis to a special Den.

E: And it's Lv100!???
 
Last edited:
Arent they supposed to be rare?

I mean strictly speaking they're all supposed to be dead :p

But with the technology to revive them and then Trainers subsequently breeding more of them, I wouldn't be surprised to see their populations undergo a resurgence. In fact, someone trying to create a place where Fossil Pokémon could roam around freely was previously alluded to (but never delivered on) in the Alola games. Though in this case, I saw someone on another board say that to them, all of the Legendaries and wild fossils make the Tundra feel like a place "lost to time" and I dunno I think that's kinda a neat way to look at it, as less of a controlled repopulation effort and more of a mystic, natural haven, the kind that themselves are probably very rare in the world.
 
Please note: The thread is from 3 years ago.
Please take the age of this thread into consideration in writing your reply. Depending on what exactly you wanted to say, you may want to consider if it would be better to post a new thread instead.
Back
Top Bottom